Mechatronics Engineer, Robotics Hardware

Job Description

Job Description

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

FieldAI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.

Hardware Team: The Hardware Team at FieldAI develops perception and compute payloads that power autonomous robotics systems in complex real world environments. Our work spans the full hardware stack designing and integrating sensing systems (LiDAR, camera, TOF, IMU, GPS), embedded compute (CPUs, GPUs, microcontrollers, Linux, ROS), electrical systems (power distribution, communication), and mechanical components (structures, thermal regulation, ingress protection). The team focuses on both development (research, design, prototyping, testing) and operations (production, testing, QA, debugging). We're a small, fast-moving team, and we care deeply about improving: 1) core capabilities, 2) system reliability, 3) system scalability. As a growing team we are also building operational systems and procedures from the ground up.

Mechatronics Role: As a Mechatronics Engineer on the Hardware Team at FieldAI, you will work at the intersection of mechanical and electrical engineering, designing the systems that package and integrate compute and perception suites onto large wheeled vehicle platforms. Your work will span mechanical CAD and packaging, PCB design, electromechanical/actuation systems, and full-lifecycle platform support — taking hardware from initial design through fabrication, bring-up, and field deployment. You will collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, sensor, and autonomy teams to build tightly integrated solutions ready for deployment in challenging field environments. Additionally, while your focus spans mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical integration, you will likely contribute across all hardware domains.

What You Will Get To Do

1. Mechanical Design for Electronics Packaging

• Mechanical CAD & Packaging: Design packaging and mounting solutions for electronics compute boxes used across a variety of large vehicle platforms. Collaborate with the team to integrate the sensor suite (cameras, LiDARs, GPS, IMU) with the platform.

• Thermal & Structural Solutions: Collaborate with the team to investigate and solve thermal and structural challenges to keep autonomy hardware operational in rugged outdoor environments.

• Fabrication & Integration: Work with external fab shops to produce mechanical hardware, then perform hands-on assembly, bring-up, and integration onto the wheeled platform.

2. Electrical Design

• PCB Design: Design PCBs covering power regulation/distribution and wired communication systems, with senior electrical engineers available to pressure-test designs before they ship.

• Sensor & Compute Integration: Evaluate and integrate sensors (cameras, LiDARs) and test new onboard computers, with mechanical-electrical integration (wire routing, PCB placement, thermal paths).

• Bring-up & Validation: Bring up and validate electrical hardware, diagnosing failures to root cause with support from a team experienced in building these types of systems.

3. Mechatronics

• Electromechanical Integration: Design and integrate actuation systems (motors, drives, actuators) with mechanical structures and electrical control systems.

• Control Systems: Support tuning and validation of control loops (motion, actuation feedback) where mechatronic subsystems interface with platform-level controls.

• Cross-Domain Troubleshooting: Diagnose issues that span mechanical, electrical, and firmware boundaries — a core skill for keeping integrated electromechanical systems field-ready.

4. Full Lifecycle Platform Support

• Platform Integration: Integrate mechanical and electrical hardware onto a variety of large wheeled platforms, from CAD through installed, running hardware.

• Field Deployment & Support: Support deployed hardware in the field, diagnosing real-world failures and feeding fixes back into the next design iteration.

• Full-Stack Hardware: Contribute across full-stack robotics hardware, working closely alongside senior engineers from each discipline (mechanical, electrical, and embedded).

• Autonomy Systems & Collaboration: Work closely with the autonomy team on hardware decisions (sensor placement, platform constraints) and on safety-critical systems.

• Special Projects: Potentially make key contributions to special projects integrating multiple modalities, such as robotic arms with wheeled vehicles or multi-robot quadruped-wheeled collaborative efforts.
  

 

What You Have

• Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.

• Experience Level: We are recruiting across a wide range of experience levels from entry level engineers to senior and staff engineers.

• Mechanical CAD: Proficient with SolidWorks or equivalent mechanical CAD platforms, with experience designing enclosures, mounts, and structural packaging.

• PCB Design: Experience with PCB schematic and layout tools (KiCAD, Altium, or equivalent), particularly for power regulation and communication systems.

• Electromechanical Systems: Hands-on experience with motors, actuators, drives, and feedback control systems.

• Thermal & Structural Analysis: Familiarity with thermal mitigation strategies and structural design for rugged, outdoor-operating hardware.

• Electromechanical Integration: Comfort working across the mechanical-electrical boundary — wire routing, PCB placement, thermal paths, ingress protection.

• Fabrication: Experience working with external fab shops and hands-on assembly, bring-up, and integration of hardware.

• Debugging: Comfort with hardware debugging tools (oscilloscopes, power monitors, logs, analyzers) to diagnose failures to root cause across mechanical, electrical, and firmware boundaries.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to work across mechanical, electrical, and autonomy domains to deliver robust, integrated hardware.

• Field Mindset: Willingness to support hardware in the field and iterate designs based on real-world failures.

What Will Set You Apart

• Scaling: Experience taking systems from prototype to large scale production.

• Field Environments: Experience developing systems for harsh field environments.

• Deployed Robotics: Experience working on robotics deployed in real world settings such as autonomous vehicles, drones, or ruggedized robots.

• Actuation Expertise: Background in motor control, servo systems, or robotic manipulation/locomotion hardware.

• Multi-Modal Systems: Experience with robotic arms, manipulators, or multi-robot collaborative systems.

• Systems Level Robotics: Fluency across mechanical, electrical, and software systems.

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

Why Join FieldAI in Irvine?

In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use.

You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.