Robotics Lab Technician (Part-Time)

ThoughtForge•Oakland, CA

1d•$27 - $38•Onsite

About The Position

This is a part-time (20-30 hours per week) role for a Robotics Lab Technician who will serve as the hands and eyes in the robotics lab for a hybrid global team. The position involves supporting hardware testing, assisting remote engineers with physical robots, and contributing to fabrication tasks such as 3D printing and building workcells. It is ideal for someone who is hands-on, enjoys hardware, and wants to be involved in the core processes of robotics product development and testing.

Requirements

Local to the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work on-site 20-30 hours per week.
Hands-on aptitude with hardware: comfortable troubleshooting robotics systems.
Comfortable in a Linux/terminal environment; basic ROS/ROS2 familiarity (e.g., recording ROS bags) or the ability to pick it up quickly.
Some Python exposure: enough to follow along and be useful in a pair-debugging session.
Organized, reliable, and a clear communicator, especially in writing with remote teammates.

Nice To Haves

3D printing experience and comfort with basic shop/fabrication tools.
Coursework or hobby projects in robotics, mechatronics, EE, ME, or CS.
Exposure to industrial or collaborative arms, teach pendants, sensors, or machine vision.
Degree in Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Mechatronics, etc.

Responsibilities

Support hardware testing in the lab: set up test rigs, run test procedures, capture results, and flag issues.
Act as the on-site hands for remote engineers: record and collect ROS bags, run robots through scenarios, and join live pair-debugging sessions on real hardware.
Support fabrication: 3D printing (prepping, printing, post-processing parts) and building/assembling workcells, fixtures, and cabling.
Keep the lab organized and test-ready: manage hardware, cables, and fixtures, and handle basic setup and maintenance.
Document test setups, results, and observations clearly so a distributed team stays unblocked.