Paradigm Robotics is an Austin, Texas based robotics startup building rugged, scalable robots for situational awareness in hazardous environments. We serve firefighting, emergency response, public safety, oil & gas, defense, and industrial markets. Our mission is to create a new paradigm of scalable, reliable, and useful robots for real-world hazardous operations - providing critical solutions to the most dangerous problems out there.
You’ll be joining at the ground floor of a fast-moving, engineering-first company. We move quickly, prototype and build aggressively, and test in the real world alongside the people who need our robots most. This isn’t theoretical work. It’s hardware, embedded software, and sweat.
We've raised an oversubscribed round from top-tier venture firms. We’re working directly with over 80 of the largest fire departments, law enforcement agencies, industrial teams, and military units across the U.S., including the Air Force, Army, and SERDP. Our robots are built with and for firefighters, first responders, warfighters, and emergency crews.
We’re solving problems that matter, and they’re not easy. Building robots that operate in fire, heat, debris, water, and chaos (reliably, repeatedly, and safely) is hard. Building them in a way that scales? Even harder. That’s why we're obsessed with engineering rigor, fast iteration, and deep user feedback.
This is high-stakes work. We ship real robots, into real fires, for real customers. This means every team member operates with urgency, clarity, and ownership. Everyone touches hardware. Everyone talks to users. Everyone builds.
We’re small, but mighty. Our team includes engineers from NASA, Tesla, Lockheed, and DoD. We write our own firmware, design our own boards, build our own control systems, write full-stack web interfaces, design rugged electromechanical assemblies. We stress-test our systems in fire training ranges, explosive zones, gun ranges, and disaster zones.
We value curiosity, autonomy, discipline, and low-ego collaboration. We keep it honest, we keep it fast, and we push each other to be better every week. We celebrate wins, own mistakes, and always return to the mission: building robots that save lives.
Mechanical Engineer [Contractor]
Part-Time
As a Mechanical Engineer [Contractor], you will be responsible for the design, analysis, and integration of mechanical systems, including those exposed to high-temperature, corrosive, or water-intensive environments, and often involving electromechanical components. You’ll contribute across the product lifecycle on an as-needed or project basis, with significant involvement from concept through field deployment.
This role emphasizes execution and decision-making autonomy. You’ll collaborate closely with the internal team, contribute high-impact work, and be trusted to drive results within your domain.