Research Engineer (Mechatronics)

Location: Carlsbad, California, United States; primarily laboratory and office-based with frequent travel to test facilities, retail locations, and tour events

Annual base pay: $110,000–$122,000, plus potential benefits and performance bonuses.

Company

Golf equipment manufacturer developing products and technologies focused on player performance.

What you will do

• Design, prototype, wire, assemble, and validate mechatronic and electromechanical systems for golf equipment evaluation and product development.
• Develop wiring diagrams, electrical schematics, PCB-related documentation, bills of materials, test protocols, and calibration records.
• Select, integrate, characterize, and calibrate sensors including IMUs, load cells, encoders, pressure sensors, and optical sensors.
• Build IoT and wireless data acquisition platforms using real-time performance data from equipment and players.
• Develop embedded firmware and control software for microcontrollers and microprocessors, including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and STM32 systems.
• Create hardware interfaces, data-processing tools, internal applications, and user-facing interfaces while collaborating across research, engineering, legal, commercial, and supplier teams.

Requirements

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of hands-on industry or research experience with a B.S., or at least 3 years with an M.S.; relevant Ph.D. experience is also considered.
• Expertise integrating mechanical structures, electrical circuits, actuators, sensors, and controllers into functional prototypes.
• Experience with wiring diagrams, electrical schematics, PCB layouts, bench instrumentation, soldering, oscilloscopes, multimeters, signal generators, and data acquisition systems.
• Strong embedded C/C++ programming skills plus Python or MATLAB for data processing, test automation, and hardware interfacing.
• Ability to work primarily in a laboratory and office environment, handle electronic components and test fixtures, lift up to 30 lbs occasionally, and work flexible hours around project and event timelines.

Nice to have

• Experience with BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, LoRa, MQTT, and embedded data transmission systems.
• Working knowledge of OpenCV or other computer vision libraries.
• Experience building desktop GUIs, web dashboards, or mobile applications for hardware data and system status.
• Familiarity with CREO or similar mechanical CAD tools.
• Knowledge of golf, golf equipment, and golf biomechanics, plus a portfolio of built and tested systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on work in a research and development laboratory and prototype environment.
• Health and wellness benefits, performance bonuses, product discounts, holidays, and paid time off may be available.
• Occasional and potentially frequent travel to testing and golf industry events is required.
• Flexible working hours may be needed to support project and event schedules.