Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Rhoda AI

$120K — $150K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
  • 5+ years of engineering experience, including at least one full-cycle product launch.
  • Proficiency in design integration for material selection, geometry, and structural trade-offs.
  • Deep knowledge in thin-walled component design and/or high-performance composites.
  • Proficient in CATIA (or equivalent) with understanding of GD&T and datum strategies.
  • Exceptional organizational skills and a problem-solving mindset.

Responsibilities

  • Manage the product lifecycle from concept to end-of-life, ensuring quality and craft.
  • Integrate cladding subsystems while balancing aesthetics and functionality.
  • Define design criteria and lead studies for subsystem compatibility.
  • Design complex features supporting performance while maintaining aesthetics.
  • Coordinate prototype builds and validate components against requirements.
  • Produce detailed 3D CAD models and technical documentation with GD&T.
  • Analyze FEA results to iterate designs and ensure reliability.
  • Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional teams for technical feasibility.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for end-to-end ownership of innovative projects.
  • Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams.
  • Focus on sustainability and advanced engineering solutions.
Full Job Description
Senior Mechanical Design Engineer - Robot Cladding & A-Class Surfaces

What to Expect

As a Senior Engineer, you will own the full product lifecycle of our robot's Class-A surfaces that define its appearance and protect its core.

Robots are high performance multiaxial kinematic systems where heavy-duty structural integrity meets sub millimeter precision.

In this role, you are the CEO of your components. You will navigate a diverse landscape of materials (e.g., textiles, polymers, and composites), interfacing with cross-functional teams to ensure our products are functional, reliable, robust, and well-crafted.

We operate as T-shaped engineers. While you must be a generalist capable of solving any hardware challenge, your superpower for this role must be thin-walled component design and industrialization from concept to mass production.

What You'll Do
  • End-to-End Ownership: Manage the product lifecycle from initial concept and design studio interaction to end-of-life, ensuring feasibility, sustainability, and craftsmanship.
  • A-Class Surface Integration: Integrate the cladding subsystem of your ownership, balancing aesthetic, mechanical, cost, and time constraints.
  • Systems & Tolerance Management: Define design criteria and lead engineering studies for subsystem compatibility. Perform dimensional stack-up analysis for critical-to-function and aesthetic interfaces.
  • Detailed Engineering & DfM: Design complex B-side features (ribbing, bosses, clip towers, hooks) that support performance without compromising A-side aesthetics. Develop robust attachment strategies, including joining features (e.g., snaps, hooks, welds).
  • Validation & Prototyping: Coordinate cladding prototype builds, evaluate assembly feasibility during slow builds, and validate components against requirements.
  • Technical Documentation: Produce high-fidelity 3D CAD models (CATIA preferred) and 2D engineering drawings with comprehensive GD&T and datum strategies.
  • Simulation & Failure Avoidance: Interpret FEA analysis (e.g., structural, Moldflow) to iterate designs. Think at a systems level and apply a failure mode avoidance mentality to ensure long-term reliability.
  • Supplier & Cross-Functional Interaction: Partner with Supply Chain and Tier 1/2 suppliers for RFQs and technical feasibility reviews; troubleshoot integration issues during build phases.

What You'll Bring
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field.
  • Experience: 5+ years of engineering experience, including at least one full-cycle product launch.
  • Core Fundamentals: Proficiency in design integration to balance material selection, geometry, and structural trade-offs informed by product use cases and functional/engineering requirements.
  • Technical "Superpower": Deep Knowledge in thin-walled component design and/or high-performance composites (fiber-resin systems).
  • Engineering Tools: Ability to define datum strategies and tolerances from concept through to Class-A maturation with a deep understanding of GD&T as a driver. Proficiency in CATIA (or equivalent) with the ability to communicate ideas through sections and CAD studies to progress development to production.
  • The "Owner" Mindset: Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to use first principles thinking to solve technical bottlenecks under tight timelines.

Bonus Points (The "Plus" List)
  • Soft Goods Experience: Experience integrating textiles, artificial leather, elastomers, or cellular structures into designs.
  • Advanced Manufacturing: Deep knowledge of injection molding, RIM, vacuum forming, or thermoforming.
  • Finishing & Lighting: Familiarity with polymer surface finishes (painting, plating, etc.) or integration of vehicle interior lighting.
  • Dual-Hat Experience: Background in both Design Engineering and Manufacturing/Assembly Engineering.

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