Lead Mechanical Design Engineer

Job description

As a Team Lead on the Retail Hardware team, you will serve as a technical lead and mentor, leading a small team of 2-3 Mechanical and Electrical engineers to deliver next-gen hardware from early prototyping to production ready. This role is roughly 80% technical and 20% managerial. Therefore you produce results both on your own and as a team, so strong hands-on design expertise and collaborative work are required. ### 1. People & Team Leadership - **Manage & Mentor:** Conduct regular 1-on-1s, drive goal setting, and be able to provide both positive and negative feedback to encourage future improvement. - **Task & Schedule Execution:** Break complex product milestones into time-bound and measurable outcomes, manage individual workload distribution, run design reviews, and keep things moving smoothly even when you don't have direct authority over members outside of your team. - **Establish and maintain systems:** Put systems in place to improve overall efficiency and output, like CAD design standards, documentation, testing, and communication. ### 2. Engineering & Hardware Operations - **Architect Next-Gen Hardware:** Lead hands-on design and system integration for critical sub-systems of our Ghost drink-restocking robot—which could include robotic arms, custom end-effectors (grippers), mobility/locomotion platforms, and smart shelves. - **BOM & Procurement Control:** Own the Bill of Materials (BOMs), track part lead times, manage component sourcing, and keep prototype build schedules strictly on track. - **Local Vendor & Supplier Management:** Work closely with suppliers and manufacturers, fabrication partners, and component distributors for custom CNC, sheet metal, injection molding, and off-the-shelf parts. - **Root Cause & Failure Analysis (RCFA):** Lead systematic debugging when parts fail during testing, identifying root causes (tolerances, material fatigue, thermal wear) and converting insights into corrective design actions. - **Cross-Functional Requirements:** Work closely with Software, Firmware, Production, and Operations teams to ensure seamless mechatronic integration. ### Our Engineering Mindset - **Ownership ("We", Not "Me"):** We build complete robotics systems, not isolated parts. We look at the big picture, actively seek other perspectives, review our peers' work, and see projects through to completion—even when that means stepping outside our typical domain. - **Proactive Initiative & Leadership:** We don't wait for instructions. We identify critical bottlenecks, map out execution steps, align with cross-functional stakeholders, and take full ownership of team outcomes. - **Agility & Failing Forward:** "Plans are nothing, but planning is everything." We plan thoroughly, but adapt quickly when circumstances shift our direction. We prototype fast, fail fast, learn faster, and never let sunk cost fallacy slow down progress. ### Who You Are - **Empathetic & Decisive Leader:** You enjoy helping other engineers grow. You want to run constructive 1-on-1s, align team efforts, and hold people accountable without micromanaging. - **Bilingual Execution Engine:** You can hold technical discussions with Japanese vendors and suppliers, as well as work closely with foreign software engineers in English. - **Systems-Minded Hardware Owner:** You look at the full hardware lifecycle—from initial sketch and CAD modeling to BOM control, supplier timelines, assembly sequencing, and field reliability. - **Electrically-minded:** You can make informed technical decisions for mechatronic systems, although with a focus on the mechanical side. (Responsibility for technical review and quality will fall on Principal Electrical Engineer, so good communication between all parties is crucial.) - **Hands-On Startup Mindset:** You are happy to step in where needed—whether that’s running design reviews, assembling hardware, or resolving availability issues. ### Requirements **Must-Haves** - 5+ years of professional mechanical design experience in robotics, mechatronics, or complex automated machinery. - Working experience with Electrical components and PCBs, understanding limitations and general requirements, such as cable routing, thermals, power, strain relief, vibrations, etc. - People Management or Formal Mentorship Experience: Mentoring or leading others, workload planning, performance feedback, and leading team deliverables. - Language Proficiency: Japanese (Business level JLPT N2 equivalent or higher) for direct vendor management and local supplier negotiations, plus working English proficiency for cross-functional communication. - Experienced in managing BOMs, sourcing, procurement, and supplier lead times. - Hands-on experience assembling and testing your own designs and working with other teams to identify failures and root causes. - Strong proficiency in 3D CAD modeling (SolidWorks preferred), GD&T, material selection, and DFM/DFA. - Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field. - Able to commute to our office in Heiwajima, Tokyo (Hybrid setup). **Nice-to-Haves** - Experience in startups and other fast-paced environments - Robotic arm, gripper or actuator design experience. - Experience designing hardware deployed in retail, logistics, or unstructured environments.