Raise Robotics is a San Francisco-based Physical AI startup building autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for real-world operations. We are a general-purpose robotics company with a deep speciality in heavy industrial applications, including shipyards, construction sites, manufacturing floors, and large-scale painting and coating operations. Our robots combine autonomous navigation with ruggedized mechanical systems to operate in environments where no other robot can.

We are looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the design, analysis, prototyping, and production-readiness of critical mechanical subsystems across our AMR platform. This is a high-impact individual contributor role where you will take full ownership of subsystems end-to-end, from concept through deployment. You will work across AMR chassis and drivetrain design, end-effector and manipulation systems, industrial enclosures and protective structures, and sensor integration hardware. You will collaborate daily with electrical, firmware, software, and AI/ML engineers to ship robots into harsh, real-world environments. Importantly, we are looking for someone who has already been through the growing pains of scaling hardware at a startup and can bring that hard-won experience to Raise, rather than learning those lessons here for the first time.

Responsibilities:

- Own the mechanical design lifecycle for AMR subsystems: concept, CAD, analysis, prototyping, testing, and release to production.

- Participate hands-on in prototype builds, including hardware installation, fit-check validation, and iterative design refinement on the shop floor.

- Design and iterate on chassis, drivetrain, suspension, and 4WD/4WS mobility platforms for heavy-payload industrial AMRs.

- Develop end-effector mounts, manipulation system interfaces, and tool-changing mechanisms for robotic arms (e.g., FAIRINO FR20, UR20).

- Design ruggedized enclosures, protective domes, sensor mounts, and air curtain assemblies for deployment in shipyards, painting and coating environments, and manufacturing facilities.

- Design mounting brackets, structural interfaces, and thermal management solutions for compute units, power electronics, and ancillary hardware on mobile platforms.

- Collaborate with electrical and controls teams on physical routing and packaging of wire harnesses, fluid lines, and cooling components within tight mechanical envelopes.

- Perform first-order hand calculations for structural loads, vibration fatigue, and thermal dissipation, and collaborate with analysis teams on detailed FEA validation.

- Create GD&T-compliant engineering drawings, weldment designs, and sheet metal fabrication packages for vendor quoting and production.

- Select and specify actuators, servo drives, gas springs, load cells, and other electromechanical components. Manage vendor relationships from RFQ through delivery.

- Collaborate with electrical and controls engineers on sensor integration (LiDAR, ultrasonic, IMU) and safety-rated hardware (STO inputs, OSSD interfaces).

- Support ATEX Zone 2 and IP-rated enclosure design considerations for hazardous environment deployments.

- Drive DFM reviews and work closely with contract manufacturers, machine shops, and sheet metal fabricators to ensure producibility at low-to-mid volumes.

- Maintain engineering documentation, BOMs, and revision control in alignment with company standards.

Experience:

- 5+ years of professional mechanical engineering experience, with at least 2 years at an early-stage or high-growth hardware startup (Series Seed through Series B).

- Hands-on experience through a 0-to-1 build phase (first prototype to first customer shipment) or a 1-to-100 scaling phase (transitioning designs from one-off prototypes into repeatable, production-ready builds).

- Expert-level proficiency in SolidWorks (or equivalent parametric CAD) with strong GD&T knowledge for production drawings. Working knowledge of FEA tools (SolidWorks Simulation, ANSYS, or similar) for structural, thermal, and modal analysis, as well as the ability to perform first-order hand calculations to drive early design decisions.

- Deep experience designing for sheet metal fabrication, CNC machining, and welded steel/aluminum structures in heavy industrial contexts.

- Clear technical communicator who can present design reviews, trade studies, and failure analyses to cross-functional teams.

- Prior experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or industrial automation.

- (Preferred) Exposure to hazardous area design standards (ATEX, IECEx, NEC) and IP-rated enclosure design (IP54+).

- (Preferred) Experience designing stabilization systems (outriggers, leveling mechanisms) for mobile platforms.