Job Description

Watervliet, NY

Full time

JR103459

Where people get better at life!

Join us in our mission to make a difference and shape a more inclusive future.

The Center for Disability Services offers hope, innovation and achievement to the people we support. For 80 years, we have been one of upstate New York’s largest providers of programs and services for individuals who have disabilities. Many of the innovative programs and vital services that we offer are not available elsewhere.

The Health Innovations Incubator & Technology Center (HII Tech) is a hands-on hardware R&D lab building the next generation of assistive and healthcare technology — including actuated wheelchair seating systems with closed-loop sensing and control, and other mechatronic devices designed to directly improve quality of life for people with disabilities. We're a small, fast-moving team where your prototype goes from breadboard to real patient impact in months, not years.

We're looking for a Mechatronics/Robotics Engineer who wants to build systems that combine mechanical actuation, embedded control, and sensor feedback into working assistive devices. You'll take ownership of electromechanical subsystems from initial concept through prototyping, control-loop tuning, and validation — working directly with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and clinicians. This is a role for someone early-to-mid career who wants outsized ownership and a portfolio of shipped, real-world devices, not someone looking to check every box on day one. We invest in ramping the right person up.

Responsiblities:

• Design and build actuated mechatronic systems - motors, actuators, and sensor-driven feedback loops - for assistive and healthcare devices

• Develop embedded control software on platforms like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and STM32

• Design, test and iterate on custom PCBs for sensor and actuation subsystems

• Integrate sensors (e.g. pressure, impedance, motion) with actuators to build closed-loop control systems

• Build programmable data acquisition, control and analysis workflows

• Support prototyping, debugging, and validation of electromechanical systems end to end

• Document designs and processes so work is reproducible across the team

• Collaborate closely with mechanical engineers, software developers, and clinical staff

• Take an electromechanical subsystem from scratch to a validated working prototype

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, robotics or a related field

• Strong familiarity with electronic circuits, motor control, embedded cameras, PCB design, rapid prototyping, microcontroller programming and integration, simulation / testing, and LEDs

• Strong familiarity with electronic circuits, motor control, embedded cameras, PCB design, rapid prototyping, microcontroller programing and integration, simulation /testing

• 3+ years of experience in embedded systems, mechatronics or robotics prototyping

• Working knowledge of the platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or STM32

• Proficiency in Python and/or C/C++ for data analysis, statistical modeling, or process automation

• Experience with CAD software (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA) for EOAT collaboration and design review

• Familiarity with lab instrumentation and testing tools

• Strong troubleshooting instincts and clear documentation habits

• willingness to work through ambiguity while keeping engineering rigor

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with closed-loop control systems (PID, sensor feedback loops, actuator controls)

• Background spanning electrical, mechanical, and software domains

• Experience in rapid prototyping or product development environments

• Exposure to biomedical, assistive, or sensor-driven systems

• Familiarity with motor drivers, actuators, or motion control hardware

• Master's degree in related engineering field

• 3-5 years of hands-on experience

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong hands-on design, assembly and electromechanical skills

• Curiosity and a bias toward learning by doing

• Ability to work both independently and as a part of the team

• Clear communication of technical concepts, progress and risks

• Comfort in fast-moving environment with shifting priorities

• Attention to details, safety and quality

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Fast-paced lab environment with competing priorities and deadlines

• Ability to sit for extended periods and work on a computer

• Occasionally lift up to 15–25 lbs

• May require travel to off-site meetings or events

• Extended periods working at a computer and with equipment

Why Join Us?

• Small, multidisciplinary team with direct access to clinicians and end users

• Build real, shipped mechatronics devices that directly improve peoples lives – not shelfware

• High ownership from day one; your name is on the subsystem you build

• Medical/Dental/Vision Coverage

• Generous Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays

• 401K Retirement Option

At The Center for Disability Services, we don’t just accept difference – we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees and the people we support. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any protected class of job applicant or employee in our employment practices.

Compensation Range:

$85,000.00 - $105,000.00

Benefits:

• Medical Insurance

• Dental Insurance

• Vision Insurance

• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Early Access to Pay with RAIN

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

For over 80 years, the Center for Disability Services has served as a trusted community leader, providing innovative programs and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities here in the Capital Region and North Country. We are committed to empowering individuals to lead full, independent lives, and have served over 12,000 people to date.At the Center, we firmly believe that no job is too small when it comes to making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. As a team, every employee plays an integral part in our mission to empower individuals and promote independence. Whether you're directly involved in patient care, coordinating programs, managing operations, or providing essential support, your contribution is vital to creating a brighter and more accessible world for those we serve.Join us in our mission to make a difference and shape a more inclusive future.

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