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Mechanical Engineer

Tutorintelligence

Watertown, MA

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About the role

About Tutor

We believe robots will be the next chapter in making physical labor safer and more affordable. But, nearly nine out of ten American factories and warehouses don’t have a single robot. Tutor Intelligence is changing that.

We build robots that go straight into real factories and warehouses, to do real work, with real impact. Our robot Cassie does back-breaking work, moving boxes, pallets, and bulk goods for family-owned manufacturers to some of the largest brands in the world. Our robot Sonny does handwork, using two arms to achieve human-like dexterity in picking and packing. Every robot learns on the job, and each one we deploy makes the next one more capable, more affordable, and faster to put to work.

Founded at MIT and headquartered in Watertown, MA, we do it all in-house: the robotics hardware, the machine learning, and the field deployment and service. We’re a team of researchers, engineers, technicians, operators, and sellers who love building things and solving hard problems.

Our mission is grand: robots everywhere, for the common good, raising the standard of living across North America, and then the world.

The Role

Own complex mechanical subsystems that make robot manipulation and data collection work. You will turn uncertain requirements into mechanisms, end effectors, fixtures, and sensor assemblies, then carry those designs through fabrication, integration, validation, and repeatable builds.

This is a hands-on design role. You will define the approach within your scope, work closely with electrical, software, and research colleagues, and stay responsible for the reliability and maintainability of the hardware you build.

Responsibilities

  • Translate manipulation and data-collection goals into mechanical requirements, interface definitions, and validation plans.
  • Design complex parts and assemblies in CAD, including actuated mechanisms, end effectors, mounts, enclosures, and fixtures.
  • Justify actuator, material, bearing, fastener, and process choices using load, stiffness, tolerance, wear, and packaging requirements.
  • Build and test prototypes; use measurements and failure analysis to guide rapid, methodical iteration.
  • Anticipate integration risks with sensors, wiring, electronics, and control software and drive their resolution.
  • Deliver drawings, bills of materials, assembly instructions, and acceptance tests for repeatable fabrication and handoff.
  • Follow build and operating feedback after delivery, resolve reliability issues, and improve design-review and documentation practices.
  • Requirements

  • Evidence of independently owning complex mechanical design work through fabrication, integrated testing, and sustained use.
  • Strong 3D CAD, engineering drawings, tolerance analysis, and practical application of GD&T.
  • Sound mechanics and the ability to justify design choices with calculations, analysis, and experiment.
  • Hands-on skill in prototyping and assembly, and practical understanding of machining and manufacturing processes.
  • Ability to explain a failed design, the evidence that isolated the cause, and the iteration that resolved it.
  • Ability to coordinate across disciplines, communicate risks early, and produce documentation others can build from.
  • Nice to have

  • Robot end effectors, precision or compliant mechanisms, or other actuated hardware.
  • Taking prototypes into repeatable production and using field feedback to improve reliability.
  • Mechatronics, sensor integration, FEA, or basic controls and programming.
  • What Success Looks Like

  • Define and validate an agreed subsystem with clear mechanical and software interfaces.
  • Deliver a reliable integrated build and resolve the largest uncertainties through targeted experiments.
  • Make fabrication, assembly, maintenance, and subsequent iterations repeatable for other team members.
  • Why Tutor?

    Whether you’re designing robots, closing deals, running deployments, or creating the processes that help us scale, your work doesn’t sit on a shelf. It shows up on real production floors, making physical work safer and more affordable.

    Our team of 160+ is driven by curiosity and a genuine love of building. Everyone here takes real ownership, learns fast, and holds a high bar while having each other’s backs. If you love hard problems and creating things that didn’t exist before, you’ll fit right in.

    Benefits

    We take care of our team so they can do their best work. At Tutor, you’ll get:

    • Fully employer-covered health insurance, so you’re protected without the premium.
    • A managed 401(k) to help you plan for the future.
    • Generous time off: unlimited PTO and all federal holidays off for full-time salaried employees, and 16+ days of accrued paid time off plus 1.5x pay on federal holidays for hourly employees.
    • Regular in-office meals and team social events throughout the year.

    As Tutor grows, so will our benefits. We’re continuing to invest in ways to support our team at work and beyond.

    Tutor Intelligence is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds.