Senior Mechanical Engineer (Robotics)

Location: Zurich, Switzerland; Workplace: Hybrid

Company

hirify.global is a Series A robotics startup and ETH Zurich spin-out developing Physical AI, retrofit autonomy kits, and custom hardware for heavy construction machines.

What you will do

• Own mechanical design of compute enclosures, sensor assemblies, cable management systems, and machine integration components from concept through production release.
• Design welded and machined high-strength steel tooling and mounting interfaces carrying tens of kilonewtons.
• Define load cases, run FEA, and convert structural analysis results into design changes.
• Establish design verification and validation practices, including test plans, acceptance criteria, design reviews, and sign-off gates.
• Release production-ready CAD and drawing packages for production teams, contract manufacturers, and fabrication and machining suppliers.
• Commission hardware on construction machines and field sites, then incorporate findings into subsequent designs.

Requirements

• University degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• End-to-end experience with complex electromechanical or heavy structural designs, from concept and validation through production and field support.
• Strong 3D CAD skills, preferably SolidWorks, with experience creating assemblies, detailed drawings, BOMs, and revision-controlled documentation.
• Working fluency with FEA and the ability to define realistic load cases and assess result confidence.
• Experience designing welded and machined steel structures, including load paths, material and grade selection, weld sizing, distortion, and machining sequences.
• Excellent written and spoken English is required.

Nice to have

• Experience with hydraulic or electro-hydraulic systems, mobile equipment, heavy-duty machinery, robotics, or autonomous systems.
• Practical welding and weld-fabrication experience with fatigue, distortion, and high-strength steel considerations.
• Experience integrating sensors onto moving, high-shock structures, including field-of-view trade-offs, slip rings, and harness routing.
• FEA/CFD for thermal analysis or ISO 9001 and similar quality-management-system experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a multidisciplinary team developing autonomous robotics for the construction industry.
• Hands-on prototyping, testing, and iteration alongside a small engineering team.
• Opportunity to shape engineering practices during the transition from early production to scale-up.
• Flexible working arrangements can be discussed during the interview process.
• Inclusive equal-opportunity workplace with an international team focused on global-impact problems.