Senior Mechanical Engineer - Robotics Hardware

About Instawork

A flexible work app that connects businesses with hourly workers.

Tech

Django, React, React Native, AWS, Neo4J https://engineering.instawork.com/

The role

**Senior Mechanical Engineer — Robotics Hardware****Location** - BangaloreInstawork Robotics Labs is building Instacore, our proprietary five-camera and IMU wearable capture rig. Hundreds of units operate across India every day, collecting real-world data used to train frontier Physical AI models.We are looking for a senior, mechanically focused engineer to own the complete hardware lifecycle for Instacore and future hardware products. This person will independently lead design, prototyping, manufacturing, testing, deployment, logistics, maintenance, and continuous improvement. **What you’ll do**\- Own the mechanical design and development of Instacore and other robotics hardware from initial requirements through production and field deployment.\\- Create detailed CAD models, assemblies, engineering drawings, bills of materials, and manufacturing documentation.\\- Rapidly prototype and validate designs using 3D printing, machining, fabrication, and off-the-shelf components.\\- Design durable mounts, enclosures, fixtures, wearable components, packaging, and protective systems.\\- Own design for manufacturability, assembly, serviceability, reliability, and cost.\\- Improve cable routing, connector retention, strain relief, thermal management, ingress protection, and resistance to vibration and impact.\\- Design packaging and logistics processes that prevent damage during storage and transit.\\- Establish verification, stress-testing, quality-control, and acceptance-testing procedures.\\- Investigate field failures, determine root causes, and implement corrective improvements across the fleet.\\- Own the maintenance and repair strategy for deployed hardware, including spare parts, repair documentation, and technician procedures.\\- Manage vendors, fabricators, component suppliers, and contract manufacturers.\\- Own component sourcing, inventory planning, hardware logistics, and deployment readiness.\\- Work closely with robotics, electrical, firmware, software, operations, and field teams to deliver complete systems.\\- Build repeatable processes that allow the hardware fleet to scale reliably across India and APAC.\\- Mentor technicians and junior engineers while remaining deeply hands-on.**What we’re looking for**\- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Product Design, Robotics, or a related discipline.\\- **Five to seven years of hands-on experience** designing and delivering physical products or robotics hardware.\\- Advanced proficiency with CAD, including complex parts, assemblies, drawings, tolerance definition, and revision management.\\- Strong experience with rapid prototyping and 3D printing, including material selection, print orientation, tolerances, and design limitations.\\- Experience taking products from early prototypes through low-volume or scaled production.\\- Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, fasteners, tolerances, load paths, fatigue, vibration, and impact resistance.\\- Demonstrated ability to diagnose mechanical failures and implement robust, practical solutions.\\- Experience working with vendors and managing manufacturing, sourcing, inventory, packaging, or logistics.\\- Ability to independently prioritize work, make engineering decisions, and own outcomes with limited oversight.\\- Willingness to travel across India and APAC for vendor visits, deployments, and field investigations.**Good to have**\- Electrical engineering knowledge, particularly wiring, connectors, sensors, cameras, power systems, printed circuit board integration, and basic electronics troubleshooting.\\- Experience designing electromechanical or wearable products.\\- Programming proficiency in Python, C++, or another relevant language.\\- Experience writing scripts for test automation, hardware validation, data analysis, or manufacturing workflows.\\- Familiarity with Raspberry Pi, embedded systems, computer vision hardware, or IoT devices.\\- Experience managing engineering documentation and product data using version-control or product-lifecycle-management systems.\\- Experience building or leading a small hardware engineering function.**What success looks like**\- Instacore has a clear, reliable, and scalable hardware architecture.\\- New designs move efficiently from requirements through prototype, validation, and deployment.\\- Field failures, wire breakages, and transit damage decline measurably.\\- Manufacturing, repair, inventory, and logistics processes are documented and repeatable.\\- Junior engineers and technicians can assemble, test, and repair units using the systems you establish.\\- Hardware development no longer depends on day-to-day involvement from the broader team.