Robotics & Automation Engineer

About the Role

We're looking for robotics engineers to stand up and grow Fuse's robotic manufacturing capability from the ground up. You will design, build, program, and deploy robotic cells that handle the full lifecycle of our pulsed-power hardware, from individual components up to our complete Impedance-Matched Marx Generator (IMG) modules.

This is a hands-on, high-responsibility role: you'll select the robots, design the end-effectors and fixturing, write the control and vision software, integrate everything into a working line, and keep it running. You'll work shoulder to shoulder with our pulsed-power, mechanical, and electrical engineers to make our hardware manufacturable by robots.

What We Value

• Obsess about the details - sloppy work costs us later, so do it right the first time.
• Care - pick up the trash. Do things no one asks you to do. Go the extra mile because you care.
• Act with urgency - every hour matters more than it feels like it does.
• Be responsible for the outcome, not just the task; if it is not working, it remains your problem until it is fixed.
• Assume good intent - disagree openly, then commit fully once a call is made.

Core Responsibilities

• Design and deploy robotic capabilities to fabricate and assemble Fuse's core pulsed-power components, including FDGS (field-distortion gas switches), "bricks" (capacitor and switch assemblies), stages, full IMG modules, and transmission lines.
• Build automated assembly, fastening, bonding, alignment, and handling processes for high-voltage, high-energy parts, including heavy and delicate components.
• Develop robotic workflows for inspection, test, and preventive maintenance of fielded hardware, reducing manual intervention in high-voltage environments.
• Design and fabricate custom end-effectors, grippers, tooling, and fixtures tailored to our components.
• Integrate machine vision, force/torque sensing, and metrology for precise alignment, quality control, and error detection.
• Program and integrate industrial and/or collaborative robots (arms, gantries, mobile platforms) with PLCs, motion controllers, and factory software.
• Define the cell-level architecture, including safety systems, interlocks, material flow, and throughput, and contribute to the build-out from concept to a fully functioning production line.
• Partner with design engineers on Design for Automated Assembly, feeding manufacturability requirements back into component design.
• Establish maintenance, calibration, spares, and documentation practices so the automation is reliable and serviceable.
• Help onboard new team members as the robotics team grows.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Controls, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Hands-on experience deploying robotic automation in a manufacturing or assembly environment.
• Strong skills in robot programming and integration (e.g., FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, or similar) and industrial controls (PLCs, motion control, I/O, safety systems).
• Experience designing end-effectors, fixtures, and tooling in CAD and seeing them through fabrication.
• Working knowledge of machine vision and sensor integration for guidance and inspection.
• Software ability (e.g., Python, C++, and/or ROS) for control, vision, and system integration.
• Solid grasp of automation safety standards and safe design practice.
• A builder's mindset: comfortable with ambiguity, iterating fast, and owning a system end to end in a startup.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience automating the assembly of high-voltage, high-energy, or hazardous hardware, and familiarity with the associated safety requirements.
• Background in pulsed power, Marx generators, capacitors, high-voltage systems, or fusion/plasma hardware.
• Experience with heavy-payload handling, precision alignment/metrology, or automated electrical/hi-pot testing.
• Experience with mobile robots or automated maintenance/inspection in field environments.
• Experience standing up a new automation function or production line.

Additional Requirements

• Based in or willing to relocate to our San Leandro, CA facility; this role is fully onsite.
• Comfortable working hands-on in a lab and production environment around high-voltage and high-energy equipment, following strict safety procedures.
• Ability to lift and maneuver equipment and tooling as needed during cell build-out and maintenance.
• Occasional travel to other Fuse locations.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Relocation assistance for roles that require it.
• Flexible time off. Take what you need, no accrual tracking.
• 2 weeks of paid time off built into the end of each year (subject to team and business needs).
• Supportive leave of absence policies.
• Paid leave for new parents.

Itar Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.