Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer (On-site)

About Standard Bots

At Standard Bots, we're revolutionizing real-world automation by making robotic systems accessible to everyone. Our AI-powered platform enables robots to tackle unprecedented challenges through an intuitive instruction interface, bringing the power of software automation to physical spaces.

What you'll do

We're building Bolt, a mobile manipulation platform: an autonomous mobile base carrying our robot arms. We're looking for a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical design of that platform — chassis, drivetrain, battery packaging, control box, and the structure that ties the arms to the base — from concept through a certified fleet. Reporting to the hardware lead, you will set the mechanical architecture, own the hardest design problems yourself, and guide the mechanical engineers through prototype builds, test, and production release.

📍 Location

This is an on-site role based at our new Boston-area office, where Bolt is designed, built, and tested, with some flexibility on days in the office once you're up to speed. On-site you'll have a build area, electronics lab, test floor, and production robots steps from your desk.

Responsibilities

• Own the mechanical architecture of the Bolt platform: chassis and frame, drivetrain and suspension, battery and power-electronics packaging, control box, and arm-to-base interface

• Lead concept trade studies (payload, center of gravity and tip stability, drive configuration, battery capacity, serviceability, cost) and drive decisions to closure with software, EE, safety, and product

• Do the hands-on, technically deep work: detailed design in SolidWorks, load cases and hand calcs, FEA, tolerance stackups, DFM for sheet metal, castings, machined parts, and weldments

• Plan and run prototype builds and the test program that proves durability, stability, and performance ahead of safety certification

• Guide and mentor the mechanical engineers on Bolt; run mechanical design reviews and set standards for drawings, analysis, and release

• Partner with Functional Safety on the mechanical aspects of certification (ISO 3691-4 / ANSI R15.08, ISO 10218) and with manufacturing on build and service strategy

Who you are

You've taken a mobile robot or comparable electromechanical vehicle from a blank page to production and know where the hard problems hide: stability under dynamic loads, battery packaging, thermal and IP enclosures, cabling and service access, and the cost that creeps in with every bracket. You lead by doing the design work alongside the team, not by delegating it. Our ideal candidate expects to spend roughly 60% of their time on design and analysis and 40% on mentoring, planning, collaboration, builds, and test.

Skills you'll bring

• Experience: Bachelor's or graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related) and 10+ years of product design, including a mobile robot, AMR/AGV, or similar electromechanical vehicle shipped at scale

• Mechanical Depth: Mastery of structures and mechanisms — load path design, fatigue, stiffness, bearings and drivetrain components, sheet metal and casting design, tolerance analysis

• Analysis: Hand calcs first, FEA when it earns its keep; you can size a frame, a wheel module, or a battery mount and defend the numbers

• Tool Fluency: Expert in SolidWorks (parts, large assemblies, drawings, simulation) and comfortable with PDM/PLM release processes

• Leadership: You have led engineers through an NPI cycle and made them better; you give direct, specific design feedback

• Clarity of Communication: Clear design documentation, crisp trade studies, and design reviews that move decisions

• Impact Driven: A reliable, manufacturable robot that ships beats an elegant one that never leaves the lab

• Excelling in Ambitious Environments: You thrive in a fast-moving team with changing requirements and tight timelines

Bonus points for

• AMR safety certification experience (ISO 3691-4, ANSI/RIA R15.08, ISO 13849)

• Battery pack mechanical design, thermal management, and IP-rated enclosures

• Experience designing for low-volume to mid-volume production (hundreds to thousands per year) and for field service

• Mobile manipulation or collaborative robot arm experience

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $160,000 to $220,000, depending on experience. Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at Standard Bots. All Full-Time Employees are eligible for Employee Stock Options. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees.