---
title: 'Principal Mechanical Engineer / Systems Engineer at HaloBraid'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-mechanical-engineer-systems-engineer-halobraid-cambridge-j9f4rkzhd799'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-03'
---

# Principal Mechanical Engineer / Systems Engineer at HaloBraid

- **Company:** HaloBraid
- **Location:** Cambridge, MA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-03
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/halobraid/8e1382c9-dca8-4f0b-b2e1-b07d0fbe9b5e

## Job description

Halo is a technology company building the future of haircare for all textures. We create category-defining products built for the complexities others overlook.

We're building HaloBraid, the world's first braid-assist device. It helps stylists finish braids five times faster, flawlessly and gently. This is one of the hardest unsolved problems in robotics, applied to a $270B salon services industry, and integrating computer vision, compliant fiber manipulation, and novel mechanisms.

Billions of hours are spent braiding hair each year; HaloBraid gives that time back. We're moving from R&D into deployment with salons, and we're backed by leading investors.

## YOU WILL

- Understand the full HaloBraid machine and its architecture: identify design, tolerance, assembly, serviceability, and dependency issues, and drive them to resolution.
- Personally deliver IC engineering: own a subassembly from 3D CAD through pilot and toward production-ready parts.
- Review design work across the team to reduce complexity and raise design standards.
- Build strong test/experiment/decision frameworks
- Apply DFM/DFA judgment and prepare for pilot builds, supplier engagement, and contract-manufacturer handoff.
- Mentor engineers, set practical best practices and standards, and strengthen our engineering culture without becoming process-heavy.
- Collaborate with electrical, industrial design, manufacturing, and suppliers.

## YOU HAVE

- 10+ years, or equivalent depth, in electromechanical product development
- Strong mechanical architecture and product-design judgment: you can see the whole system and its tradeoffs.
- A track record of delivering designs that made it through pilot or production.
- An ability to review CAD and identify design, assembly, and serviceability issues.
- A strong experiment / test / decision-making framework
- Fluency with control drawings, tolerances, assemblies, and manufacturability.
- Taken a product or a major subsystem from prototype toward production.
- A desire to mentor other engineers without adding bureaucracy

## DESIRED SKILLS (OPTIONAL)

- BOM ownership
- Supplier searches with technical and cost recommendations: CM / supplier interface experience.
- Product roadmap input
- Production-transfer experience.
- People-management experience.
- Robotics or mechatronics experience.
- Production embedded / electrical interface awareness.

## WHO YOU ARE

- User-centric. You want to build things people actually use and love.
- Low ego, adaptable, collaborative.
- A fast, honest iterator. You learn through testing and user feedback, and you follow through on what you suggest.
- Driven by the mission. A hard, unsolved robotics problem that gives millions of people their time back is your idea of a good challenge.
- A clear communicator

## BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH US

- 100% medical premium coverage, comprehensive dental and vision benefits.
- Meaningful equity.
- 12 company holidays and unlimited PTO.
- Free parking onsite.

## ONSITE WORK

This is an onsite position at our office/lab in Cambridge, MA. You must have authorization to work in the US.

DON'T MEET EVERY REQUIREMENT?

If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align with every single line, we encourage you to apply anyway.

## EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization.

## About HaloBraid

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: HaloBraid is a robotics startup building an automated braiding assistant to dramatically reduce the time required for professional hair braiding, starting with a device for salons.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- **Founded**: 2023 (based on earliest funding round)
- **Founders**: Yinka Ogunbiyi

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Personal Care Product Manufacturing, Robotics, Beauty Tech
- **Target customers**: Professional hair salons and stylists (B2B), with a long-term vision to serve individual consumers
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To create breakthrough technology that makes textured haircare faster, easier, more comfortable, and more joyful. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)

## Products & Services
- **HaloBraid Device**: A robotic braiding assistant for professional stylists. The stylist starts the braid, and the device finishes it in seconds. Designed for knotless and box braids. The product is patent-pending and slated to launch in 2026. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $7.1M (a $100K grant from Harvard Innovation Labs in 2023 and a $7M seed round in June 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Seven Seven Six (led by Alexis Ohanian), AlleyCorp, Bling Capital, Harvard Innovation Labs [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Growth Signals**: Raised a $7M seed round in June 2026; team has grown to approximately 15 people; has 9 active job postings; website traffic has grown +689% year-over-year; the company is preparing for its first product launch later in 2026.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover in a massive, underserved market**: An estimated 8 billion hours are spent braiding hair each year, and 95% of people surveyed said they would braid more often if it took less time. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Founder with deep domain expertise**: Yinka Ogunbiyi is a biomechanical engineer with an MS in engineering from Harvard and an MBA, who previously founded a smart cooking appliance company. She has approached braiding as a technical problem, borrowing methods from material science and inkjet printing. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Patent-pending technology**: The company has filed patents for its core braiding mechanism, creating a defensible moat in a market with very few competitors (the most notable being Braidiant). [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Strong investor backing**: The seed round was led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, a top-tier venture firm, signaling strong confidence in the company's vision.

## Strategic Focus
- **Product Launch**: The immediate priority is launching the first HaloBraid device to salons later in 2026. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Product Development & Manufacturing**: Using the $7M seed round to fund product development, manufacturing, and securing salon partnerships. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Future Product Pipeline**: The team is already exploring additional devices, such as one that can undo braids. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
- **Team Growth**: The company is actively hiring across engineering and operations, with 9 open positions as of mid-2026, signaling a major scaling phase.

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact, Early-Stage Role**: As a small team of ~15 people, new hires will have significant ownership and impact on the product and company direction.
- **Cutting-Edge Hardware & Robotics**: The work involves solving complex problems in robotics, mechatronics, and material science, making it an exciting opportunity for engineers.
- **Mission-Driven**: The company is addressing a real pain point for millions of people, with a focus on textured hair care—a historically underserved market.
- **Hybrid Work Environment**: The Boston office operates on a hybrid model, blending remote and on-site work. [builtinboston.com](https://www.builtinboston.com/company/halobraid)
- **Strong Perks**: Benefits include company equity, health insurance (dental, life, medical), and a strong company culture rated 4.3/5.0 by employees. [builtinboston.com](https://www.builtinboston.com/company/halobraid)
- **Diverse & Inclusive Mission**: The company is founded by a Black woman engineer and is focused on a product that serves a historically overlooked market, suggesting a strong culture of inclusion and purpose.

## Sources
1. [halobraid.com](https://www.halobraid.com/)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/halobraid)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/halo-braid)
4. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/23/halobraid-raises-7m-from-seven-seven-six-to-end-the-six-hour-hair-salon-appointment/)
5. [builtinboston.com](https://www.builtinboston.com/company/halobraid)

## Other roles at HaloBraid

- [Senior Mechanical Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-design-engineer-halobraid-bristol-89mq4afmz14w) — Bristol, United Kingdom
- [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-halobraid-cambridge-rta9ff64wkt5) — Cambridge, MA
- [Senior Robotics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robotics-engineer-halobraid-bristol-gtq053rkzfad) — Bristol, United Kingdom
- [Senior Robotics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robotics-engineer-halobraid-cambridge-3g9502k8qewx) — Cambridge, MA