From Home Vex Robotics Jobs in Inman, SC (NOW HIRING)

Title

Mechanical Engineer/ Systems Engineer

The Role

We build our own manufacturing machines. Not just specify them, not just improve them: we design, fabricate, wire, program, and commission custom production equipment in-house, and we're looking for an engineer who wants to own that entire loop.

In this role, on any given week, you might be designing a roller retaining mechanism in CAD, wiring servo drives to Modbus TCP, debugging Python automation code on a Raspberry Pi, machining a bracket you designed that morning, or building the BOM and chasing vendor deliveries for a ground-up machine build. If that range sounds energizing rather than unfocused, keep reading.

As a member of our Manufacturing Technology team, you'll take projects from concept through design, first build, testing, validation, and production implementation. You'll serve as a technical resource for Production and Operations, investigating problems with data and instrumentation, performing root cause analysis, and driving practical, long-term solutions. You'll work alongside engineers building software-defined manufacturing systems, and you'll be expected to hold your own on both sides of the mechanical/software line.

Fantastic benefits, including a 7% 401(k) match, generous PTO, competitive pay, and multiple health benefit options, make our overall compensation among the best for this role.

What You'll Own

• Contribute to ground-up custom machine builds: own subassemblies from CAD through BOM creation, part procurement, vendor follow-up, assembly, wiring, and commissioning.
• Design and improve custom manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and machine components in CAD (we use Onshape).
• Wire and integrate sensors, encoders, servo drives, and I/O; bring new instrumentation onto machines to expose problems before they become downtime.
• Write and debug Python automation code running on embedded controllers; collaborate with software engineers through Git and pull requests.
• Perform root cause analysis using data: add logging and metrics to machines rather than relying on observation alone, and implement fixes that stay fixed.
• Support production during first builds, startup, and ongoing operations, troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, and software issues wherever they surface.
• Drive continuous improvement in equipment reliability, throughput, quality, and operator experience.
• Coordinate machine installations, upgrades, and relocations, and keep engineering documentation current.

Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Robotics Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience building real machines.
• Strong CAD experience with the ability to create detailed mechanical designs and manufacturing drawings.
• Working proficiency in Python: you can write, debug, and instrument machine automation code, use Git, and read someone else's code to find the problem.
• Comfort with industrial electrical work: wiring sensors, encoders, servo drives, and 24V I/O; reading schematics; fieldbus protocols (Modbus TCP or similar) and embedded controllers (Raspberry Pi, Arduino, PLC-class devices).
• Ability to fabricate and assemble your own designs: machining, hand tools, mechanical assembly, and installation work in a live production environment.
• Experience supporting first builds, equipment validation, troubleshooting, and production implementation.
• Ability to perform root cause analysis and implement practical, durable solutions to equipment and process challenges.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience taking a machine or major subsystem from concept through first build and validation.
• Experience with machine vision, motion control, or software-integrated manufacturing systems.
• Experience creating and managing BOMs and sourcing components from domestic and overseas vendors.
• A personal project history: home shop, CNC, robotics, a GitHub with things you actually built. We notice.

Personal Qualities

• Takes ownership of projects and follows through to completion.
• Exhibits excellent judgment and sound decision-making under production pressure.
• No task is beneath the mission: one week you're designing a waste-handling mechanism, the next you're automating the building's HVAC or listing surplus equipment for sale.
• Open-minded, adaptable, and eager to learn new technologies.
• Results-oriented with a commitment to quality, simplicity, and speed.
• Wants to have fun at work.

Our Hiring Process

• Apply online, carefully answering all of the questions you are asked
• Attend a 10-minute video call meet and greet
• Attend a 60-minute in-person tour and interview discussion
• Get hired