Senior Engineer II, Robotics Mechanical Design

Lila Sciences
Cambridge +1 more
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at mid-to-senior level mechanical design professionals with robotics experience who thrive in collaborative, hands-on environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with experience in robotics mechanical integration and CAD modeling for simulation
    — “Design and iterate mounting and integration concepts combining robot arms with AMR/AGV base platforms”
  • Individuals who can quickly iterate mechanical designs and support physical prototyping
    — “Comfortable iterating quickly, producing and revising multiple design options rather than one final design upfront”
  • Professionals with a background in industrial design for logistics or warehouse automation
    — “Background in industrial design for warehouse automation, logistics robotics, or manufacturing equipment”

Things to consider

  • The role requires full-time commitment and physical presence for prototyping and testing
    — “This is a hands-on mechanical and mechatronic design role”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with CAD modeling for simulation and hardware integration
    — “Prepare simulation-ready CAD models and specifications (exportable URDF/mesh geometry)”
  • Emphasize rapid prototyping skills with 3D printing, machining, or sheet metal
    — “Experience with rapid prototyping methods such as 3D printing, sheet metal, and machining”
  • Showcase ability to document design decisions clearly for non-mechanical teams
    — “Strong documentation habits, with the ability to communicate design intent and constraints to a non-mechanical audience”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Designing custom mobile manipulators
  • Producing multiple design options
  • Modeling in CAD
Typical background
Mechanical engineeringRobotics designMechatronics

Skills & requirements

Required

Mechanical DesignCADRobotics IntegrationPayload AnalysisSimulation

Preferred

Robotics SimulationIndustrial Design

Stack & domain

Mechanical DesignCADSolidworksFusion 360OnshapePayload AnalysisUrdf/mesh GeometryProblem SolvingCommunicationTeamworkRoboticsAI

About the role

Original posting from Lila Sciences via Greenhouse

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

Bonus Points For

Experience preparing CAD models for downstream simulation use, exporting clean geometry at a level of detail suited to 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 methods such as 3D printing, sheet metal, and machining for early design iterations

Compensation

We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.

U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.

International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.

Expected Base Salary Range$136,800—$190,634 USDAbout LILA

Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.

LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.

Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.

We’re All In

Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.

A Note to Agencies

Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

Source: Lila Sciences careers (Greenhouse)

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