Principal Mechanical Engineer

Pickle Robot is on the hunt for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to help shape the next generation of warehouse automation. Our robots do the toughest job on the dock: unloading trucks. We’re scaling fast, and at this level, you won’t just execute designs. You’ll own major parts of our truck unloading robot platform from concept through production, with direct responsibility for performance, reliability, manufacturability, and sustained field operation.

You’ll set the technical bar and collaborate closely with software, electrical, and manufacturing teams to build hardware that’s rugged, reliable, and ready for the realities of warehouse life.

• Lead the mechanical design of major robotic platforms across the full product lifecycle, from concept and prototyping through NPI and sustained field deployment.
• Set the technical direction for how the Robot platforms are architected, packaged, and manufactured; make system-level decisions that hold up through production and deployment, not just during design review.
• Define design requirements, perform tolerance stack-ups, and drive interface decisions across complex assemblies integrating actuators, sensors, and electronics.
• Ensure structural integrity of mechanical assemblies: define load cases, run or direct finite element analysis (FEA), select materials, and validate through physical test.
• Conduct simulations, testing, and prototyping to validate designs.
• Create detailed technical drawings, CAD models, and documentation.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues during design, production, and deployment.
• Drive design solutions through sketches and CAD, gather cross-functional input early, and build alignment across stakeholders before committing to a direction.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, safety regulations, and quality control processes.
• Support production teams in scaling and improving manufacturing processes for robotics hardware.
• Serve as a technical anchor for the mechanical engineering team, setting the bar for design rigor, documentation quality, and engineering judgment.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers through design reviews, hands‑on guidance, DFM coaching, and best‑practice modeling.
• Lead and participate in cross‑functional design reviews, identifying risks early and driving alignment across hardware, software, and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts in robot performance and reliability.

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• A Mechanical Engineer with 10+ years of experience, ideally in robotics, automation, consumer electronics, aerospace, or EV, with a strong structural design background and a track record of technical ownership at the system level.
• FEA experience that goes beyond the resume line; the candidate should be able to set up their own analyses, sanity‑check results with hand calculations, and close the loop with physical test data rather than trusting the model.
• Must have experience designing machined, sheet metal, and welded parts in OnShape and submitting documentation through ECOs and deviations in Arena or other similar tools.
• Comfortable ordering and building prototypes by hand to validate ideas through prototyping and testing.
• Must have performed tolerance stack‑ups, reviewed FAIs, PPAPs, and worked on DFMEAs throughout their career.
• Has followed designs through the production line, diagnosing and fixing issues in engineering or production builds, as well as in the field.
• Strong engineering judgment across both design and hands‑on execution, with the ability to move between CAD, simulation, building, testing, and debugging real hardware.
• Adept at communicating complex concepts and writing technical documents.
• Experience evaluating design, performance, and logistical trade‑offs for hardware systems.
• Experienced in designing for a range of manufacturing processes, including CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, and 3D printing.
• Able to work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.
• Comfortable thinking at the product level, seeing how mechanical subsystems connect, package, and are manufactured together, and can…