Lead Robotics Engineer

Arran Bridge is partnering with a confidential, early-stage robotics startup in the Boston area to hire their first Lead Robotics Engineer.About the company:The company is building mobile robots for heavy industry, automating a dirty, dangerous manual process that exposes workers to serious health hazards and creates a major production bottleneck. It's a large, overlooked market with a clear safety and sustainability impact.About the role:This is the company's first engineering leader, reporting directly to the CEO. You'll drive system architecture hands-on while leading a small team through prototyping, testing and field deployment. The role begins as the company closes its first funding round in fall 2026.What you'll do:Lead a team of 3 to 5 engineers, coordinating mechanical, electrical and software work and setting technical prioritiesOwn system architecture decisions across the full robotic platformLead hardware integration of sensors, actuators, power systems, compute and the core processing subsystem into a reliable platformBuild and iterate on prototypes and validate them through field testing in real industrial settingsMake pragmatic build vs buy and design trade-off decisionsEstablish engineering practices, documentation and processes that scale as the team and product growWork directly with customers and partners to translate field requirements into technical solutions, including some travel to customer sitesWhat you'll bring:Deep, hands-on experience in robotics hardware and systems integrationA track record of personally taking robotic products from prototype to deployment, especially in real factory or industrial environmentsThe ability to lead across mechanical, electrical and software engineering workstreamsNice to have, in some combination:Electrical systems integration across controllers, sensors and actuatorsPower electronics and BMS for roboticsProgramming commercial 6-DOF robotic armsSLAM and robotic navigationComputer vision for industrial or factory applicationsIndustrial automation experience in manufacturing or heavy industryFamiliarity with energy-based processing toolsA graduate degree in robotics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or a related fieldWhy this role:Build a category-defining product that meaningfully improves worker safety and sustainabilityOwn core technology from the earliest stage, with direct influence over architecture, team and roadmapCompensation:Salary range $180k+, negotiableSignificant equity ownershipHealth insurance and other benefitsStart date: autumn 2026About Arran BridgeArran Bridge is a Maine-based People and Talent partner helping startups and growing companies plan their teams, build hiring systems and recruit critical hires. Applications go directly to Rory Shanks, founder of Arran Bridge, who will share full company details with qualified candidates and keep every applicant updated on where things stand.