Chef Robotics is accelerating the deployment of intelligent machines in the physical world, starting with food production — the sector facing the largest labor shortage in the U.S., with 1.14M unfilled jobs today and 3.1M projected by 2030. These roles can't be offshored, making robotics essential to keeping production onshore and strengthening America's manufacturing base.
Our AI-powered robots automate food prep and assembly in commercial kitchens and food manufacturing, and have already produced over 110 million meals in production — generating the world's largest proprietary dataset for deformable food manipulation. Backed by investors including Kleiner Perkins, Construct, Bloomberg Beta, and Promus Ventures, and built by a team from Cruise, Zoox, Google, Tesla, and Amazon Robotics, Chef is rapidly scaling with multiple multi-year contracts and a mission to put an intelligent robot in every commercial kitchen.
About the Role
Robots are transforming how the world makes food — and you'll be building the hands that do it. As a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Chef, you'll design and ship the mechatronic components that power our robotic systems, from clever end effectors to full manipulation systems.
You'll own the full development lifecycle: rapid prototyping, lab testing, systems integration, and vendor coordination. If you want your mechanical designs deployed in commercial kitchens across the country, this is your role.
In this role, you will:
- Design and build mechatronic components for automated control systems and robotics, with a strong focus on end effectors and manipulation systems
- Drive systems integration — taking individual components all the way to a full, functioning robotic system
- Work hands-on in our lab: prototype fast, test hard, and iterate until it ships
- Partner closely with software, electrical, and industrial design teams to build solutions that are both elegant and production-ready
- Source and coordinate with vendors to identify and procure the right materials for mechatronic system designs
- Build robust testing processes, conduct reliability studies, and evaluate the feasibility, cost, and performance of new mechatronic equipment
What You Bring:
- You've shipped hardware to production — and you know what it really takes
- BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in mechanical design or robotics
- Expert-level SolidWorks: CAD, CAM, solid modeling, surface modeling, and sheet metal
- Strong command of fabrication drawings, 2D drawings, and GD&T
- Experience owning the full product cycle — from first concept through production release and redesign
- Deep knowledge of FEA, risk analysis, solid mechanics, and heat and stress transfer simulation
Chef Robotics is solving one of the hardest problems in AI and robotics — and we ship. Our robots are in production today, generating real data that trains the next generation of food AI. Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Construct, Bloomberg Beta, and Promus Ventures, and built by a team from Cruise, Zoox, Google, Tesla, and Amazon Robotics, we're scaling fast with multiple multi-year enterprise contracts. If you want to build physical AI with real-world deployments and real impact, Chef is the place.
Chef Robotics San Francisco, California, USA Office
986 Mission St.,, San Francisco, CA, United States, 94103
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