Shinkei Systems (YC W22) builds robotics to produce Michelin-grade fish at commodity costs.

Engineering Technician

Location: El Segundo, California
Type: Full-time, Onsite (with occasional travel)

About Us:

Shinkei is a robotics startup based in El Segundo, CA, building cutting-edge systems to revolutionize the fishing industry. Our mission is to improve seafood quality and sustainability through advanced technology — from vision-guided robotics to maritime rugged sensing and automated fish processing.

We’re a fast-paced, hardware-heavy team that thrives on solving tough mechanical and electrical challenges in the real world. Whether it’s a testbed on the bench or a robot being deployed on a fishing vessel, we believe in building things that work — and fixing them fast when they don’t.

Job Overview:

We’re looking for a Hardware Technician to support the design, build, and test of our robotic systems — both in development and in production. You’ll work directly with our mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to bring new prototypes to life, maintain hardware on the bench and in the field, and push the reliability of our systems forward. This is a deeply hands-on role and a critical piece of our hardware team.

You should be someone who’s comfortable with a wrench in one hand and a multimeter in the other — who can help an engineer debug a flaky PCB one day, then rig up a plumbing loop or rework a harness the next. You’ll be a key player in translating ideas from CAD to reality, and making sure they stay working in the real world.

Responsibilities:

• Support the build, debug, and test of robotic subsystems, test fixtures, and production hardware
• Own the build and integration of actuators, structure, and fluid systems.
• Perform harness builds, rework, and routing for development and production systems
• Troubleshoot electro-mechanical assemblies and support root-cause investigations
• Assist with setup, maintenance, and improvements of hardware-in-the-loop test systems
• Support engineers during prototype bring-up, including mechanical assembly, electrical wiring, and basic plumbing
• Maintain a clean, organized lab space and manage tools and spare inventory
• Occasionally support field deployments and hardware upgrades at customer sites

Required Qualifications:

• 2+ years of experience in a hands-on technician or manufacturing role
• Strong mechanical aptitude and familiarity with hand tools, power tools, and light fabrication
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting mechanical drawings, wiring schematics, and harness diagrams
• Experience working with electro-mechanical assemblies, including PCBAs, motors, actuators, and sensors
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced R&D environment where requirements evolve and speed matters
• Strong attention to detail and a proactive, self-starting mindset

Bonus Experience:

• Experience with industrial crimping tools, D-sub and circular connectors
• Familiarity with low-voltage electrical systems and safe troubleshooting practices
• Experience with test setups involving pumps, valves, or pneumatics
• Basic familiarity with Linux command line or Python scripts
• Experience supporting prototype bring-up or field deployments

What We Offer:

• Competitive pay and benefits
• Equity options in a venture-backed startup
• A collaborative, engineering-first team culture
• The chance to work on meaningful hardware that goes from the lab to the ocean
• The tools you need to succeed — plus the autonomy to take ownership of your work
• Occasional travel to docks and deployment sites for real-world testing
• A freezer full of Seremoni Grade fish (seriously)

Shinkei is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply — especially if you’ve taken an unconventional path to get here.

We program and deploy large fleets of industrial robots using deep learning at every step. We implement of mixture of engineering techniques ranging from vanguard computer vision models to knee-deep mechanical engineering fabrication.

Our team is growing, and we're open for the best and brightest mechanical and software engineers with a background in autonomous systems/robotics/AI.

Come help us rebuild the world's supply chains from the ground up.