Mechanical / Hardware Engineer (Rochester)

Brekland is an early-stage, climate resilience agriculture company based in New York that develops systems to help farmers protect their crops from billion-dollar frost events. Brekland’s solution is a biodegradable spray-on foam that can be applied just hours before a frost and protect sensitive crops from damage. We will begin commercializing our first product in 2027 and have also started expanding beyond frost into other product lines using our foam platform.

Brekland is a VC backed company supported by Activate and is the recent winner of the 2025 $1M Grow-NY prize .

About the job

We’re looking for a Hardware Engineer to help build, test and scale-up our foam spray system ( link ). You’ll work closely with our current hardware engineer and our Chief Scientific Officer to improve our system and help set up and scale our manufacturing. In addition, as our portfolio expands, you will be directly involved in the early-stage R&D of new hardware systems to support these products.

About you:

• You’re a builder and deliver. You’re excited about building hardware, are well versed in CAD, are passionate about wrenching and can move projects from start to finish quickly.
• You’re entrepreneurially driven and independent. You don’t need constant oversight to get a task completed but also know when to reach out for help.
• You’re a resourceful problem solver. When faced with a new problem, you identify multiple paths to find a solution and will make it happen.

What you can expect:

• We’ve completed assembly and field testing of a commercial prototype of our first product ( see here )– your role will be to continue its development and support building the first commercial units to be delivered in Spring 2027.
• To meet our delivery timeline, you’ll help optimize our design, build and rigorously test the next generation of foam-sprayer hardware and then lead assembly for delivery to customers. 
• This role is based at our offices in in Greece, NY, just outside of Rochester, and will require occasional travel to field testing sites in the Finger lakes, NYC, Virginia and France.

Key qualifications:

• Either a BS in mechanical engineering (or related field) with 3+ years of experience, or an engineering technician degree with 5+ years of experience.
• Experience designing and building electrical systems and coding PLC systems
• Well-versed in CAD
• Entrepreneurial experience, either working at a startup or starting your own venture/project

Things that can set you apart:

• Experience working in agriculture, including building equipment, operating equipment, or working in agricultural operations generally
• You’ve designed and built 2+ hardware prototypes or done other design/build projects outside of work
• Experience machining parts, welding, 3D printing and other component fabrication skills
• Proficient in French and/or Spanish