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Job Description

Overview

The Robotics Hardware Engineer role involves designing and building autonomous and robotic systems for logistics and mining. This hands-on position requires fabricating and assembling hardware from CAD designs and integrating various components to create functional prototypes.

Responsibilities

  • Fabricate, assemble, and modify chassis, drivetrains, manipulators, and mounting systems from drawings or your own designs
  • Machine, weld, and fit parts — mild steel, aluminum, and plastics
  • Install and wire motors, batteries, sensors (LiDAR, cameras, IMUs), controllers, and harnesses
  • Run bench and field tests, diagnose mechanical and electrical failures, and fix them
  • Feed what you learn back into the design: tolerances, serviceability, ruggedization for dust, vibration, and weather
  • Keep the shop, tools, and inventory in working order

Requirements

  • Strong mechanical intuition — you understand how things fit, flex, wear, and fail
  • Comfortable with hand and power tools; welding (MIG/TIG) and basic machining are a big plus
  • Can read engineering drawings and work from CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or similar)
  • Basic electrical competence: 12–48V DC systems, crimping, soldering, reading a wiring diagram
  • Willing to travel to sites and get dirty — mines and warehouses, not only clean rooms
  • Safety-minded, organized, and honest about what’s working and what isn’t
  • Degree or diploma in mechanical, mechatronics, or electrical engineering, or a trade qualification (fitter, machinist, auto/heavy diesel) is nice to have
  • Experience with hydraulics, pneumatics, or heavy equipment is nice to have
  • Exposure to ROS, embedded controllers, or motor drivers is nice to have
  • Forklift, EWP, or mine-site induction tickets are nice to have

Benefits

  • Competitive salary or apprentice wage, reviewed on skill growth
  • Full workshop access and a budget for tools and parts
  • Field deployments where you see your machines run
  • Small team, fast iteration, direct ownership of hardware

Benefits

Competitive salary or apprentice wage, reviewed on skill growth
Full workshop access and a budget for tools and parts
Field deployments where you see your machines run
Small team, fast iteration, direct ownership of hardware
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How this job compares in Houston, TX

Pay in context

This employer didn't publish a rate. For reference, welding jobs in Houston, TX currently run a median of $24/hr in our index, with the middle half of them falling between $22–$33/hr across 64 postings with published pay. That median is a reasonable floor to anchor on when a recruiter asks what you're looking for.

The local market in Houston, TX

We're tracking 230 other active welding openings in Houston, TX right now, from 128 different employers. 5 of them were added in the last week. Across Texas as a whole we're tracking 953 other active welding openings from 417 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Houston, or widen the search to Texas.

The most active employers in Texas at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Austin Industries (34), Zachry Group (24), and Welding Shop in Houston, TX (23). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Texas, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Old Sixth Ward at $40/hr, Dallas at $36/hr, and Channelview at $32/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

What you'll be running

This posting calls for MIG and TIG work. MIG (GMAW) feeds a continuous wire electrode through a shielding-gas nozzle. It lays down metal fast and is forgiving on clean material, which is why it dominates production and light fabrication work. TIG (GTAW) uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode with filler added by hand, giving the operator the most control of any process. It is slow, demanding, and the standard for stainless, aluminum, and anything where the bead has to look as good as it holds.

Similar openings near Houston, TX

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Robotics Hardware Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.