Rapid Prototyping Engineer

About Tacit

We are an early-stage, deep tech startup based in San Francisco, developing innovative hardware that rethinks human-computer interaction. We are backed by General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, and Greylock Partners, with a founding team from Stanford, Brain Gate, Oculus, and Tesla. While we can’t reveal too much just yet, our team is tackling cutting-edge engineering challenges to bring revolutionary products to life.

We are looking for a Rapid Prototyping Engineer
, an engineering generalist who sits at the intersection of R&D and hardware engineering. You'll work closely with our design, electrical, and sensing teams to rapidly design, build, and iterate on mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes for novel wearable devices — while also owning the assembly and test fixtures that make those prototypes buildable and repeatable.

This is a hands-on, builder-at-heart role for someone who thrives on ambiguity and enjoys turning a rough concept into a working, testable physical system. You'll be the person the hardware and research teams come to when something new needs to be designed, fixtured, built, and iterated on fast — and when successful, you'll turn those one-off builds into scalable, DFM-friendly processes that support our product ramp from NPI/NTI through production.

• Prototyping & Build

  • Rapidly design and fabricate mechanical, electrical, and sensor prototypes to support R&D experiments and engineering development for wearable and consumer-electronics form factors.

  • Build end-to-end prototype systems: from concept sketches through CAD, fabrication, wiring, sensor/RF component integration, and validation.

  • Develop quick-turn PCBs, flex circuits, wiring harnesses, and cable assemblies for prototype electronics.

  • Hands-on soldering and assembly of electrical and sensing circuit components, including delicate flex and fine-pitch work.

  • Evaluate and select sensors, actuators, and off-the-shelf components for integration into prototype systems.

• Fixtures & Tooling

  • Design, build, and iterate on assembly and test fixtures, jigs, and tooling from the ground up to support novel processes and ensure build quality and efficiency for complex devices and wearables.

  • Partner with design engineers to provide DFM/DFA feedback and drive design iterations before problems reach production.

  • Build fixtures that improve repeatability, cycle time, and debug visibility for both R&D builds and early manufacturing runs.

• Debug, Troubleshooting & Iteration

  • Perform hands-on assembly, troubleshooting, and debugging of electromechanical systems, isolating whether an issue is mechanical, electrical, or process-related.

  • Identify and address failure modes specific to wearable hardware (fit, comfort, cable management, contact forces, thermal effects, wear over repeated use).

  • Take initiative in driving design iterations, documenting findings, and proposing next steps with minimal supervision.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Collaborate with electrical, RF, mechanical, and firmware engineers to integrate hardware with control systems and test software.

  • Support NPI/NTI/R&D efforts, working closely with design and validation teams as products move from early prototype toward production intent.

  • Communicate build status, design risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-specialist audiences.

  • Document designs, build procedures, and test results to support knowledge transfer and continuous design improvement.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field.

• 2+ years of experience in prototyping, R&D engineering, or hardware development, ideally in wearables, consumer electronics, robotics, or research lab environments.

• Required experience…