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Startup Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Glacier

Mechanical Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$110K - $140K/yr

Series A startup based in San Francisco tackling one of the world's most pressing problems: trash ... As we scale, we're looking for a Mechanical Engineer to expand our hardware design bandwidth and ...

Glacier

Mechanical Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$110K - $140K/yr

Series A startup based in San Francisco tackling one of the world's most pressing problems: trash ... As we scale, we're looking for a Mechanical Engineer to expand our hardware design bandwidth and ...

Bechtel

Mechanical Field Engineer

Port Arthur, TX · On-site

Job Summary: Mechanical Startup Engineer responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing mechanical pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup, and system turnover activities to ensure ...

Bechtel

Mechanical Field Engineer

Port Arthur, TX · On-site

Job Summary: Mechanical Startup Engineer responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing mechanical pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup, and system turnover activities to ensure ...

Management Alliance Programs, Inc

Be Seen First

Commissioning Engineer / Electrical Engineers

Loudoun, VA · On-site

$60 - $100/hr

... startup engineers, etc. These are all CONTRACT opportunities Expenses covered Must have experience with data center and mission critical projects and construction WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR IT PEOPLE OR ...

Simple AI Lab Company

Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$130K - $280K/yr

Experience as an early-stage startup engineer or founder. * Experience with TypeScript, React, Python, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, AWS. If you are excited to shape the visual identity of a fast ...

G-P

OR · On-site

$140K - $176K/yr

Early Startup Engineer: Experience working as a technical co-founder or an early engineering hire at an early-stage startup. * AI/LLM App Development: Hands-on experience building prototypes that ...

Socket.dev

Senior Software Test Engineer

Chesapeake, VA · On-site

$120 - $160/hr

You'll operate with the autonomy and pace of a startup engineer, backed by the scale and resources of an enterprise. The ideal candidate has thrived on small, fast-moving teams and knows how to ...

G-P

Senior Software Engineer

$125K - $165K/yr

Early Startup Engineer: Experience working as a technical co-founder or an early engineering hire at an early-stage startup. * AI/LLM App Development: Hands-on experience building prototypes that ...

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Startup Engineer information

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How much do startup engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for startup engineer in the United States is $101,752.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,000.00 and $116,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some typical challenges a startup engineer faces when working in an early-stage company?

Startup Engineers often encounter rapidly changing priorities and ambiguous requirements as the company pivots to find product-market fit. They may need to balance building scalable solutions with the need for quick prototyping, sometimes working with limited resources or incomplete documentation. Collaboration across disciplines—such as product, design, and business teams—is frequent, so adaptability and strong communication skills are essential. These challenges can be demanding but also provide valuable opportunities to learn and grow quickly within a dynamic environment.

What is a startup engineer?

Startup engineers are versatile software or hardware engineers who work at early-stage companies to design, build, and scale new products or technologies. They often wear many hats, handling everything from coding and infrastructure to product design and sometimes even customer feedback. Startup engineers thrive in fast-paced environments where adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving are essential. Their work is crucial in turning innovative ideas into viable products quickly, often with limited resources and tight deadlines.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a startup engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Startup Engineer, you need strong programming abilities, a solid understanding of software architecture, and versatility across tech stacks, often supported by a degree in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with cloud platforms (like AWS or GCP), version control systems (such as Git), and rapid prototyping tools is commonly required. Adaptability, problem-solving, and effective communication are standout soft skills for this fast-paced environment. These skills and qualities are crucial for efficiently building scalable products and adapting to the evolving needs and constraints of early-stage startups.
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Startup Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Startup Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $101,752 per year, or $48.9 per hour.

Mechanical Engineer

Glacier

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$110K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 4 days ago

Job description

Hey, we're Glacier! Series A startup based in San Francisco tackling one of the world's most pressing problems: trash. Did you know that in the US, we send over half of our recyclables to the landfill? We're working to fix that. In doing so, we'll also be reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption, and depletion of natural resources.
Glacier builds custom sorting robots designed to sort apart recyclables as well as AI-powered business analytics that enable recyclers to superpower their plants and improve our society's circularity. From major CPG companies like Colgate and Amazon to municipal recycling facilities, our clients trust us to turn recycling data into actionable insights. Our technology has been recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions and featured in a TIME documentary, TechCrunch, Fortune, and CBS.
As we scale, we're looking for a Mechanical Engineer to expand our hardware design bandwidth and own the long-term structural design behind our robotics and vision systems. You'll own the design lifecycle from whiteboard sketch to finished product, taking new and ambiguous problems and turning them into engineering requirements alongside the product team, then carrying them through prototyping and NPI.
This role reports to our Hardware Engineering Manager and requires a strong balance of structural design depth, hands-on prototyping, and the cross-functional, scrappy mindset of a startup engineer who can support the system from design through manufacturing.
Responsibilities:
Own Structural Design from Concept to Production
  • Own the long-term structural design for our projects: frames, mounts, and supporting structures for robotic and vision systems, balancing stiffness, strength, weight, cost, and manufacturability.
  • Perform calculations, simulations, and lab validations for structural components, using engineering analysis to confirm integrity and reliability.
  • Develop mechanical architectures that survive demanding industrial environments while staying easy to manufacture, install, and service.

Drive End-to-End Mechanical Engineering
  • Take new and vague problems and turn them into engineering requirements alongside the product team.
  • Own the design lifecycle from initial sketch through prototyping, NPI, and production release, including detailed CAD (Onshape preferred), drawings, tolerances, and BOMs.
  • Perform tolerance analysis and create drawings that optimize DFM against assemblability.
  • Work alongside peers on the electronics, dynamics, and pneumatics sides of the robot to deliver integrated systems.

Build Hands-On and Support the Startup
  • Build prototypes yourself: talk to the machine shop, buy inventory, stock tools, and spin up custom designs quickly.
  • Take ambiguous problems and drive them independently from concept through deployment.
  • Write SOPs and provide communication and teaching support for the build team.
  • Step up off-hours and at remote installation sites as needed on occasion.

What you bring:
  • B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a similar field
  • 3+ years in a technical engineering environment
  • Strong background in structural design (sheet metal, machined components, bolted joints, welded assemblies), with FEA and engineering analysis to validate designs
  • Solid understanding of materials and failure modes, with the judgment to balance performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost
  • Experience designing for manufacturing using CAD (Onshape, SolidWorks, or similar), GD&T, tolerance analysis, DFM/DFA, and production documentation
  • Hands-on prototyping skills and comfort in the lab with machining, fabrication, assembly, and mechanical testing
  • Experience working cross-functionally with electrical, software, manufacturing, and field teams
  • Comfortable in a fast-paced startup where priorities evolve and engineers own projects from concept through deployment
  • Excellent communication skills and a strong sense of ownership, with the ability to independently drive technical decisions

Bonus points:
  • Experience with Onshape
  • Experience working in a startup environment
  • Experience designing industrial equipment

Why join us?
  • Mission-Driven Work, be part of a company dedicated to sustainability and ending waste.
  • Cross-Functional Impact, work at the intersection of product, engineering, manufacturing, and field operations.
  • Fast-Paced Growth, help scale a cutting-edge robotics fleet in the recycling industry.

The base compensation range for this role is $110,000-140,000. In addition to cash compensation, Glacier also offers competitive equity compensation and benefits. The final compensation for this role will depend on many individualized factors, including job-related skills and knowledge, experience level, interview performance, and other factors.
If you're excited about owning structural design from sketch to fleet deployment, building hardware hands-on, and helping scale a cutting-edge robotics fleet in the recycling industry, we'd love to hear from you!

Apply