Mechanical Design Engineer

Mechanical Design Engineer

Location: Hayward, CA

Department: Engineering

Reports to: CTO

BUILD MACHINES THAT WORK ON REAL FARMS

Verdant Robotics builds robots that do useful work for paying customers. Our SharpShooter system uses computer vision and AI to identify crops and weeds, then acts on that information with millimeter-accurate spraying. We help growers control weeds and reduce chemical inputs, bringing advanced robotics into everyday farming.

We are looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer with advanced SolidWorks skills and the practical judgment that comes from years of building things. You know how to turn an idea into a well-designed part, a clear drawing, and hardware that can actually be manufactured and assembled. The challenge is making precision mechanisms, camera assemblies, and fluid delivery systems perform reliably through dirt, vibration, chemicals, and long days on farms.

THE OPPORTUNITY

You will take responsibility for parts and assemblies from concept through SolidWorks modeling, detailed drawings, fabrication, assembly, testing, and production release. Your work may touch spray turrets, camera and lighting assemblies, machine structures, or fluid delivery hardware. You will own the quality of your CAD and drawings, work through design reviews with experienced engineers, and follow your designs into working machines.

You will work alongside engineers in mechanical design, electronics, software, and perception, learning how the whole robotic system comes together. Direct feedback from manufacturing and field teams will show you how your decisions affect machine performance and the people who operate it. As your skills grow, you will take on more complex assemblies and greater design responsibility. Expect to spend time both in CAD and hands-on with hardware.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Design mechanical parts and assemblies in SolidWorks. Build robust parametric models with clear design intent, sensible feature structure, and assembly relationships that remain reliable through revisions.
• Create production-ready drawings and accurate BOMs. Specify materials, finishes, fits, and tolerances; keep models, drawings, configurations, and revisions consistent.
• Build, assemble, and test prototypes. Check your assumptions against measurements and use the results to improve the design.
• Design for manufacturing and assembly from the start. Work with suppliers to account for process capabilities, tooling access, standard stock, cost, and practical assembly and service needs.
• Use feedback from production and machines in the field to investigate failures, improve reliability and serviceability, and carry agreed design changes through review and release.
• Participate in design reviews and machine testing. Explain your decisions, ask questions early, and follow assigned work through to completion.

WHAT YOU BRING

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline. More than three years of professional experience after completing your degree is preferred; exceptional earlier-career candidates with strong CAD skills and substantial build experience are welcome.
• Advanced SolidWorks proficiency is required: parametric part modeling, assemblies and mates, configurations, detailed drawings, and BOMs. You can organize, troubleshoot, and revise models efficiently while preserving design intent.
• Practical design-for-manufacturing and assembly skills. You understand how manufacturing processes constrain geometry and tolerances, and can design parts that are economical to make, straightforward to assemble, and accessible to service.
• A sustained history of building things - through personal projects, machine shops, student teams, internships, or professional work. You have taken designs beyond the screen, assembled and tested hardware, and learned from what did not fit, broke, or proved difficult to manufacture.
• Strong mechanical fundamentals and sound judgment about loads, materials, fasteners, fits, and tolerance stack-ups. You work carefully, explain your decisions, seek useful feedback, and follow problems through to resolution.

HELPFUL EXPERIENCE

Hands-on machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, or fixture design is especially valuable. Experience with SolidWorks PDM, GD&T, production releases, electromechanical systems, seals, bearings, or fluid systems is also useful.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

You produce models and drawings that others can build from, catch fit and assembly issues early, and use testing to make better design decisions. You become someone the team trusts to take an assigned component from an engineering problem to a working, documented solution - and see that solution contribute to a machine earning its keep on a farm.

SHOW US WHAT YOU HAVE BUILT

Along with your resume, we welcome a short portfolio showing both your CAD work and the hardware you built. Include a part or assembly, a drawing you can share, and photos of the finished result. Tell us what you personally designed, how it was manufactured, one important tradeoff, and what changed after assembly or testing. Personal and student projects count. Please share only material you have permission to disclose.