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Cyvl is a Boston-based startup revolutionizing how civil engineering firms and governments map and manage transportation infrastructure. The company develops enterprise-grade hardware and software solutions that leverage 3D mapping sensors (LiDAR, imagery, GPS) retrofitted to customer vehicles. Data is processed through AI-powered cloud pipelines to generate actionable condition and geospatial reports.
As Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, you will own the design of the core sensor hardware from concept to production. The sensor mounts to vehicle roofs and must survive harsh real-world conditions—winters, potholes, car washes—while remaining installable by non-specialist DPW crews. You will design the enclosure, chassis, thermal path, sealing, and mounting system, and produce all drawings, documentation, and BOMs for reproducible manufacturing at scale.
Key responsibilities include:
- Shepherd designs from concept through production in collaboration with electrical, firmware, and perception teams
- Validate designs through structural/thermal simulation, vibration/shock testing, and environmental ingress testing
- Design intuitive mounting systems for non-specialists to install on diverse vehicle types without damage
- Create comprehensive technical documentation (drawings, GD&T, models, BOMs) enabling accurate reproduction
- Optimize manufacturing strategy as volume scales: decide what remains machined vs. moves to tooling; conduct DFM with molders
- Own product lifecycle and documentation processes, ensuring released designs match built units
- Troubleshoot mechanical issues across design, build, and field; lead reliability improvements
- Support transition to contract manufacturing: assembly documentation, fixtures, tolerance strategy, FAI, early DFM
- Ensure compliance with safety, vehicle-mounting, and quality standards while managing cost at scale
Requirements:
- BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering or related field, with 3–7 years of experience in robotics, automation, automotive, or ruggedized electronics
- Cradle-to-grave design experience with precision-machined and molded parts; SolidWorks preferred (OnShape, Creo, or similar acceptable)
- Proficiency designing for CNC machining, molded plastics, 3D printing, sheet metal, and weldments
- Demonstrated experience taking parts to tooling and production: mold design (draft, parting lines, gates, shrink, warp, ejection), material selection for durability
- Direct collaboration with molders and tool shops through DFM, tool kickoff, first articles, and production tuning
- Hands-on prototyping, testing, and iteration capability
- Expertise in tolerance stackups, FAI review, and DFMEA
- Track record following designs through production and field, resolving engineering and production issues
- Experience with revision control, change orders, and deviations in PLM systems or equivalent
- Thermal management of electronics in sealed enclosures; IP-rating sealing design
- Strong judgment on design/performance/logistics tradeoffs and clear technical communication
- Ability to work from Boston-area office 5 days per week
Nice-to-have:
- Enclosure design for autonomy stacks (cameras, GNSS, LiDAR, IMUs, edge compute)
- Vehicle-mounted or automotive accessory hardware (roof racks, rails, magnetic mounts)
- Optical window design and sealing for road environments
- Aesthetic sensibility for premium component design and finish
- Experience scaling from low-volume in-house assembly to contract manufacturing
- Hardware deployed in government or regulated environments
- Portfolio of designed hardware
