Mechanical Engineer, Consumer Electronics

The posting, as DoorDash wrote it

About Us

DoorDash Labs, established in 2018, serves as the innovation hub for DoorDash, focusing on developing automation and robotics solutions to enhance last-mile logistics.

The team's mission is to create technologies that support and augment human networks, aiming to improve efficiency for Dashers, merchants, and consumers alike. We’re ruthlessly focused on business impact. We are a highly senior team composed of former pioneers from a variety of different robotics industries. As of 2025, DoorDash has completed 10B lifetime deliveries. We’re focused on how to do the next 10B even better.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a mechanical engineer who designs and builds connected consumer and enterprise devices, including SmartScale, lockers, POS systems, and hardware for emerging automation and robotics applications. In this role, you will help define what to build and own mechanical development from ambiguous user or business needs through architecture, rapid prototyping, and field pilots.

This is a build-heavy role on a small, senior, multidisciplinary team. You'll work directly with suppliers, supported by an NPI/program partner, and provide mechanical leadership during new product introduction (NPI). Specialist reliability expertise can support deeper validation as programs mature.

San Francisco-based candidates are preferred; hybrid arrangements are acceptable. The role includes hands-on collaboration around prototypes and lab work.

Key Responsibilities

• Help define product requirements and features from customer needs and business priorities. Explain trade-offs among user experience, performance, cost, reliability, and development time.
• Build prototypes for new product ideas, partner on pilot design, and turn findings from real use into requirements and designs for larger pilots. Communicate what was learned and what should happen next.
• Create CAD, drawings, and physical prototypes; choose materials, components, and fabrication methods appropriate to the development stage.
• Apply mechanical fundamentals, tolerance analysis, and targeted calculations or simulation to the risks that matter. Design and run physical tests to check assumptions.
• Integrate mechanical designs with electronics, sensors, and firmware, and debug problems across those interfaces with teammates.
• Serve as the mechanical engineering lead with manufacturing partners during NPI: investigate mechanical and build-quality issues, assess proposed changes, and help define and verify corrective actions.
• Work directly with suppliers on prototype parts, design feedback, build issues, and readiness for larger pilots. Bring in specialist support for safety, reliability, tooling, or production questions as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Hands-on experience taking a physical product or subsystem from incomplete requirements through mechanical design, prototyping, debugging, and testing, with evidence of learning from users or real operating conditions

[…]
success have no place at DoorDash. We value a diverse workforce – people who identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, differently-abled, caretakers and parents, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Thank you to the Level Playing Field Institute for this statement of non-discrimination.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.

If you need any accommodations, please inform your recruiting contact upon initial connection.

Notice Regarding Use of AI and Automated Tools: To streamline our hiring process, DoorDash utilizes an automated recruitment tool called Metaview.

How it works: Metaview assists our recruiting team by evaluating job related qualifications and characteristics in connection with hiring. The tool is designed and used to support - rather than replace - human decision-making; trained personnel make final decisions with meaningful human review and oversight, and DoorDash does not use Metaview or other AI-enabled tool in a manner that has the effect of subjecting applicants or employees to discrimination based on any protected characteristic or proxy or for engaging in any protected activity under applicable law.

Data Retention, Privacy & Bias Audit: Data collected during this process is retained in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy https://help.doordash.com/en-us/legal/article/ax-privacy-notice and applicable state laws. In compliance with New York City Local Law 144, the independent bias audit summary for Metaview is publicly available for review at https://trust.warden-ai.com/metaview/application-review .