Company: Foundation Robotics (ATV Program)
Hiring Manager: Steve
Team Size: 4 FTE + ~4 contractors
Location: Onsite (relocation possible)
Visa: Sponsorship available
Early stage robotics company building a next generation vehicle platform (ATV).
The design direction recently shifted from a traditional space frame to a much more advanced structural vehicle architecture closer to something like the Cybertruck.
The vehicle body is being designed by a former Ferrari and BMW designer, so engineers will be working directly with a top tier design team.
The opportunity is to own key parts of the vehicle structural architecture rather than being a small cog in a large OEM team.
Someone joining now could help define the body / chassis strategy and potentially build the team as the company grows.
Why This Role Exists
Originally the ATV platform was a fairly standard design.
The design team introduced a new structural exoskeleton style architecture, which significantly increased the complexity of the mechanical design.
Because of this the team needs a dedicated engineer focused on vehicle structural architecture including body structure, cast components and structural integration.
Ideal Candidate Background
Best companies:
Tesla
Rivian
Lucid
Strongest profiles:
Cybertruck team
Cybercab team
Body-in-white engineers
Vehicle structure engineers
Core Technical Focus
Vehicle structural design including:
• Body-in-white / vehicle body architecture
• Structural outer body panels
• Aluminum cast structures (front or rear castings)
• Structural battery integration
• Stamped structural body components
• Frame / chassis structural design
• FEA for structural validation
Important: design engineers, not tooling engineers.
Bonus Experience
• Tesla gigacasting programs
• Tesla “unboxed manufacturing method”
• Structural battery systems
• Experience making outer vehicle body structural
Seniority Target
Flexible.
Minimum: ~5 years experience
Ideal: 5–10+ years
Small team so even a 5 year engineer could have real impact.
Compensation (rough guidance)
~5 years experience
$160k – $180k base
~10 years experience
$230k – $250k base
Equity included.
What Makes This Role Attractive
• Real ownership over vehicle structure design
• Work with world class automotive designers (Ferrari / BMW background)
• Build something from scratch rather than optimizing an existing platform
• Potential to grow into team leadership as the company scales
• Impact of going from 0 → thousands of vehicles produced
Hiring Process
Similar to other roles at the company.
Generally:
-
Initial technical discussion
-
Team interviews
-
Final decision
They will move very quickly if the right person appears.
Search Status
Role not posted yet.
~3 candidates spoken to informally but none in process.
Lumicity currently the only agency involved.
Critical Sourcing Angle
Target Tesla Cybertruck / Cybercab engineers first.
They are leaders in:
• gigacasting
• structural bodies
• unboxed manufacturing
Those profiles will be the closest technical match.