Lead Mechatronics Engineer

Valstad is rethinking shipbuilding from first principles. By challenging the orthodoxy of modern ship construction, we’ll deliver a quantum leap in American shipbuilding at a crucial moment in history.

As Lead Mechatronics Engineer , you’ll be the architect of the machine that builds the machine —robotic cells that sequence raw plate into ocean-ready ships. You’ll tackle some of the biggest, most compelling problems in manufacturing on our quest to reindustrialize.

You’ll own the full mechatronics stack—from load-case math to EtherCAT fine-tuning—while mentoring a small team of hyper-motivated builders.

The work will be hard, the hours long, the obstacles many.

Success is not guaranteed. But it is possible.

Requirements

• Experience: 8-12 yrs designing and shipping industrial or robotic machinery > $250 k BOM or > 1 t dynamic mass.
• Education: B.S. (or higher) in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Robotics Engineering — or equivalent hands-on experience that demonstrates the same fundamentals (statics/dynamics, control theory, power circuits, manufacturing processes).
• Systems thinking: Can convert throughput targets into axis specs, load paths, and safety categories (ISO 13849/10218).
• CAD & analysis: Expert in SolidWorks/NX/CATIA, GD&T, quick-turn FEA for stiffness/fatigue, BOM discipline.
• Motion & controls: Comfort with servo sizing, backlash budgets, PLCs (e.g. TwinCAT/IEC 61131), and EtherCAT I/O.
• Welding or heavy-steel exposure: GMAW/SAW process knowledge and distortion-control intuition.
• Shop-floor fluency: You can TIG-tack a bracket, dial-indicate a rail, and debug a drive alongside technicians.
• Leadership: Proven mentorship of early-career engineers and cross-disciplinary design-review cadence.
• Work authorization: U.S. person (ITAR-controlled projects).
• Location: On-site at our office in Austin, TX.

Benefits

• Compensation. $200k base + 1.5% stock options + milestone bonus.
• Relocation: $20k relocation assistance to move to Austin.
• Tools & Toys. If you need it, we'll buy it.
• Speed over red tape. Design it today, order the parts, build it tomorrow. Full freedom to run experiments, build prototypes and move fast.
• Medical and dental. Standard comprehensive medical coverage & dental.
• Mission. Play a major role in reindustrializing America.