Mechatronics Engineer – Robotics & Grasping

Apera is an innovative, Vancouver-based company at the forefront of robotics, AI, and machine vision — recognized with the 2025 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leadership Award and the 2024 BC Tech "Company of the Year, Growth" award. We're on a mission to redefine AI-driven robotic vision.

Apera AI helps manufacturers make their factories more flexible and productive. Robots enhanced with Apera's software have 4D Vision — the ability to see and grasp objects with human-like capability. Challenging applications such as bin picking, sorting, packaging, and assembly are now open to fast, precise, and reliable automation. We work with the world's leading automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

Our portfolio spans Vue (our 4D Vision software), Forge (a no-code simulation and AI training studio where customers build, validate, and de-risk robotic cells before any hardware is bought), and VuePod, our new turnkey, productized bin-picking cell.

About the Role

We're looking for an Intermediate Mechatronics Engineer to join our Robotics & Grasping team, the team that turns Apera's vision into products that pick and place on the factory floor and that makes automation simple and a joy to implement.

This is a hands-on, hardware-first role at a company in the middle of its transition from software-only to software plus hardware. You'll have a strong mechanical and electrical foundation, and you'll be comfortable writing Python to run quick tests and reading and contributing to C++.

You'll work alongside senior mechatronics engineers and professional engineers (P.Eng.), and with our vision, software and product teams, using the latest machine vision technology to design and build complete industrial vision guided robotic cells, from the first concept sketch to production.

You'll also own a piece of hardware that matters. Our VuePort cameras are the eyes of every Apera system: we build them from off-the-shelf 2D machine vision cameras, assemble them in-house and calibrate them to deliver high-fidelity, high-accuracy 3D perception. You'll maintain and improve the calibration methods and the calibration system behind them, and keep pushing them to continue being the most accurate 3D system in the industry.

What You'll Actually Do

• Own VuePort calibration. Maintain and improve the calibration methods and calibration system for our VuePort cameras and the fixtures, targets and tooling that support them.

• Stay at the frontier of calibration. Research, prototype and benchmark new calibration methods and metrology techniques, and bring the ones that work into production so Apera continues shipping the most accurate, highest-fidelity 3D system available.

• Design and build the next generation of VuePorts. Drive the physical design, iteration and manufacturing of future VuePort cameras, enclosures, optics and camera mounting, thermal and sealing considerations, assembly fixtures and the production process that keeps every unit calibrated and consistent.

• Build and maintain robot drivers. Together with the team, write and maintain the drivers that connect Apera software to ABB, Fanuc, Yaskawa, Universal Robots and other robot brands, in C++ and Python.

• Optimize robot motion. Tune motion profiles, cycle time and vision-to-motion timing so cells run efficiently, accurately and reliably.

• Design full industrial cells. Do mechanical and electrical design - end-of-arm tooling, mounts, fixtures, camera enclosures, cell layouts, cell safety, wiring and panel design with our seasoned mechatronics engineers.

• Run quick, structured tests. Script experiments in Python, measure accuracy, repeatability and cycle time in our Vancouver Research and Development lab, and turn results into design decisions.

• Take products from concept to production. Contribute across the whole lineup of physical automation products: prototyping, design-for-assembly, documentation, supplier coordination and production handoff.

• Support deployments. Diagnose field issues, run root-cause analysis and close the loop with the vision and software teams, gathering input and making suggestions that push for system-wide fixes rather than hot patches.

Why This Is a Career Move (Not Just a Job)

At Apera, we give robots vision. Now we're building the hardware around it — the cells, tooling and cameras that turn that vision into working automation.

• You'll join at the inflection point. Apera is moving from a software product with a little mechanical work to a company that designs and ships serious hardware. The decisions you make now will shape our whole physical automation lineup.

• You'll own the eyes of the system. VuePort calibration is yours to improve. Every accuracy gain you find shows up in every robot we deploy.

• You'll learn from the best. Senior mechatronics engineers and P.Engs on the team, and applied vision scientists and software engineers.

• You'll work with real industrial partners. Design alongside world class integrators and global manufacturers to build safety into every cell from day one.

• You'll make deployment fast and joyful. Design physical products that reduce deployment time from weeks or months to hours or minutes, and make installing an Apera system feel joyful and productive compared with a competitor’s dull, error-prone process.

• You'll see your work on the line. The cells you design move from concept to production and run in real factories.

• You'll help define physical AI. Perception, software and motion coming together in one product is where the industry is heading, and you'll be building it with the leaders in the field.

What We're Looking For

• 3–6 years of hands-on mechatronics, robotics or automation engineering experience.

• A degree in Mechatronics, Mechanical, Electrical or a related engineering discipline.

• Strong mechanical design skills with CAD tools (SolidWorks preferred): tooling, fixtures, enclosures, assemblies, GD&T and design-for-manufacturing.

• Experience taking a hardware product from prototype to production: DFM/DFA, supplier management and assembly documentation.

• Solid electrical design and integration skills: wiring, sensors, motor and actuator selection, panel layout, basic PLC/IO and electrical safety for industrial cells.

• Proficient in Python for test scripts, data analysis and tooling.

• Working ability in C++: you can read, debug and make contributions to a large C++ code base, and are eager to get better.

• A builder's mindset: you prototype quickly, test rigorously and document clearly.

• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Ability to work in person at our Vancouver office and lab.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Experience building or maintaining a calibration pipeline.

• Familiarity with 2D machine vision cameras, lenses, lighting and optics.

• Experience writing robot drivers, or working with robot vendor SDKs and real-time communication.

• ROS/ROS 2, motion planning or kinematics experience.

• Hands-on experience with industrial robots (ABB, Fanuc, Yaskawa, Universal Robots or similar) and their programming or APIs.

• Understanding of calibration fundamentals: intrinsics, extrinsics, stereo, hand-eye and TCP calibration, and how to quantify accuracy and error stack-up.

• Field deployment, commissioning or bin-picking experience.

Why Apera?

• Competitive salary — $120,000–$145,000 CAD.

• Equity for every employee (you share in what we build).

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage.

• Build your skills, build your career: personalized development plans, team upskilling and dedicated time for innovation.

• A close-knit, fun, agile team of motivated and creative problem solvers tackling hard problems in robotic vision with science, imagination and persistence.

• Real hardware, real deployments, real impact. You'll work in a fully equipped lab with real robots, and the systems you design will run on real factory floors.

• Mechatronics is the area we're growing, and you'll be joining as we build it out with real leadership opportunities in the near future, earned by the impact you provide.

Apply

At Apera AI, you'll help bring intelligent robots into production and shape the future of physical AI. Apply today to join our award-winning team.

This role is based in person at our Vancouver office.