Anvil Robotics is a San Francisco-based startup that builds custom robots and offers a hardware, software and manufacturing platform described as 'Legos for robots'.
You'll be the person who catches the gap between the CAD file and the part that showed up on the factory floor — and gets it fixed. Anvil is building the platform layer for Physical AI — robotics hardware and software that's radically more accessible than legacy industrial solutions. We own and operate our own manufacturing — sourcing and production built in-house from scratch, no contract manufacturer anywhere in the loop — and in our first 12 months that line built and shipped 200+ robots to customers like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Toyota, Google, Cobot, and Path Robotics in 60+ countries, while we grew from two founders to 30 people across three offices. And devkits are just the wedge: a custom force-sensing actuator partnership with major actuator OEMs and a new generation of robots are next, which means the factory you'd be joining is about to get a lot busier. Everything we ship is designed in-house and built on our own line from components our vendors send us — sheet metal, CNC, machined parts — and the gap between a drawing and the physical part that arrives from a vendor is where production either stays on schedule or stalls. We need a junior engineer on the ground in Taiwan who can close that gap quickly and reliably. The situation you're walking into: - You'll spend roughly 60–70% of your time in CAD — modeling, updating drawings, and tracking revisions as parts and designs evolve. - The other 20–30% is basic electromechanical and software work: understanding simple electrical systems (24V vs. 48V rails, correct wire gauge, how power over USB works) and running basic scripts on Linux-based systems to support testing and diagnostics. - You are not expected to design circuits, write firmware, or own software architecture — you'll have peers who are much stronger in EE and software, and they're your backstop, not your competition. - You will not be working alone on ambiguous calls. This is a junior IC role with senior support close by — your job is to execute well and know when to escalate, not to make final judgment calls solo. What you'll own: - Day-to-day in-house CAD design work: creating and updating models and drawings, maintaining revision control, and keeping documentation aligned with what's actually being built on our own line. - Being the first line of defense when a vendor-supplied part — sheet metal, CNC, machined components — doesn't match its drawing: identifying the discrepancy, figuring out whether it's a drawing error, a tolerance issue, or a manufacturing defect, and proposing a fix. - Direct communication with vendor contacts to explain issues, negotiate rework or corrections, and keep production unblocked. - Applying basic electrical judgment (voltage, wire gauge, power delivery) when a mechanical issue intersects with an electrical one, and knowing when to pull in an EE. - Running basic scripts on Linux systems to support testing, data pulls, or simple diagnostics — not writing production software. What the first 100 days look like: - By day 30: you know Anvil's CAD environment, file/revision conventions, and current product line cold. You've shadowed at least one factory floor visit and one drawing-vs-part discrepancy resolution end to end. - By day 60: you're independently handling routine drawing updates and can identify a drawing-vs-part mismatch on your own, though you're still looping in a senior engineer before proposing fixes to the vendor. - By day 100: you're independently identifying, diagnosing, and proposing fixes for routine drawing/part discrepancies, and communicating directly with vendor contacts on routine issues without needing a senior engineer in the loop every time. Who you are: - You're comfortable and competent in a parametric CAD tool (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar) — even if your experience is from coursework or an internship rather than years of professional work. - You can read and produce a basic technical drawing, including fundamental GD&T concepts (tolerances, datums) — you don't need to be an expert, but you need to be functional. - You know the practical difference between 24V and 48V systems, can select an appropriate wire gauge in the 15–20 AWG range for a given load, and understand the basics of how power delivery over USB works. - You're comfortable in a Linux terminal — navigating the filesystem, editing a config file, running an existing script, and doing basic troubleshooting. You are not expected to write software from scratch. - You're comfortable walking a factory floor, physically handling parts, and having a direct, sometimes difficult conversation with a vendor contact when something doesn't match spec. - You default to flagging problems rather than staying quiet about a mismatch you've noticed, even before you're sure what's causing it. - Fluent in Mandarin, with working proficiency in English (Anvil's internal reporting and documentation are in English). - Based in or willing to relocate to Taiwan, with the ability to be on-site at factory/production locations regularly. Education & experience: - Bachelor's degree (or equivalent diploma) in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, or a related field. No graduate degree needed. - 0–2 years of professional experience. The ideal background is an internship or first job spent working directly under a senior mechanical or manufacturing engineer — you've watched how drawing-vs-part problems actually get resolved and vendor conversations actually get handled, done growing pieces of it yourself, and are ready for the work to be yours. A sharp new grad with strong hands-on project or internship work beats years of narrow, repetitive drafting. What this role is not: - Not an embedded systems, firmware, or software engineering role. Scripting is a small, supporting slice of the job, not the core of it. - Not a senior or autonomous EE design role. Your electrical knowledge needs to be solid at a foundational level, not exp