Lead Hardware & Manufacturing Systems Engineer – Robotics

About Tutor Intelligence

At Tutor Intelligence, we believe general-purpose, generally intelligent robots will be built in our lifetimes.

We're building and deploying AI-powered robots that solve real problems in the field. Our goal is to deliver 1,000+ robots across multiple platforms by 2028. To get there, we need to build the manufacturing processes, test systems and engineering infrastructure that allow us to scale without sacrificing quality or reliability.

The Role

We're looking for a seasoned Hardware Engineer with deep electrical and electromechanical experience who can lead the technical development of our manufacturing systems.

You need to understand how our robots work, challenge hardware designs, troubleshoot complex failures and build the processes, tools and systems that allow us to manufacture them reliably at scale.

This role sits between Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering and Manufacturing Systems. You'll be responsible for how our robots are built, brought up, tested, tracked and made ready to ship.

You'll work closely with Hardware and Software Engineering, challenge designs when something doesn't make sense, establish manufacturing and test acceptance criteria, and escalate designs or releases that aren't ready for production.

You'll also be on the production floor working through the difficult problems with the team.

This is not a traditional management role. We're looking for someone who can lead through technical knowledge, good engineering judgment and execution. Someone who can make decisions, solve problems and help the engineers around them get better.

We also want someone who knows how to use software, automation, data and AI to move faster and build better systems, rather than adding people every time we need more output.

What You'll Own

Hardware Engineering, Integration and Debug

• Be the technical escalation point for complex electrical, mechanical and system-level failures involving PCBAs, power distribution, wiring, sensors, actuators, motor controls and communication interfaces.
• Work directly with Hardware and Software Engineering to understand system architecture, review schematics and identify design issues affecting manufacturability, testability and reliability.
• Lead hands-on troubleshooting using electrical test equipment, system diagnostics and structured root-cause analysis.
• Understand how the hardware, firmware, software and mechanical systems work together and isolate failures across those interfaces.
• Drive issues to root cause and permanent corrective action. We don't want to keep fixing the same problems.

Manufacturing Test, Bring-Up and Automation

• Own our manufacturing test strategy, from component testing through robot bring-up, end-of-line testing and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT).
• Design and build automated test systems, fixtures and diagnostic tools that make testing faster, more reliable and repeatable.
• Establish test coverage, pass/fail criteria, automated data collection and traceable test results.
• Catch hardware and integration problems as early as possible in the build process rather than discovering them during final test or after deployment.
• Develop software and automation that reduce manual testing, improve diagnostics and eliminate repetitive engineering work.

Manufacturing Engineering and Production Readiness

• Develop manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures and work instructions so we can build robots consistently and efficiently.
• Work directly with Hardware and Software Engineering early in the design process to make sure what we're developing can actually be built, tested and serviced.
• Lead technical readiness for new product introductions and engineering changes.
• Make sure new products and design changes reach the production floor with validated processes, tooling, documentation and test coverage.
• Support contract manufacturer bring-up and qualification of suppliers, equipment and tooling.
• Improve first-pass yield, reduce cycle time and rework, and eliminate recurring manufacturing issues.

Manufacturing Systems, MES and Automation

• Architect, develop and integrate the manufacturing systems that run production, including MES workflows, digital work instructions, automated test data collection, serialized traceability, configuration control and engineering change management.
• Connect engineering data, BOMs, CAD, production processes, test systems and quality records into a reliable manufacturing workflow.
• Build or integrate software tools that improve production visibility, automate repetitive work and help engineers and technicians make better decisions.
• Establish reliable product genealogy so we know what was built, which components were used, what tests were performed and what changes were made.
• Use Python, AI, automation and manufacturing data to accelerate engineering work, diagnose failures and improve manufacturing performance.
• Build systems that allow us to increase production volume without increasing headcount at the same rate.

Technical Leadership

• Set technical direction and engineering standards for Production Engineering across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, test and manufacturing systems.
• Work alongside engineers to solve difficult problems and help them develop stronger technical judgment.
• Lead technical investigations from the first failure through root cause, corrective action and validation.
• Challenge engineering decisions when they create manufacturing complexity, quality risk or unnecessary cost.
• Hold a high engineering standard. Problems need clear owners, sound technical solutions and proper closure.

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• You understand our biggest hardware, manufacturing, bring-up and FAT issues and have driven the top recurring problems to resolution.
• You've developed and implemented at least one automated test or diagnostic improvement that reduces bring-up or FAT time.
• You've identified the biggest gaps in our manufacturing systems, MES workflows and traceability, and started implementing improvements.
• You're actively involved in hardware design reviews and helping shape the next generation of our robots.

First Year

• Robots are consistently coming off the production line and passing bring-up and FAT with minimal rework.
• We're catching more defects earlier in the manufacturing process and seeing fewer manufacturing-related failures in the field.
• New products and engineering changes are entering production with the right processes, tooling and test coverage already in place.
• Our manufacturing systems connect engineering changes, production execution, test results and serialized product history.
• First-pass yield, cycle time and manufacturing efficiency continue to improve.
• We have manufacturing and test systems that can support significantly higher production volumes without adding headcount at the same rate.

What You Bring

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong hands-on hardware engineering experience designing, integrating, debugging and testing complex electromechanical systems. We're more interested in what you've actually built and owned than how many years are on your résumé.
• Solid electrical engineering fundamentals, including power distribution, circuit-level troubleshooting, PCBAs, sensors, actuators and hardware interfaces.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, troubleshoot complex hardware failures and use electrical test equipment to isolate root causes.
• Experience taking hardware from engineering development through NPI, production ramp and repeatable manufacturing.
• Experience developing manufacturing test systems, automated test equipment, hardware validation or end-of-line testing.
• Experience developing or implementing manufacturing software, MES workflows, production automation or integrated test and traceability systems.
• Ability to use Python or similar tools for test automation, diagnostics and data analysis.
• Comfortable using AI tools as part of your daily engineering work.
• Willingness to be hands-on and spend time on the production floor working directly with engineers and technicians.

Preferred

• Experience with robotics, industrial automation or other complex electromechanical products.
• Experience designing or integrating MES/PLM systems, manufacturing software and digital production workflows.
• SQL and experience working with manufacturing or test data.
• Experience with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DAQ systems and hardware communication protocols.
• PCB design reviews and design for testability.
• Engineering change control, BOM management and serialized product traceability.
• Contract manufacturer bring-up and supplier qualification.
• Experience scaling hardware manufacturing in a startup or fast-growing company.