The posting
ABOUT LIGHTSPEED
LightSpeed Build Technologies is revolutionizing the construction industry through AI-powered robotics. Our flagship systems—BRUTE for automated wall panel manufacturing and DEX for on-site collaborative construction—are addressing the global housing crisis by delivering unprecedented speed, precision, and affordability in homebuilding.
POSITION OVERVIEW
We're an early-stage venture, building an automated physical system driven by robotic arms, live sensing, and a real-time software layer. We're past the idea stage and moving fast toward a working demo.
We need a technician who can build, modify, and fix the physical machine. Our cells are custom and changing weekly, so the work is rarely "replace the part per the manual." It's taking a commercial nailer and making it something a robot can drive, mounting and wiring sensors onto equipment never designed for them, and figuring out why an arm is binding at the same point every cycle. Precision matters: a fixture that's a millimeter off or a mount that drifts under load shows up as a failed panel downstream. You'll work directly with the engineers designing the system, and you'll usually be the first person to find out something doesn't work.
WHAT YOU'LL WORK ON
- Modify and retrofit tools and equipment so they can be driven by our control system - fabricating brackets and mounts, cutting, drilling, tapping, adapting pneumatics, adding actuation to tools that shipped as handheld
- Install and wire sensors, switches, actuators, and I/O; route and terminate cabling; build and label harnesses that survive a production cell
- Assemble, align, and calibrate robot cells, tooling, and fixtures as new builds come up; measure and verify that what you built matches what was drawn, and make mechanical adjustments as designs change
- Troubleshoot mechanical, pneumatic, and electrical faults on arms, tooling, and conveyance - isolate the root cause, fix what you can, and hand engineering a clear, specific description of what you found
- Work safely around energized and moving equipment: apply lockout/tagout before service, use appropriate PPE, and speak up when a guard, e-stop, or procedure isn't right
- Keep the machine's real state documented - redline schematics and drawings as things change, label what you build, record measurements, and log fixes so the next person isn't starting from zero
- Help stand up our preventive maintenance routine and spare parts list from scratch, and support demos and test runs end to end
- Other duties as assigned - this is an early-stage team and the work shifts
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Hands-on trade experience - mechanic, millwright, maintenance tech, fabricator, machinist, automotive/equipment tech, or similar, in a real physical setting
- Fabrication and mechanical work - confident with hand and power tools, drilling and tapping, basic metalwork, mounting and shimming things so they stay put
- Metrology - fluent with calipers, micrometers, dial indicators, squares, feeler gauges, and levels. You can measure to a stated tolerance, check flatness, squareness, and parallelism, verify fixture and tool alignment, and recognize when a stack-up of small errors is what's actually causing the problem. You trust the measurement over the eyeball
- Reading mechanical drawings and following a stated tolerance; comfortable with GD&T basics or willing to learn them fast
- Working knowledge of safe practices around industrial equipment - lockout/tagout, PPE, and the awareness that a robot cell can crush, pinch, or move unexpectedly
- Diagnostic instinct - able to work a problem from symptom to cause on a machine you didn't build, without a troubleshooting tree
- Comfortable with ambiguity and change: most of what we build has no manual and will be different next month
- Clear communication, including writing down what you did
- High school diploma or equivalent. Trade school, apprenticeship, or an associate's in a technical field is a plus, but we care far more about what you've built and fixed than about credentials
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Electrical work - reading electrical schematics, terminating connectors, wiring control panels and remote I/O, using a multimeter to check continuity, voltage, and signal
- Pneumatics, hydraulics, VFDs, servos, or stepper systems
- Advanced metrology - laser trackers, CMM, optical alignment, or robot cell calibration work
- Robot cell experience - teach pendants, jogging arms, touching up taught points, tool changes, fixture setup
- Microcontroller tinkering - Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or any experience hacking a chip into something that didn't have one
- Welding, machining, or CNC
- Woodworking, framing, cabinet shop, or lumber handling background
- Forklift or scissor/aerial lift certification
WORKING CONDITIONS
- On-site at our Northbrook, IL facility, 5 days/week
- Shop environment: noise, sawdust, moving machinery, and varying temperatures. PPE required
- Regularly lift and carry up to 50 lbs; stand, kneel, climb ladders, and move for a full shift
- Occasional evenings or weekends ahead of demos and milestones - we'll tell you in advance, and it isn't every week
WHY JOIN LIGHTSPEED
- Build real machines: work hands-on with the robot cells, tooling, and fixtures in our manufacturing facility
- Direct impact: the systems you build and keep running produce homes and help address the housing crisis
- Grow with the system: learn robotics, controls, and automation alongside the engineers designing it
- Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP
This position is at-will, meaning either you or the Company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
LightSpeed Build Technologies is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences.
