Senior Mechanical Engineer - Robotics at Watney (San Francisco, CA)
Watney· San Francisco, CA·
Role details
Summary
Design and own the end-to-end mechanical hardware for autonomous robotics systems, from concept to production. This foundational role involves rapid prototyping, component integration, and providing technical leadership to the engineering team.
Job description
OUR MISSION
Expand human ambition in the physical world.
Critical infrastructure is constrained by labor shortages, hazardous working conditions, and operational complexity. Watney builds and deploys autonomous robotic systems that increase the speed and capacity of buildout, starting with data centers.
THE ROLE
As one of the foundational members of our Engineering team, you will design components and assemblies for our fast-growing fleet of production robots. We like to ship fast. From Day 1, you’ll play an instrumental role in bringing our products to life, owning critical pieces of our hardware design from concept to production.
Working directly with our founding team, this role is based onsite at our San Francisco headquarters.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Design custom mechanical components for our advanced robotics and teleoperations systems, including end-effectors, grippers, manipulators, mounts, etc
- Develop and implement solutions for rapid prototyping of new hardware designs to ensure performance, reliability and manufacturability
- Integrate mechanical components within larger hardware systems, ensuring they meet performance and project goals
- Provide technical leadership and advise leadership on technology strategy and decision-making
- Collaborate with Hardware Engineers and Ops team to support overall product development, enabling our autonomous robotics solutions
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
- 4+ years of mechanical design experience
- In-depth, hands-on experience, owning end-to-end mechanical design of components and assemblies for robotics systems, medical devices, rockets, drones, automotive systems or like
- Proficiency designing parts and systems using 3D modeling software such as Creo, Solidworks or NX. Onshape a big plus!
- Familiarity with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
- Strong sense of ownership, initiative, problem solving and analysis
- Effective communicator and collaborator with the ability to work closely with Hardware Engineers and Ops team in a fast-paced environment
We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive team. At Watney Robotics, we welcome people of all backgrounds and identities, and we make hiring decisions based on skills, experience, and potential. If you’re passionate about robotics but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply!
CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE?
Follow us here on X x.com/watneyrobotics and LinkedIn linkedin.com/about
Why work at Watney
- In-Office culture: All roles are based in San Francisco (HQ); the company emphasizes in-person collaboration.
- Ground-floor opportunity: With outsized ownership and visibility, employees shape the “rollout playbook” for a category-defining robotics company.
- Technical challenge: Work on real systems that combine robotics, AI, hardware, and infrastructure at scale.
- Notable peers: Colleagues include alumni from Scale AI, Amazon Web Services, Tools for Humanity, Warburg Pincus, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
- Growth trajectory: A very young company (founded 2024) with rapid hiring and clear product-market fit, ideal for early-stage career builders.