Technician (Robotics Hardware)

We are hiring a hands-on Technician for our San Francisco facility. You will work closely with experienced engineers, scientists, and operators to build, install, cable, assemble, and maintain robot workcells, lab equipment, fixtures, and facility hardware.

This is a startup environment: priorities change quickly, systems are still being built, and the work will not always fit neatly into a job description. Some days will be focused on careful assembly or cable routing; other days may involve debugging a workcell, organizing parts, receiving shipments, or staying late to get an important setup working.

We are looking for someone comfortable with both mechanical and electrical hardware tasks: mounting equipment, assembling fixtures, routing and labeling cables, checking connections, and spotting issues before they become failures. A strong candidate is practical, reliable, low-ego, and trusted around expensive, sensitive equipment.

What You Will Do

• Assemble, install, and modify robot arms, workcells, fixtures, mounts, sensors, cameras, racks, test setups, and facility or lab equipment.
• Use hand tools, power tools, torque tools, measurement tools, and shop equipment to mount, fasten, align, secure, and adjust hardware safely.
• Fabricate, modify, label, install, and test cables and harnesses, including connector work, wire routing, strain relief, and basic electrical validation.
• Route cables through robotic systems so they support full range of motion, avoid pinch points and interference, and remain easy to inspect and service.
• Read drawings, schematics, wire lists, build instructions, and CAD references.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and cabling issues with engineers while learning from talented technical teammates.
• Keep tools, parts, cables, hardware, and work areas organized; document changes and give practical feedback.
• Help wherever needed as we build the facility while operating it, including setup, cleanup, receiving, organization, and one-off hardware tasks.

Do you have experience in Power tools?, * 2+ years of hands-on technician experience in robotics, automation, aerospace, medical devices, electronics, industrial equipment, lab automation, field service, hardware prototyping, or similar work.

• Strong mechanical aptitude and good judgment around mounting, fasteners, weight, alignment, pinch points, moving parts, and safe equipment handling.
• Experience with both mechanical assembly and electrical/cabling work.
• Comfort using hand tools, power tools, torque wrenches, crimpers, soldering irons, calipers, multimeters, and related tools.
• Careful attention to detail when following pinouts, cable routing diagrams, build instructions, or safety-critical steps.
• Comfort with ambiguity, changing priorities, and long or irregular days when the work requires it.
• Good judgment about when to continue, stop, or escalate a safety, quality, or reliability concern.
• Clear communication and willingness to jump into unglamorous work when it helps the team move faster.

Relevant Backgrounds

• Robotics, automation, hardware assembly, electronics manufacturing, aerospace, medical devices, lab automation, field service, facilities, or machine-building.
• Experience setting up equipment, diagnosing issues, supporting technical teams, and making systems work in the real world.

Nice To Have

• Experience with robotic arms, moving cable-management systems, soldering, crimping, connector pinning, harness fabrication, or cable documentation.
• Experience with machining, 3D printing, sheet metal, fixture building, CAD, or quick-turn mechanical modifications.
• Familiarity with E-stops, interlocks, grounding, low-voltage wiring, power separation, or other hardware safety practices.
• Experience in a startup, early facility, shared lab, core facility, or robotics company.

C5R is building facilities that connect frontier AI to the physical world. We believe this connection is a force for good in expanding humanity’s scientific discovery.