Director, Mechanical Engineering

Fulfil is a well-funded, rapidly growing, and inclusive company that has developed a custom automation robotics system to pick and pack online orders of groceries and other consumables, bringing delight and a value proposition to consumers that doesn’t exist today. Additionally, its unique design and technology is purpose-built to solve today’s environmental problems in the world’s food supply chain. Founded by a team with previous startup success and backed by top-tier VCs, we are committed to reducing waste, improving environmental impact, and reducing emissions with truly new technology. Our first commercial product launch with the technology was in summer 2022.

We can’t do it alone -- we’re seeking curious, capable, passionate team members motivated by the opportunity to create lasting impact on the world through their work. This role offers ample growth opportunities while working side-by-side with an impassioned, multi-disciplinary team spanning mechanical design, software, computer vision, systems integration, and ops to design and operationalize world-changing technology.

Fulfil is committed to creating an inclusive culture, and we celebrate diversity of all kinds. If this sounds like the kind of environment that you find intriguing, then please apply even if you don’t feel you meet all the requirements listed below. We'd love to hear from you.

Your Responsibilities

Searching for candidates to provide technical leadership for a complex multi-robot system. As the leader of our Mechanical Engineering team you will help make decisions and provide architectural guidance to automation systems and mechanical solutions, taking ownership of the development design cycle from concept ideation through first build and beyond as we scale our system to production. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with a cross-functional engineering team including electrical, software, integration and test, program management, deployment and operations teams.

In this role you will:

• Champion generational and continuous improvement projects for our automation equipment, both as a team lead and as a senior individual contributor
• Oversee the development of challenging automation design projects through conceptualization, design, first builds and implementation into production
• Support the team in developing effective solutions to challenging problems - from system level to individual parts
• Create engineering processes and procedures to enable team success
• Support the technical growth of your colleagues through mentorship and co-design efforts
• Oversee accurate definition of project scope, requirements, budget and timeline. Prioritize required work on projects. Align work to the company business roadmap. Evaluate value of work by trading reliability, opex, capex, throughput, and opportunities to increase performance
• Guide design towards a focus on functional and efficient deployment, large-scale manufacturing and lifetime reliability
• Identify and implement mechanical design improvements and product changes to solve issues. Verify fix effectiveness with a data driven approach
• Lead cost reduction efforts as designs mature
• Implement and ensure good data hygiene: good modeling and drawing quality, release workflow oversight, PLM integration, BOM accuracy
• Work with global suppliers to ensure product and manufacturing process quality
• Work with NPI and Operations teams to drive hardware deployment in new facilities
• Impact company overall performance by contributing to a positive work culture, encouraging good engineering practices, and helping to create and improve robust engineering workflows and processes

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent
• 12+ years relevant mechanical engineering experience, 5+ years leading teams
• 5+ years designing high reliability automation or robotic equipment
• Experience working in both small startups and larger, more mature organizations
• Motorized and pneumatic mechanism expertise
• Someone who wants to make the people around them better
• Hands on aptitude – able to dive in and troubleshoot issues
• Ability to generate ideas in response to complex issues and execute on solutions
• Expert in CAD, specifically Solidworks; configuration with PLM
• Experience in DFM and DFA

What we’d love to see

• Experience in industry designing and manufacturing parts/assemblies/mechanisms in volume
• 6 Sigma training
• Project management experience
• Experience in food tech
• Desire to work in a fast-paced startup environment
• Care for local and global communities, and desire to make an impact through technology
• Familiarity with regulatory standards relevant to automation design
• Not afraid of robots

What You Get

• A chance to be an early member of a rapidly growing startup and have an impact on company and technology direction
• Ability to solve challenging problems with a skilled and dedicated multi-disciplinary team
• A balanced, highly collaborative work environment where we encourage everyone to ask for and provide help. We value and support individual growth through open communication and feedback
• Hybrid work structure that provides some freedom to working location
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 401K, life and disability coverage as well
• A PTO policy where we encourage and expect all employees to take time to enjoy life outside of work
• Discount on groceries from our store
• The salary range for this position is $220,000 -$250,000 plus stock and benefits. Pay within the range is based on candidate experience and relevant skills.

At Fulfil we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.