Lead Mechatronics Engineer

Valstad

  • Austin, TX
  • $180,000-200,000 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 28 days ago
  • Apply easily
Valstad is rethinking shipbuilding from first principles. By challenging the orthodoxy of modern ship construction, we’ll deliver a quantum leap in American shipbuilding at a crucial moment in history.As Lead Mechatronics Engineer, you’ll be the architect of the machine that builds the machine—robotic cells that sequence raw plate into ocean-ready ships. You’ll tackle some of the biggest, most compelling problems in manufacturing on our quest to reindustrialize.You’ll own the full mechatronics stack—from load-case math to EtherCAT fine-tuning—while mentoring a small team of hyper-motivated builders.The work will be hard, the hours long, the obstacles many.Success is not guaranteed. But it is possible.Requirements
  • Experience: 8-12 yrs designing and shipping industrial or robotic machinery > $250 k BOM or > 1 t dynamic mass.
  • Education: B.S. (or higher) in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Robotics Engineering — or equivalent hands-on experience that demonstrates the same fundamentals (statics/dynamics, control theory, power circuits, manufacturing processes).
  • Systems thinking: Can convert throughput targets into axis specs, load paths, and safety categories (ISO 13849/10218).
  • CAD & analysis: Expert in SolidWorks/NX/CATIA, GD&T, quick-turn FEA for stiffness/fatigue, BOM discipline.
  • Motion & controls: Comfort with servo sizing, backlash budgets, PLCs (e.g. TwinCAT/IEC 61131), and EtherCAT I/O.
  • Welding or heavy-steel exposure: GMAW/SAW process knowledge and distortion-control intuition.
  • Shop-floor fluency: You can TIG-tack a bracket, dial-indicate a rail, and debug a drive alongside technicians.
  • Leadership: Proven mentorship of early-career engineers and cross-disciplinary design-review cadence.
  • Work authorization: U.S. person (ITAR-controlled projects).
  • Location: On-site at our office in Austin, TX.
Benefits
  • Compensation. $200k base + 1.5% stock options + milestone bonus.
  • Relocation: $20k relocation assistance to move to Austin.
  • Tools & Toys. If you need it, we'll buy it.
  • Speed over red tape. Design it today, order the parts, build it tomorrow. Full freedom to run experiments, build prototypes and move fast.
  • Medical and dental. Standard comprehensive medical coverage & dental.
  • Mission. Play a major role in reindustrializing America.

Valstad