Senior Engineer II, Robotics Mechanical Design
Own end-to-end mechanical design of custom mobile manipulators at LILA Sciences in Cambridge, MA — mocking up, CAD-modeling, and documenting robot-arm + AMR/AGV integrations (mounts, brackets, cable routing, mass/CG analysis) prepared for NVIDIA Isaac Sim simulation and physical builds. A hands-on mechanical/mechatronic design role, not robotics software.
- Compensation
- $136.8K–$190.6K / yr
- Location
- Cambridge, MA USA
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Design
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Mechanical or mechatronic design experience in production, commercial, or applied R&D setting, ideally robotics or automated equipment
- Strong proficiency in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape, or similar)
- Experience designing mechanical mounts, brackets, or structural interfaces for hardware integration
- Understanding of payload, mass properties, and center-of-gravity considerations for robotic arms on mobile bases
- Familiarity with robot arm and AMR specifications: mounting interfaces, payload limits, reach envelopes
- Comfortable iterating quickly, producing and revising multiple design options rather than one final design upfront
- Strong documentation habits; communicate design intent and constraints to a non-mechanical audience
Nice to have
- Experience preparing CAD models for downstream simulation use (clean geometry for URDF/mesh conversion)
- Experience with robot arms and AMRs specifically, rather than general industrial equipment
- Familiarity with ROS2/URDF conventions
- Experience with NVIDIA Isaac Sim or other robotics simulation tools
- Background in industrial design for warehouse automation, logistics robotics, or manufacturing equipment
- Experience with rapid prototyping: 3D printing, sheet metal, machining
Full description
Your Impact at LILA
Our Platform Evaluation team tests and benchmarks alternative robotics platforms, including mobile manipulators, AMRs/AGVs, and other form factors, against our current production baseline. The team builds custom mobile manipulators by combining off-the-shelf components from different AMR and robot arm manufacturers, for example mounting one or more arms from a given vendor onto an AMR base from another.
As the Robotics Mechanical Design Engineer, you will own the mechanical design of these custom configurations end to end: mocking up multiple iterations (different arm brands, mounting positions, and configurations), modeling them fully in CAD, and preparing designs for simulation and physical build.
You will work closely with the Platform Evaluation engineers, who validate designs in simulation (NVIDIA Isaac Sim) and in physical testing once built. This is a hands-on mechanical and mechatronic design role, not a robotics software or controls position.
What You'll Be Building
- Design and iterate mounting and integration concepts combining robot arms with AMR/AGV base platforms
- Produce multiple design options per platform combination for evaluation
- Model custom mobile manipulator configurations in CAD, including brackets, structural supports, and interface hardware
- Run mass, center-of-gravity, and payload analysis to keep configurations within manufacturer specifications
- Design cable, hose, and connector routing between the arm, end effector, and AMR base
- Prepare simulation-ready CAD models and specifications (exportable URDF/mesh geometry) for Isaac Sim validation
- Document design decisions, tolerances, and assembly procedures, and support physical build and integration
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Mechanical or mechatronic design experience in a production, commercial, or applied R&D setting, ideally involving robotics or automated equipment
- Strong proficiency in 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape, or similar)
- Experience designing mechanical mounts, brackets, or structural interfaces for hardware integration
- Understanding of payload, mass properties, and center-of-gravity considerations for robotic arms on mobile bases
- Familiarity with robot arm and AMR specifications, including mounting interfaces, payload limits, and reach envelopes
- Comfortable iterating quickly, producing and revising multiple design options rather than one final design upfront
- Strong documentation habits, with the ability to communicate design intent and constraints to a non-mechanical audience