Mechanical Engineer

Paradigm Robotics is an Austin, Texas based robotics startup building rugged, scalable robots for situational awareness in hazardous environments. We serve firefighting, emergency response, public safety, oil & gas, defense, and industrial markets. Our mission is to create a new paradigm of scalable, reliable, and useful robots for real-world hazardous operations - providing critical solutions to the most dangerous problems out there.

We've raised an oversubscribed round from top-tier venture firms. We’re working directly with over 80 of the largest fire departments, law enforcement agencies, industrial teams, and military units across the U.S., including the Air Force, Army, and SERDP. Our robots are built with and for firefighters, first responders, warfighters, and emergency crews.

We are solving problems that matter. Building robots that operate in fire, heat, debris, water, and chaos is incredibly hard, and building them to scale is even harder. That is why we focus on engineering rigor, rapid iteration, and deep user feedback. We ship real robots into real fires for real customers, which means everyone on the team takes ownership, talks to users, and builds.

We value curiosity, autonomy, and low-ego collaboration, and we celebrate wins while owning mistakes. At the same time, we know how to have fun. From stargazing trips, go-kart races, and off-sites to Tulum, to goldfish pranks that turned into a full aquarium, we work hard and enjoy the ride together. This is a place where you can do your best work, learn a ton, build cool things, and make lifelong friends.

Mechanical Engineer

Full-Time

Start Fall 2025

As a Mechanical Engineer, you will own mechanical systems as well as their integration into larger assemblies — many of which are subject to high-temperature, corrosive, and/or water-heavy environments; and some of which are inherently electro-mechanical systems. You will be seeing projects through the full product lifecycle, and will be heavily involved with each step.

You will build, design, engineer, lead, and test. You'll take systems from concept to production and see them deployed in the field. You’ll work closely with the team, own your work end-to-end, and make real decisions that shape the product.

We expect you to take initiative, speak up, and care about the details. You'll have a lot of autonomy, and with that, the responsibility to make high-impact decisions. We’re looking for engineers who want to own what they build and why they’re building it.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own complex systems and see them through all levels of product maturity
• Design innovative solutions given system requirements, producing 3D CAD and proof-of-concepts
• Drive concept validation and critical learnings through rapid iteration; jerry-rigging test platforms when its faster
• Conduct analysis to ensure designs satisfy strength, reliability, and assembly requirements
• Lead and participate in design reviews and issue triages, ensuring buy-in from cross-disciplinary engineers
• Generate assembly layouts and detailed engineering drawings using GD&T concepts
• Work with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure parts are well-produced when necessary
• Develop and execute testing plans; performing root cause analysis on failures in development and deployment
• Design and build jigs, test fixtures, and tools when required
• Assemble systems to test performance and integration, and to help with robot manufacturing
• Document design justifications, analysis, test results, and recommendations
• Communicate directly with users as necessary to determine engineering direction for specific features, and to reduce vagueness of requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline
• 2 years of experience in mechanical design and analysis, specifically for complex systems
• Experience with the full product lifecycle, from design to production and commercialization
• Proficient in CAD and mechanical/thermal FEA analysis software (such as Solidworks and Ansys)
• Working knowledge of GD&T

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
• 3 years of professional design and analysis experience for complex robotic systems
• Proven commercial experience with product development and the full product lifecycle
• Worked at a high-growth startup
• Strong entrepreneurial track record being an engineer, founder, or operator at a 0 to 1 startup, able and prepared to support scaling across all aspects of engineering, operations, and business
• Expert knowledge of GD&T

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willing to work long hours, especially when necessary for critical milestones
• Hands-on in design, assembly, testing, and in-field deployments
• Open to providing mechanical engineering guidance to other team members when needed
• Eager to implement best practices, and fast to communicate needs and desired process changes
• Willing to provide feedback to management and team early and often

Austin, Texas

In-Person

Monday - Friday/Saturday (5/6 days a week)

40-60 hours a week

$90,000-$150,000 (Depending on experience)

0.5%-1.5% Equity

Healthcare (Medical, Dental, Vision)

Unlimited PTO

Relocation Support Offered

Free meals, swag, and more!

Please contact talent@paradigmrobotics.tech with any questions. Do not send an application through this email - it will not be screened.

At Paradigm Robotics, we believe the best ideas come from working side by side. We're an office-first team because building breakthrough tech that rolls into burning buildings takes tight feedback loops, fast iteration, and real-time collaboration. That said, we trust our team with autonomy. If you need to work from home once in a while, that's totally fine. What matters is that we deliver together.

We're building robots to keep first responders safe and change how emergency response works. To do that, we need a team with a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and lived experiences. We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and committed to a culture where everyone feels ownership, respect, and belonging. If our mission resonates with you, we’d love to meet you.