Systems Engineer, Mechanical Design

Hadrian Automation • San Francisco, CA

3d • $165,000 - $220,000

About The Position

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost. Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built. Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen. If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Role
Factory automation is key to Hadrian’s operations. Our team owns the responsibility of designing and delivering elegant equipment solutions that bridge the gap between our core manufacturing processes and the rest of factory operations. We're looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of mechanical systems, real-time control, and software architecture. You'll own the design and the outcome of equipment that powers our factory automation platform—working alongside mechanical engineers, software architects, and manufacturing teams to ship robust, scalable solutions.
This is an ownership role. You won't just define the system, you'll be responsible for delivering it on timeline, on cost, and accountable for system performance. You'll guide the team through technical decisions, partner with stakeholders to ensure we're building the right equipment, and carry each project from concept through performance verification. You'll make the hard tradeoffs, performance vs. reliability, simplicity vs. capability, speed vs. cost, in a fast-paced environment where requirements evolve as quickly as we do.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (electro-mechanical preferred) or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years designing and deploying automated industrial equipment.
• Proficiency designing mechanical systems in CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or a comparable environment).
• Experience working within an equipment development lifecycle or similar design lifecycle.
• A track record spanning risk assessments, specification creation, design reviews, and build cycles.
• Strong collaboration skills, with a history of working effectively across mechanical, software, and manufacturing engineers as well as build technicians.

Nice To Haves

• You gravitate toward problems, not away from them.
• Experience in a commissioning and/or manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience with robotics, PLC, and motion control systems.
• Solid understanding of core manufacturing technologies, pneumatics, hydraulics, welding, machining, assembly, and more.
• A taste for fast-paced environments, aggressive goals, and bringing fresh ideas to attack unique manufacturing challenges.

Responsibilities

• Define equipment and area design requirements, working through both the knowns and the unknowns present at conception.
• Lead a cross-functional team (mechanical, controls, software, build) through the full design process — owning requirements, chairing design reviews, and driving phase gates from concept to production acceptance.
• Help build the framework for how Hadrian defines, designs, builds, and deploys internally developed equipment.
• Partner closely with the Factory Development and Production teams to ensure that equipment can be deployed and operated as turn key systems.
• Own the outcome. This role is accountable not just for identifying problems, but for working across teams to solve them.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
• 401k
• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy
• Equity

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior