Mechanical Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a mechanical engineer to join our hardware and software team focused on automating on-site construction through robotics and software. You will own the design, fabrication, and validation of mechanical systems that operate in harsh, real-world construction environments. This role requires a builder mindset where you drive projects from initial concept to robust, scalable physical systems. You will work directly with the founding team to tackle the hardest problems in construction robotics, ensuring rapid prototyping and iterative improvement. Your contributions will directly impact our ability to deliver beautiful, bespoke buildings in a single day with minimal labor. You will be expected to question assumptions, perform calculations, and translate ideas into durable hardware that our fleet of robots can rely on every day.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Push toward full robot autonomy for our masonry systems, including automated wall-anchor installation and mortar pointing to produce beautiful brickwork.
• Design for reliability, ensuring our robots survive months of harsh construction conditions while remaining serviceable and redeployable in under 24 hours.
• Build next-gen hardware to expand what our robots can do, such as higher-precision brick placement, larger payloads, expanded build envelopes, hot-swappable end effectors, and operation in tight, constrained spaces like scaffolding.
• Get hands-on in the field by joining real home deployments, stress-testing systems, and uncovering edge-case problems that only appear on active construction sites.
• Perform back-of-the-envelope calculations and detailed engineering analysis to size components and validate performance under demanding conditions.
• Fabricate parts in our workshop using rapid prototyping, 3D printing, machining, and milling to turn designs into physical reality quickly.
• Collaborate closely with software and operations teams to align mechanical design with system-level requirements and field feedback.
• Test designs live on construction sites and iterate based on data to produce robust solutions that scale across our fleet.
• Define and own technical deliverables for mechanical systems, ensuring traceability from requirements through validation and deployment.
• Champion best practices in documentation, modularity, and maintainability to enable fast redeployment and continuous improvement.
• Partner with operators and technicians to refine installation procedures and maintenance workflows for real-world usability.
• Explore new materials and mechanisms that improve durability, precision, and efficiency of construction robotics in demanding environments.
• Support the integration of sensors and control systems to achieve millimeter-level positioning accuracy across our technology stack.
• Lead experiments to de-risk novel mechanisms, validating assumptions through data before scaling to full production.

Requirements

• A proven record of being a builder, with examples of shipped projects where you were the driving force, whether in a professional context, a top student team, or personal side projects.
• Experience in designing and delivering products from concept up to low series volume, managing the full development lifecycle.
• Proficiency in rapid prototyping, 3D printing, machining, and milling to make product designs a reality with hands-on skills.
• Deep knowledge of mechanical systems and structural dynamics, including statics, mechanics of materials, dynamics, vibrations, material science, and controls.
• Expertise with 3D CAD modeling for complex parts and assemblies using tools such as OnShape, Solidworks, or Siemens NX.
• Expertise in multi-physics simulations (FEA) applied to mechanical design and validation under real-world loads.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and constraints, enabling practical designs that are both performant and producible.
• Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift and problems are solved through experimentation.
• Excellent communication skills to coordinate with cross-functional teams and translate technical concepts into clear decisions.
• A bias for speed and simplicity, favoring solutions that are robust, maintainable, and quick to iterate.
• Willingness to work onsite five days a week in Amsterdam, as the company is not hybrid or remote-first.
• Ability to lift and manipulate construction-scale payloads during testing and deployment, reflecting the physical nature of the work.
• Commitment to safety and quality standards when operating equipment and testing systems in active construction settings.

Nice to have

Only items explicitly preferred by the source are considered nice to have, and none are specified beyond the core requirements and expectations outlined in the role.

Practical notes

The role is full-time based in Amsterdam, with work performed onsite five days a week from the company's facility in the city centre. No remote or hybrid arrangements are available, as the work involves direct interaction with robots, hardware, and construction environments. Travel is limited to the Amsterdam location, and the position is not dependent on visa sponsorship as implied by the local team setup. The posting does not specify working hours, but the expectation is aligned with standard full-time engineering schedules in the region. No explicit compensation figures are provided in the source, so pay details are omitted from this description. Applications should be submitted with an understanding that the role requires a hands-on, builder-oriented approach to solving hard problems in autonomous construction.