Mechanical Engineer at Persona AI in Houston, TX

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona’s founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

We are looking for a seasoned hand to take the reins and wrangle our robots in the field. This is a crucial position for those who thrive on the frontier of field operations and hands-on technical mastery. You will serve as the fleet's lead outrider and trusted presence on the range, expertly corralling and deploying our humanoid robots at customer sites, ensuring they run true and perform their mandated industrial work. This is no stable-bound role; it demands constant travel and an unyielding commitment to keeping the entire operation running.

Your Role

• Deploy and operate Persona's humanoid robots at customer and partner sites, serving as the primary on-site point of contact during live deployments

• Manage robot readiness, environment setup, and real-time troubleshooting with precision and calm under pressure

• Perform preventative and corrective maintenance in the field across mechanical, electrical, and software systems

• Manage on-site spare parts inventory and execute pre- and post-deployment checklists with consistency

• Maintain daily performance logs and field issue reports that feed directly into engineering and product teams

• Train site personnel on basic operational protocols as deployments scale, and work closely with application engineers to surface site-specific challenges and improvement opportunities

• Represent Persona AI professionally as the face of the product in the field

We're Looking For

• 3+ years of hard-earned experience as a field operator, field technician, forward deployed engineer, or electromechanical systems technician

• Proficient in interpreting wiring diagrams, mechanical drawings, and basic schematics

• Strong situational awareness and safety orientation in industrial environments

• Excellent communicator, able to interface with customer stakeholders and internal engineering teams alike

• Highly organized with strong documentation habits

• Willingness to travel up to 50%, ability to lift 25–50 lbs, and comfort working prolonged periods on active industrial floors

• Based in or willing to relocate to Houston, TX

Preferred Qualifications

• Background as a forward deployed engineer or applications support specialist in aerospace or energy

• Operational history in shipyard, port, or marine environments with heavy industrial machinery

• Military service in robotics, aviation maintenance, ordnance, or expeditionary communications

• Linux fluency and comfort with command line interfaces

• Experience supporting early-stage hardware products through initial live deployments

• Familiarity with Jira or equivalent incident management systems

Why join Persona AI?

• You'll shape technology that's redefining the possibilities of robotics and human interaction.

• Work alongside passionate teammates who value diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

• Enjoy full access to advanced prototyping tools, labs, and the freedom to experiment and innovate.

• We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work environment, and equity opportunities.

Persona AI embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.