Job Title: Hardware Engineer (Mechanical)
Job Description
This role leads the mechanical design and integration of delivery robots, with a primary focus on modifying delivery vans and station infrastructure. The Hardware Engineer (Mechanical) owns the mechanical systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient in-van robot docking, charging, storage, deployment, and retrieval, as well as station-side cart docking and robot handoff workflows. The position operates at the intersection of vehicle engineering, robotics hardware, operations, and safety, translating operational requirements into production-ready mechanical designs that can scale across thousands of vans and delivery stations while balancing robustness, cost, serviceability, and manufacturability in a high-volume logistics environment.
Responsibilities
Own the mechanical design and integration of robot-related systems within delivery vans, including robot docking, retention, deployment, and secure transport.
Design in-van charging solutions for robots, including mechanical interfaces, alignment features, thermal considerations, and serviceability requirements.
Lead the mechanical design of robot ingress and egress mechanisms, such as ramps, guides, or fixtures that enable safe and repeatable robot deployment and retrieval.
Define and implement station-side infrastructure, including cart docking, robot staging, and handoff interfaces that integrate seamlessly with existing warehouse workflows.
Translate operational and autonomy requirements into clear mechanical requirements, tolerances, and design constraints for production-ready systems.
Partner closely with electrical, firmware, robotics, and vehicle engineering teams to ensure end-to-end system integration and performance.
Drive designs through the full lifecycle from concept and prototyping to validation and production, including activities such as DFMEA, tolerance analysis, and environmental testing.
Ensure all mechanical solutions meet safety, ergonomics, and applicable regulatory requirements, including vehicle and workplace safety standards.
Optimize mechanical designs for cost, manufacturability, durability, and ease of maintenance at fleet scale in a high-volume logistics environment.
Support pilot deployments and field testing, rapidly iterating designs based on real-world feedback from drivers, operators, and operations teams.
Contribute to the development of functional specifications, design verification plans, and functional test procedures for new hardware systems.
Manage technical projects, coordinating schedules, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies to drive product designs from concept to production.
Essential Skills
Strong mechanical design expertise in complex electromechanical or robotics systems, with a focus on integration into vehicles or similar platforms.
Experience working with interdisciplinary teams, including electrical, firmware, robotics, and vehicle engineering, to execute product design from concept to production.
Experience in project management of technical projects, including planning, coordination, and execution across multiple stakeholders.
Experience in robotics, automotive, or autonomous systems, particularly in environments that involve last-mile delivery or logistics applications.
Proficiency in developing functional specifications, design verification plans, and functional test procedures for new products.
Ability to perform and interpret DFMEA, tolerance analysis, and environmental testing for mechanical systems.
Demonstrated ability to translate operational and autonomy requirements into clear mechanical requirements, tolerances, and design constraints.
Capability to balance robustness, cost, serviceability, and manufacturability in high-volume production environments.
Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or an equivalent advanced technical discipline.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Experience with new product development in robotics, automotive, or autonomous systems from early concept through production launch.
Familiarity with integrating mechanical systems into delivery vans, carts, or warehouse infrastructure.
Exposure to station-side or warehouse infrastructure design, including staging, docking, and handoff workflows.
Understanding of safety, ergonomics, and regulatory standards relevant to vehicle and workplace environments.
Experience working in high-volume logistics or fleet environments where designs must scale across many vehicles and stations.
Ability to iterate quickly based on field testing and operational feedback, incorporating learnings into subsequent design revisions.
Comfort working across time zones and coordinating with distributed engineering and operations teams.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Seattle, WA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $75.00 - $80.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Seattle,WA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jul 31, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
