Production Engineer — Electrical Design & DFX

Job description

We believe general-purpose, generally-intelligent robots will be built *in our lifetimes.* Robots will work in our factories, move our goods, walk on our streets and eventually be in our homes. To build that future, research and deployment must work in lockstep: real-world operation must make the technology better, and better technology must make deployment easier. We're looking for the thinkers, builders, and researchers who want to be part of that loop. Founded by MIT alumni and backed by over $40M from leading AI and robotics investors, we deploy real robotic systems directly into the facilities that power the physical economy. We don't just build robots — we build them, ship them, and keep them running. ### The Role We're looking for a hands-on Production Engineer (Electrical Design & DFX) who owns cables, harnesses, and the electrical package from the first prototype through volume production — and who makes sure that work is never the thing slowing Engineering down. This role reports to the Head of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, with a dotted line to Hardware Engineering. The role works in two phases. While a robot is in development, you're embedded with Hardware Engineering: building cables and harnesses, being meticulous about the CAD and the routing, selecting components and connectors, and ordering boards and parts so the EEs can keep designing. When the robot goes through NPI or an ECO, you move with it into Manufacturing: releasing drawings, supporting ordering, and clearing electrical issues on the floor. You are inline with the design as it happens, not a review gate after it's done. This is not an advisory role. You open the CAD, you make the drawings, you build the first article, and you get it released. You'll spend most of your days with the hardware team, so fit with that group matters as much as the skill set. ### What You'll Do - **Build alongside Engineering** - Build cables and harnesses for robots in development, and keep the harness CAD, run lengths, and routing exact as the design evolves - Select components and connectors with the EEs, and own board and part ordering so prototypes and pilot builds are never waiting on parts - Find and qualify alternate components when parts go long-lead or end-of-life **Take prototypes to production** - Own the electrical side of NPI and ECO transfer into Manufacturing for new robots and major revisions - Turn discrete-wire prototypes into designed, documented cable harness assemblies with full BOMs, drawings, and work instructions - Apply DFM, DFA, DFT, and DFS to the electrical package so it can be built fast, tested easily, and serviced in the field - Release designs through our ECO process and keep revision control clean between CAD, ION (our MES/PLM), and the floor **Design the electrical package** - Electronic packaging: enclosure and control-box layout, board mounting, thermal and clearance considerations, and grounding and bonding - Cable routing and management through moving axes, arms, and grippers — bend radii, drag chains, strain relief, abrasion protection, and service loops - Connector selection and standardization: quick connects, keyed and latching connectors, mate/demate life, and sealing where needed - Bundling decisions that account for power, signal, and communication segregation, EMI/noise, and shielding **Fix the supply side** - Cut the harness drawing-to-part cycle from roughly two months today to under 30 days, and eliminate off-BOM cables - Work with Supply Chain to source harness houses and connector suppliers, review supplier drawings, and qualify first articles - Support PCBA layout reviews for manufacturability with Hardware Engineering and fab houses **Make it stick on the floor** - Build first articles and pilot builds with your own hands, then hand off clean documentation to Production - Train technicians on harness assembly and electrical installation standards - Feed field and line failures (connector damage, chafe, intermittents) back into design and close them out permanently - Travel to customer sites when an electrical issue needs eyes on the robot ### Requirements ### Requirements - Hands-on experience making both boards and cable harnesses for hardware that shipped — robotics, automation, vehicles, medical, or similar - Cable harness design from concept to released drawings: wire selection, connectors, terminals, labeling, lengths, and manufacturing drawings - Component and connector selection, alternate part qualification, and board and part ordering with distributors and fab houses - Electronic packaging and cable routing experience on products with motion - Can debug circuits: you find the fault with a meter and a scope and fix what you designed - Fluent in CAD for electrical and harness design (Onshape, SolidWorks Electrical, Zuken, or equivalent) and comfortable in mechanical CAD - Has worked in a production manufacturing environment and is comfortable spending significant time on the floor - Open to travel and customer site visits ### Nice to haves - PCBA schematic capture and layout - Component lifecycle and obsolescence management - Working knowledge of CAN, Ethernet, and industrial power distribution - IPC/WHMA-A-620 or IPC-A-610 familiarity - Experience with an MES or PLM in production ### The Person ### The Person You love building things that didn't exist before, and you get real satisfaction from watching a design you finished get built by someone else without a single question. You take ownership. Nobody has to tell you the harness drawing is late or the connector is wrong — you already saw it and you're already fixing it. Cabling and parts are your first priority, so they are never the reason the robot is late. You stay curious. You want to know why a cable failed, not just replace it, and you're happy to learn from the technician who has built forty of them. You hold a high bar and you're direct with your teammates when the design isn't ready, because you want the EEs, the floor, and the customer to win. When the answer isn't obvious, you find the 80/20 path, make a smart call, and keep the product moving forward. You never forget there's a customer on the other end of every robot, and a bad connector at a customer site is your problem. ### Culture We offer unlimited PTO and holidays. We host social events and maintain a collaborative, low-ego work culture where people are trusted to take ownership and solve real problems. Tutor is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.