Mechanical Engineer Intern - Mechanism and Structures Design (Fall 2026)

stratarobot.com • Sunnyvale, CA

2d

About The Position

Strata is addressing the critical need for heavy infrastructure construction to keep pace with reindustrialization. Facing labor shortages and an aging workforce, the construction industry has a significant execution gap. Strata is developing a robotics platform specifically for outdoor, heavy-payload environments, designed for immediate deployment. By partnering with major construction firms, Strata aims to deploy robots for material handling, building hardware, data, and commercial advantages to achieve end-to-end autonomy in construction. While other industries have seen automation in tasks like folding clothes and washing dishes, heavy and dangerous work in remote locations remains manual. Construction firms are struggling to fulfill contracts, facing difficult choices between projects like hospitals and data centers. Strata's mission is to build a robotics platform that delivers immediate value, enhances safety, and increases abundance in construction. The company has secured $5.2 million in seed funding led by Founders Fund and is focused on developing robots for outdoor, high-payload job sites, emphasizing immediate deployment and value-generating autonomy. Through partnerships with leading heavy construction firms, Strata is deploying robots for material handling, establishing strong foundations in hardware, data, and commercial strategy to enable full construction autonomy.

Requirements

• Pursuing a BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• Strong hands-on experience building, manufacturing, and testing complex mechanical systems.
• Familiarity with CAD and mechanical design workflows.
• Experience creating fixtures, prototypes, or custom hardware for build and test.
• Comfort working in a shop, lab, or hands-on engineering environment with a high level of ownership.
• Strong attention to detail and willingness to do the practical work required to get hardware built correctly.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in build-focused teams such as Formula SAE, robotics, rocketry, or similar is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own CAD development in NX for assigned subsystems, taking mechanisms from early concept sketches through detailed part design, assembly modeling, and release-ready drawings.
• Perform mechanism design and analysis (motion studies, interference/clearance checks, load paths, tolerance stacks) to validate design intent before parts are cut.
• Support prototype manufacturing, assembly, and bring-up across Strata's robot subsystems, translating your own CAD work into physical hardware.
• Design and fabricate test fixtures, assembly aids, and other hardware needed for efficient integration and validation.
• Write test plans and support execution of benchtop, subsystem, and integrated hardware tests.
• Troubleshoot mechanical integration issues during build, assembly, and prototype iteration, feeding lessons learned back into CAD and drawings.
• Create CAD updates, drawings, and documentation (GD&T, BOMs, revision control) to support fabrication, assembly, and design changes.
• Work closely with the engineering team to improve build quality, test readiness, and hardware reliability.
• Help maintain an organized, high-functioning build environment across parts, tools, and active prototypes.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Associate degree