Actuator Engineer

bout the Role

We are looking for a Founding Mechanical Engineer to help own both design and manufacturing of new electromechanical mechanisms to be deployed in our autonomous systems. You will be the extreme owner of the system from conception to high-rate production. You will have creative freedom to explore engineering trades to solve problems from first principles, but also be responsible for developing the assembly work instructions and process flow at the end of the product lifecycle. You will design mechanism kinematics and do fun hand calcs plus structural analysis. You will also make your own drawings, tooling, do supplier visits, and more. You need to be a team player, owning all aspects of the end outcomes.

You will personally build your own designs until the design and assembly reaches a semi-stable state, before passing it off to technicians.

We believe in having small, talent-dense teams and removing friction across everything. We will always have more problems to solve than people to solve them, and we will keep it this way.

This is how Silicon Dreams builds the best future for humanity in the most efficient manner with a high bar for quality – and this starts with having high quality people who can execute and have a deep desire to be the best in their field. If you were the one doing all the work in your class projects or college engineering team, you will enjoy working with us.

We index on high gradient and learning rates as opposed to extensive prior experience. We also prioritize candidates with a demonstrated winning spirit whether it is in engineering competitions, physical athletics, or e-sports.

What You'll Do

• Design and analyze lightweight yet capable mechanisms deployed in many unique structural and thermal environments and load cases — this means first-principles sizing and hand calcs, structural analysis, and thermal analysis
• Work with a team to rigorously design and test actuation methodologies (motor + transmission)
• Own DFM for your mechanisms
• Work with suppliers to increase mechanism rate of production
• Work with a team to develop qual test procedures and setups for progressive de-risking
• Integrate mechanisms into larger systems
• Own drawings, line layout, tooling, work instructions, and manufacturing test procedures for your designs
• Use first principles and the basic scientific method in an organized, rigorous manner to perform experiments on engineering trades and de-risk known unknowns and known knowns

What You'll Bring

• 2+ years of professional experience (engineering club, commercial, and research internships included) with mechanical design, ranging from basic first-principles sizing to running quick breakout FEMs of your designs
• Experience taking a product from concept to production
• Experience with assembly work instructions
• Advanced CAD modeling skills (OnShape, Siemens NX, Fusion 360, SolidWorks)
• Proficiency in structural analysis (static structural at minimum; non-linear experience preferred but not required)
• Basic thermal design and analysis (thermal network modeling at minimum)
• Basic understanding of GD&T
• Basic understanding of dynamics and vibration analysis
• Excellence and mastery of fundamental classical mechanics and dynamics
• A deep desire to reduce part count

If you don’t meet every requirement listed above, but believe you are exceptional, like winning, believe in our mission, and are willing to work incredibly hard, please reach out to us regardless. We always want to work with the best.

Preferred Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechatronics, Physics, or a related field
• Nonlinear structural analysis
• Shock and vibration analysis
• CFD and thermal analysis
• Experience designing mechanisms starting from pure kinematics
• Electric motor design experience
• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments and DFM/DFT optimization
• DFM for casting and injection molding
• Consumer electronics thermal design, analysis, and manufacturing