Hardware Prototype and Test Engineer

CHEFFY is a Bay Area-based startup building robots for the home kitchen, starting with breakfast! Our first product, EGOR, has received over $1.5M in pre-orders from 5,000+ customers on Kickstarter and our website.

We're looking for a hands-on hardware prototyping generalist to help build, refine, and test our hardware as we move through engineering validation and prepare for manufacturing.

A big part of this role is independently owning small hardware prototyping and test workstreams from problem to answer. You'll be building prototypes, and we may give you a question such as “Why is this mechanism binding?”, “How can we test which material will work best under continuous operation?”, or “How should we fixture this assembly to measure the force being applied on the egg?” and expect you to determine an approach, make or modify parts and fixtures, run the experiment, troubleshoot problems, and clearly report what you learned.

Work may include:

• Assembling prototypes
• FDM and resin 3D printing of engineering test parts, fixtures, and component variations, including selecting orientation, supports, materials, and print settings
• Designing and building test jigs and fixtures
• Modifying CAD and designing prototype parts, mounts, adapters, and fixtures
• Sanding, finishing, drilling, tapping, fitment, fastening, and mechanical assembly
• Diagnosing fit, tolerance, alignment, wear, and mechanism issues and implementing practical fixes
• Soldering, crimping, wiring, electronics assembly, and basic electrical troubleshooting
• Durability and repeated-cycle testing
• Measuring forces, temperatures, dimensions, and other hardware performance
• Designing and running practical experiments to compare prototype variations
• Testing induction systems, cooking performance, recipes, and toaster functionality
• Using common shop, hand, and power tools
• Clearly documenting measurements, observations, photos, failures, and conclusions
• Potentially helping communicate technical findings to suppliers and manufacturing partners

You should already be comfortable with:

• FDM 3D printing and troubleshooting
• Resin 3D printing and post-processing
• CAD modifications, ideally in Fusion 360 and/or SolidWorks
• Mechanical assembly, fitment, drilling, sanding, fastening, and general fabrication
• Soldering, wire stripping, and crimping
• Calipers, multimeters, and other measurement and test tools
• Common shop, hand, and power tools such as a drill press, rotary tools, and sanders
• Working through practical hardware problems independently without needing detailed step-by-step instructions

Experience with CNC machining, electronics, jig and fixture design, machining, or other fabrication methods is a plus.

We need someone who is confident building, modifying, troubleshooting, and testing physical hardware, and can take the initiative to solve multidisciplinary engineering challenges with limited direction.

Demonstrated hands-on capability, practical problem-solving, and the ability to work independently matter more to us than a particular degree or job title.

Examples, photos, or links showing physical hardware that you've personally designed, built, modified, repaired, or troubleshot are strongly encouraged.

Location: Fremont, CA - in person

Pay: $35–60/hour depending on experience, breadth of hands-on skills, and ability to independently own prototype and test workstreams

Hours: Flexible, approximately 10–20 hours/week

We'll start with a small paid trial work session using a real CHEFFY build/test task. If it's a good fit on both sides, the opportunity can extend into ongoing part-time work.

Questions?