Valstad is rethinking shipbuilding from first principles. By challenging the orthodoxy of modern ship construction, we’ll deliver a quantum leap in American shipbuilding at a crucial moment in history. As Lead Mechatronics Engineer , you’ll be the architect of the machine that builds the machine —robotic cells that sequence raw plate into ocean-ready ships. You’ll tackle some of the biggest, most compelling problems in manufacturing on our quest to reindustrialize. You’ll own the full mechatronics stack—from load-case math to EtherCAT fine-tuning—while mentoring a small team of hyper-motivated builders. The work will be hard, the hours long, the obstacles many. Success is not guaranteed. But it is possible. Requirements Experience: 8-12 yrs designing and shipping industrial or robotic machinery > $250 k BOM or > 1 t dynamic mass. Education: B.S. (or higher) in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Robotics Engineering — or equivalent hands-on experience that demonstrates the same fundamentals (statics/dynamics, control theory, power circuits, manufacturing processes). Systems thinking: Can convert throughput targets into axis specs, load paths, and safety categories (ISO 13849/10218). CAD & analysis: Expert in SolidWorks/NX/CATIA, GD&T, quick-turn FEA for stiffness/fatigue, BOM discipline. Motion & controls: Comfort with servo sizing, backlash budgets, PLCs (e.g. TwinCAT/IEC 61131), and EtherCAT I/O. Welding or heavy-steel exposure: GMAW/SAW process knowledge and distortion-control intuition. Shop-floor fluency: You can TIG-tack a bracket, dial-indicate a rail, and debug a drive alongside technicians. Leadership: Proven mentorship of early-career engineers and cross-disciplinary design-review cadence. Work authorization: U.S. person (ITAR-controlled projects). Location: On-site at our office in Austin, TX. Benefits Compensation. $200k base + 1.5% stock options + milestone bonus. Relocation: $20k relocation assistance to move to Austin. Tools & Toys. If you need it, we'll buy it. Speed over red tape. Design it today, order the parts, build it tomorrow. Full freedom to run experiments, build prototypes and move fast. Medical and dental. Standard comprehensive medical coverage & dental. Mission. Play a major role in reindustrializing America.