--- title: 'Senior Mechanical Engineer – Power Electronics Packaging at RIVR' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-power-electronics-packaging-rivr-zurich-gj6pw40dteg9' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-14' --- # Senior Mechanical Engineer – Power Electronics Packaging at RIVR - **Company:** RIVR - **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-07 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-14 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/rivr/6994881d-0368-495b-bb91-fca6b545ccb3 ## Job description RIVR, part of Amazon is a robotics company pioneering Physical AI through real-world doorstep delivery. Founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, RIVR developed wheeled-legged robots designed to operate in complex, unstructured environments such as stairs, gates, doors, and uneven urban terrain. We believe that achieving general physical intelligence requires solving real customer problems in the real world, where robots can learn from rich operational data at scale. Following our acquisition by Amazon in March 2026, we are continuing this mission with greater reach and speed. By combining custom robot hardware, onboard autonomy, and cloud-based coordination, RIVR, part of Amazon is building the next generation of safe, reliable autonomous robots for last-mile delivery. Job Description We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to own the complete mechanical architecture, physical packaging, and harness routing strategy for our power distribution boards and control systems. Unlike traditional heavy EV inverters, our platform demands a lightweight structural approach while managing electronics packaging issues. In this role, you will lead the clean-sheet design of electronic enclosures, thermal management, and the complete wiring harness. You will act as the bridge between mechanical and electrical engineering, ensuring our systems are robustly packaged, sealed, routed, and ready for high-volume manufacturing. What will you be doing - Own the design and development process of electronic enclosures for our power boards and computational units, from concept to mass production. - Resolve complex mechanical challenges including electrical isolation, environment sealing, thermal management, shock and vibration, electromagnetic interference, etc. - Run required design analysis including thermal, CFD, structural (FEA), etc. - Define suite of test required to validate design together with testing team. Run root cause analysis and plan mitigations. - Create 2D drawings and supporting documentation for smooth handover to manufacturing team. - Guarantee manufacturability of parts and assembly. Lead supplier talks through DFM negotiations, run DFA analysis with manufacturing team. ## What You'll Bring - Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent experience. - 6+ years of hands-on industry experience designing electro-mechanical assemblies, electronic enclosures, and wire harnesses for moving platforms. - Proficiency in CAD (Solidworks, Siemens NX, CATIA, etc.), experience with validation tools (e.g. Ansys, COMSOL, etc.). Knowledgeable with PLM systems - Robust understanding of mechanical principles (heat transfer, structural design, material selection, fluids,  GD&T, etc.) - Experience on bringing prototypes to mass production using appropriate technologies like: die casting, injection molding, compression molding, thixomolding, progressive stamping, extrusion, etc. - Knowledgeable of material science used in electronic enclosures, gaskets and grommets. - Experience developing Test plans. And running appropriate root case analysis. - Understanding of electrical design, PCBa, components and it’s manufacturing process. Get Some Bonus Points - Experience with harness design and routing. Collaborating directly with Electrical engineering team to select and specify appropriate connectors, terminals and wire gauges. - Generate wire harness 2Ds, layouts and pinout tables for manufacturers. RIVR, part of Amazon is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that values every perspective. If you’re passionate about driving innovation in robotics and creating meaningful impact, we encourage you to apply and bring your unique self to our team. We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations. ## About RIVR ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: RIVR builds autonomous wheeled-legged robots powered by Physical AI to automate doorstep delivery, from the street to the door. - **Entity Type**: Private (acquired by Amazon in March 2026; previously venture-backed with $29M total funding) - **Headquarters**: Zurich, Switzerland - **Founded**: 2023 (originally as Swiss-Mile, rebranded to RIVR) - **Founders**: Marko Bjelonic (CEO), Lorenz Wellhausen (CTO Software), Giorgio Valsecchi (CTO Hardware), Alexander Reske (COO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Robotics Engineering / Physical AI for last-mile delivery - **Target customers**: B2B – logistics providers, e‑commerce companies, grocery delivery services (e.g., Swiss Post, Migros Online) - **Mission**: “Pioneering Physical AI to revolutionize doorstep delivery” – combining neural networks with wheeled‑leg robots to master the last 100 yards of delivery. ## Products & Services - **RIVR ONE**: A wheeled‑legged delivery robot that climbs stairs, steps over curbs, opens gates, and carries multiple parcels/groceries securely. Equipped with cameras, LiDAR, and a robotic arm for dexterous manipulation. - **Physical AI Platform**: Reinforcement learning (simulated data + parallel GPU training) and supervised/imitation learning (real‑world data) that enable autonomous navigation and manipulation. A data flywheel collects teleoperation feedback to continuously improve autonomy. - **Global Operations Software**: Cloud infrastructure for fleet management, including 24/7 remote assistance and API integration for custom deployments. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (acquired by Amazon; prior valuation unknown) - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised – $29M (Seed round led by Bezos Expeditions and HSG, plus grants from Innosuisse) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Bezos Expeditions, HSG, Innosuisse; pilot partners include Swiss Post and Migros Online - **Growth Signals**: Acquired by Amazon in March 2026; already has customers requiring “tens of thousands of robots”; workforce of 48 employees with 12.2% monthly headcount growth; 19 active job postings as of mid‑2026 ## Competitive Advantages - **Wheeled‑leg design** offers 5× battery life and speed, and 10× coverage of traditional legged robots, while still climbing stairs and navigating uneven terrain. - **Data flywheel**: Each deployed robot generates real‑world data that feeds supervised and imitation learning, creating a self‑reinforcing improvement loop. RIVR claims it will generate more daily data than YouTube within four years. - **Full‑stack approach**: Proprietary learning algorithms, simulation environments, and hardware co‑design allow tight integration between AI and embodiment. - **Amazon backing**: Post‑acquisition, RIVR gains access to Amazon’s logistics network, resources, and scale, accelerating deployment. ## Strategic Focus - **General Physical AI**: RIVR’s long‑term vision is to build a general‑purpose Physical AI that can handle diverse real‑world tasks, using doorstep delivery as the initial catalyst. - **Scaling deployment**: Moving from pilot (Swiss Post/Migros) to mass production and global rollout, leveraging Amazon’s infrastructure. - **Talent acquisition**: Actively hiring senior AI engineers (reinforcement learning, imitation learning, VLA foundation models), hardware engineers, and robotics software specialists to grow the technical team. ## Why Work Here - **Cutting‑edge technology**: Work on Physical AI, reinforcement learning, and advanced robotics at the intersection of software and hardware. - **Zurich location**: Office and development lab in the heart of Zürich; relocation bonus offered. - **Compensation & perks**: Competitive, transparent salary; Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP); annual performance‑based bonus; five weeks of vacation. - **Team & culture**: Work alongside top engineers from ETH Zurich, Amazon, Meta, and leading robotics labs. Flat hierarchy with a strong technical focus. - **Remote/hybrid policy**: On‑site presence expected (all current job postings are “On‑site – Full”); the robotics lab requires physical presence. - **Growth opportunity**: Being part of an Amazon‑owned company provides stability and resources while still operating with a startup‑like engineering intensity. ## Sources 1. [rivr.ai/careers](https://www.rivr.ai/careers) 2. [rivr.ai/about-rivr](https://www.rivr.ai/about-rivr) 3. [linkedin.com/company/rivr-technologies](https://linkedin.com/company/rivr-technologies) 4. [jobs.lever.co/rivr](https://jobs.lever.co/rivr) 5. [rivr.ai/technology](https://www.rivr.ai/technology) ## Other roles at RIVR - [Field Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/field-technician-rivr-zurich-mxz9bqnfxkd1) — Zurich, Switzerland - [AI Intern – Vision-Language-Action (VLA) & Data](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-intern-vision-language-action-vla-data-rivr-zurich-fq5gf4hx17rn) — Zurich, Switzerland - [(Senior) AI Engineer - Reinforcement Learning Manipulation](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ai-engineer-reinforcement-learning-manipulation-rivr-zurich-x81cvkrqgyt1) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Hardware integration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-integration-engineer-rivr-shanghai-xz2anwhe3xkz) — Shanghai, China - [Senior Electronics Engineer – Functional Safety](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electronics-engineer-functional-safety-rivr-zurich-6559gbs405j8) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Senior Electronics Engineer – Carrier Board](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electronics-engineer-carrier-board-rivr-zurich-bfras8f1qsy6) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Tech Lead – Testing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/tech-lead-testing-engineer-rivr-zurich-gwq4arwcqpby) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Procurement Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-engineer-rivr-zurich-hxs2jrkes2hg) — Zurich, Switzerland - [Procurement Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-coordinator-rivr-shanghai-6cra94jtfsdh) — Shanghai, China - [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-rivr-shanghai-edvbc7njpzfc) — Shanghai, China