Internship Human Centered Computing Jobs in California

Human Computer Lab is a research lab building character robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology.

Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.

We're looking for a hands-on supply chain engineer to help build and scale the sourcing, procurement, and manufacturing pipeline that gets LeLamp from prototype to production. You'"ll work at the intersection of engineering and operations — evaluating suppliers, managing BOM cost and lead-time risk, and partnering with contract manufacturers to turn designs into build-ready hardware. This role requires close collaboration with electrical and mechanical engineering to make sourcing and manufacturability decisions in real time, not after the fact. You'"ll work closely with the CEO and founding team to build the supply chain function from the ground up as the company scales from small-batch builds to larger production runs.

In this role, you will:

• Source, qualify, and manage relationships with component suppliers, distributors, and contract manufacturers (CMs).
• Own BOM cost, lead-time, and availability tracking across mechanical and electrical subsystems.
• Partner with EE/ME teams on design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) reviews.
• Manage procurement and purchase orders, balancing cost, lead time, and inventory risk for a fast-moving startup.
• Identify and mitigate component obsolescence and single-source risk across the BOM.
• Coordinate with overseas and domestic manufacturing partners (PCBA, injection molding, CNC, sheet metal) on quoting, tooling, and production timelines.
• Support incoming quality inspection and work with suppliers to resolve nonconformances.
• Track and forecast inventory needs as build volumes scale from prototype to pilot to production.
• Help build and refine internal processes (PO workflows, supplier scorecards, inventory systems) as the team grows.
• Risk Management: assess supply chain contingencies, if we run out of raw materials, what are the back up plans in place, how can we ensure reliability.
• QC experience: ensure the raw materials and production process is up to product standards, ensuring high quality supplier relations.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Are pursuing or hold a degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or a related field — or have equivalent hands-on experience.
• Have experience sourcing electrical or mechanical components (personal projects, coursework, prior internships, or professional experience all count).
• Are comfortable reading BOMs, schematics, and mechanical drawings well enough to have informed sourcing conversations with engineers and suppliers.
• Communicate clearly with suppliers and internal teams, and document decisions and trade-offs.
• Have some exposure to contract manufacturing, PCBA assembly, or hardware production workflows.
• Are comfortable working in ambiguous, fast-changing environments where processes are still being built.

You will be a strong fit, if you:

• Have hands-on experience working directly with suppliers or CMs (quoting, negotiating, expediting, resolving issues).
• Understand the cost and lead-time trade-offs behind component selection, and can push back on engineering choices when it matters.
• Have worked with international manufacturing partners (for example, China-based PCBA, mechanical, or plastics vendors) and understand the logistics and import considerations involved.
• Move quickly through iteration cycles and don\'t wait for perfect information to make progress.
• Take ownership over your work end to end, from sourcing decision to parts arriving on the bench ready to build.
• Work well in small, collaborative teams where supply chain, electrical, and mechanical are in constant conversation.
• Care about what the supply chain enables: getting expressive, reliable hardware into people\'s hands faster.

We will include closing statement: The input has "
The early team becomes the DNA of the company...". We will rewrite as a couple of

blocks:

The early team becomes the DNA of the company. We set ourselves and others to a high standard, and we respond with kindness when things get hard but keep everyone accountable. This requires us to be curious, creative, and diverse in our thinking and approach.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Studies show that women and underrepresented groups often hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria - we don’t want that to be the reason we miss out on great talent.