Staff Mechanical Design Engineer - Sensor Cleaning

About the Role

Uber is launching AV Labs to accelerate the autonomous technology ecosystem. We're building out a high-velocity team of multi-disciplinary experts to turn real-world operations into high-quality data for our autonomous partners. This team is focused on the hardest problem in AV today: unlocking real-world, long-tail driving data. Autonomy is now a data race—and Uber has an edge: We collect rare, real-world driving data at a scale and capital efficiency no one else can match.

As a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer at Uber AV Labs, you will lead the development of sensor cleaning systems for data collection vehicles. You will own mechanical solutions that keep cameras, LiDAR, radar, and other perception sensors operational across rain, snow, ice, dust, mud, insects, and road spray.In this role, you will apply situational program management to seamlessly organize, align, and orchestrate high-impact R&D roadmaps from raw concepts all the way through architectural validation and physical prototype integration.

Core Responsibilities

• Own sensor cleaning system architecture from concept through production.
• Design cleaning solutions using air, fluid spray, heating, wipers, coatings, or other technologies.
• Design and optimize nozzles, manifolds, pumps, valves, tubing, reservoirs, seals, and related mechanical components.
• Define cleaning performance requirements, test methods, and validation criteria.
• Apply fluid mechanics, thermal analysis, mechanical design, and first-principles engineering to optimize system performance.
• Lead prototype builds, lab testing, environmental testing, and vehicle-level validation.
• Partner with sensor, perception, vehicle integration, electrical, reliability, and manufacturing teams.
• Lead technical tradeoffs involving cleaning performance, packaging, fluid/energy consumption, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.
• Drive root-cause analysis and design improvements based on test and fleet data.
• Work closely with module and system design owners, XFNs and external vendors

Basic Qualifications

• BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of relevant mechanical engineering experience or equivalent demonstrated technical depth.
• Strong mechanical design, CAD, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and prototyping experience.
• Strong fundamentals in fluid mechanics, thermal systems, pneumatics, or fluid delivery.
• Experience owning complex hardware from concept through validation and production.
• Demonstrated ability to lead ambiguous, cross-functional engineering problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with camera, LiDAR, radar, or automotive sensor cleaning systems.
• Experience with nozzle/spray design, pneumatic cleaning, washer systems, or CFD.
• Experience with environmental testing involving rain, snow, ice, dust, mud, or other automotive contaminants.
• Experience developing hardware for autonomous vehicles, ADAS, robotics, or automotive systems.

Responsibilities

For Sunnyvale, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD $211,000 per year - USD $234,000 per year.

You will be eligible to participate in Uber's bonus program, and may be offered an equity award & other types of comp. All full-time employees are eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan. You will also be eligible for various benefits.

Ready to Ride?

This isn't the kind of place where you follow a playbook — it's where you help write one. If you're driven by impact, energized by challenge, and ready to shape how the world moves — we'd love to hear from you.

You may be eligible for bonuses, equity, and other compensation, as well as a range of benefits. Explore our benefits.

Offices remain key to collaboration and Uber's culture. Unless approved for full remote work, employees must spend at least 50% of their time in-office. Some roles, like those at greenlight hubs, require full-time in-office presence. Ask your Recruiter for details about this role's requirements.

Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.