Mechanical Design Engineer (Robotics)
Quick facts
- Pay
- $150K–$250K+ base plus meaningful equity
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
- Industry
- Engineering — 228 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B, OPT
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
Title: Mechanical Design Engineer (Robotics), Early Hardware Team
Location: San Francisco, CA (on site, 6 days a week)
Salary: $150K–$250K+ base plus meaningful equity
Want to be one of the first mechanical engineers at a well-funded robotics startup building robots for industrial work?
This company builds bi-manual robots that do real industrial labour, and owns the full stack: hardware, ML and deployment. The team is small, about 20 people, with engineers from top AI and tech companies. They’re hiring an early member of the hardware team to own the physical layer everything else runs on.
What you’ll do
- Design, prototype and iterate on end-effectors, grippers, fixtures and full robot assemblies
- Build custom hardware fast, often in days to weeks: teleoperation leader arms, data collection rigs, custom assemblies
- Own actuator design, integration and FEA for arms and end-effectors handling industrial loads
- Move between quick builds that unblock the ML team and longer projects like custom arms and actuators
- Work directly with ML, electrical and deployment engineers to turn manipulation problems into working hardware
What they’re looking for
- 0 to 4 years of hands-on mechanical engineering in robotics, actuators or hardware products. Internships count
- Strong CAD (SolidWorks, Onshape or Fusion) plus real fabrication: machining, 3D printing, building things yourself
- A maker mindset: personal projects, FSAE, Baja, motorsports, robotics or build clubs, machine shop experience
- Comfort with ambiguity, high ownership and switching between short projects
- A mechanical engineering degree is preferred. A strong portfolio matters more
Nice to have
- Internships or experience at robotics, autonomy, aerospace or hardware startups
- DFM across machining, sheet metal, injection moulding and additive
Why join
- Ground floor of a physical AI company with serious funding
- Real ownership: you design it, build it and see it deployed
- OPT and H1B transfers supported
To apply: include a link to your portfolio or project work. Applications without one won’t be reviewed.
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name Calder Search in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141).
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B, OPT
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This kind of role may fit the USMCA profession “Engineer” — it depends on the actual duties. No lottery, no cap; you need the matching degree or license.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
- STEM OPT extension (F-1 students)
Requires an E-Verify employer. We didn't find this company in the E-Verify list — ask HR.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Level II (qualified)Mechanical Engineers · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $110,510 | ~15% |
| Level II | $134,493 | ~31% |
| Level III | $158,454 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $182,437 | ~61% |
This job pays $150,000–$250,000 a year — that's Level II (qualified). In the wage-weighted H-1B lottery a Level II registration gets 2 entries; estimated selection chance about 31%.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.