Mechanical Engineer (Spring 2027 Co-op)

Job description

About Us Reframe Systems is a Physical AI and robotics company on a mission to make high-performance housing attainable and abundant in the communities where people want to live. Through our vertically integrated delivery model and highly automated microfactories, we deliver climate-resilient homes and buildings with greater speed and predictability than traditional construction. Our volumetric modular buildings are produced in our Andover, MA microfactory, with a growing pipeline across North America and a new microfactory on the way. We are building a system that balances repeatability with site-responsive design, enabling homes adaptable to each site, community, and customer need. Our cross-disciplinary team brings together architecture, robotics, design engineering, software, factory operations, and field delivery to change how housing gets delivered. We're reimagining the future of housing through a smarter and more sustainable system that empowers people to live better. Come build it with us. What We're Looking For We're looking for a Mechanical Engineering Co-op to join our team at FAB1, our first full-scale microfactory in Billerica, MA, this fall. This role is built for someone who loves the full loop of engineering: sketch it, model it, build it, test it, and fix it — fast. You'll rotate across active projects on our Mechanical Engineering team, working alongside engineers designing the workcells, fixturing, and production infrastructure that make our factory run. This is a hands-on role. You'll spend real time in the shop — cutting, welding, printing, and machining your own parts — not just handing drawings off to someone else. We move quickly here, so we need someone who can take a rough idea, iterate on it in CAD, get a physical version in hand, and improve it based on what they learn, on a tight timeline. What You'll Do - Design and Iterate Fast: Take on real mechanical design problems across FAB1 projects — fixtures, workstations, material handling, tooling — and move quickly from concept to CAD to working prototype. - Build What You Design: Fabricate and assemble your own prototypes and production hardware using mills, lathes, laser cutters, welders, 3D printers, and standard shop tools. - Rotate Across Projects: Work across multiple active workstreams on the ME team rather than a single fixed project, picking up context quickly and contributing wherever the team needs hands and ideas. - Test and Improve: Validate your designs on the shop floor, troubleshoot what doesn't work, and iterate toward a production-ready result. - Support Documentation: Produce clear CAD models and basic technical drawings that a teammate or vendor could build from. - Learn the Full Stack: Get exposure to how mechanical design connects to robotics, automation, and factory operations in a live manufacturing environment. Qualifications - Currently pursuing a BS in Mechanical Engineering or a related field; junior or senior standing preferred. - Solid CAD skills (Onshape, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar) and the ability to go from a rough idea to a modeled part quickly. - Comfortable and safe operating shop tools and equipment — mills, lathes, laser cutters, welding, 3D printing, hand and power tools. - A fast learner who can pick up new tools, processes, and project context with minimal ramp-up. - Bias toward action: you'd rather build a rough prototype and learn from it than perfect a design on paper. - Strong communicator who works well within a team and can take direction from multiple engineers across rotating projects. - Available for a full-time, semester-length co-op in Billerica, MA this fall. Nice to Have - Prior shop, machine design, or robotics club/competition experience (FSAE, FRC, Baja SAE, etc.). - Experience with sheet metal, weldments, or basic structural design. - Exposure to manufacturing, construction, or factory automation environments. - Familiarity with GD&T fundamentals.