Forward is on a bold mission to make high-quality healthcare available to a billion people across the globe. We’re building the world’s most advanced healthcare platform from the ground up, combining hardware, software, and doctors under one roof.
Forward was founded in January 2016 by former executives and engineering leaders from Google and Uber. We are funded by some of the world's best investors and entrepreneurs, including Founder's Fund, Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Eric Schmidt (Google/Alphabet Chairman), Marc Benioff (Salesforce Founder), Joe Lonsdale (Palantir Founder), and Garrett Camp (Uber co-Founder).
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We are looking for world-class design engineers and mechatronics engineers with experience developing scalable hardware solutions from concept to production. As an early member of our engineering team, you’ll play a key role in building the future of healthcare.
What you’ll do:
Apply strong technical knowledge to solve the problems:
• Work closely with Product and Design to assess feasibility of a new design and define product requirements.
• Develop electromechanical systems (microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, etc.) to solve problems with high reliability and low cost.
• Perform detailed mechanical engineering of structures, mechanisms and assemblies.
• Generate robust 3D models and renderings and fully toleranced 2D drawings based on design intent and design collateral.
• Fabricate and debug functional prototypes to test and demonstrate your concepts.
• Lead user experience reviews and technical feasibility reviews.
• Document and communicate your designs to ensure accurate implementation.
• Manage expectations on deliverables and schedules, proactively identifying and communicating risks to the team.
• Collaborate with external vendors throughout the development cycle as a technical owner of the vendor’s output.
Own the results:
• Challenge assumptions, identify the critical problems, prioritize those problems, recommend solutions, and implement those solutions. All of these pieces are needed to develop an innovative product.
• Drive collaborate with diverse expertise (product, design, software, hardware, ops, clinical) to solve full-stack problems with real-world constraints.
Work with diverse people:
• Work with amazing people from IDEO, Amazon, Nvidia, Google X, Airbnb, Uber, and NASA JPL. Everyone is passionate, smart, and hard working, and we bring our whole selves to work.
• As needed, travel to remote offices, test facilities, engineering partners, or manufacturing partners.
Required technical skills and experience:
• BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Design Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 5-10+ years of detailed and hands-on experience designing electromechanical systems, mechanisms, and assemblies. Practical experience working through DFMA.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and proven ability to present technical concepts to multi-disciplinary teams and external vendors.
• Strong problem solving skills, with experience in failure analysis, root cause investigation, and DOE creation.
• Strong analytical skills/engineering fundamentals including statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, FEA and statistical tolerances.
• Fluency in common programming languages and microcontroller applications.
• Fluency in 3D CAD (any modeling package), including resolving tolerance stack-ups and interference issues in 3D models.
• Fluency in 2D drawings, including basic GD&T knowledge.
• Proficiency in a variety of processes and hands-on skills to fabricate prototypes.
• Knowledge of diverse materials (metal, plastic, composites, soft goods) and manufacturing techniques (machining, molding, thermoforming, bending, secondary finishes).
Bonus technical skills and experience:
• Experience identifying, selecting, and managing vendors for development and/or fabrication activities.
What we’re looking for:
A drive for impact:
• You are deeply mission-driven and you believe there’s more to life than software that enables puppy ears to be superimposed on photos, although we concede those are cute.
A team-centered, entrepreneurial spirit:
• You are a self-starter who loves to own things end-to-end. You don’t ask for permission: you’re too busy making things happen.
• You thrive in ambiguity and you see the win-win in situations. Challenges energize you.
• You care for the people, the team, and the business. People want to work with you because you bring out the best in them and you help the team succeed.
First-principles thinking:
• You make informed decisions by framing and defining the problem, exploring options, and recommending a solution based on trade offs. This is important because the types of problems Forward is solving are often yet-to-be-known challenges that might be buried deep under current societal norms or industry assumptions.
The base salary range for this full-time position is $130,000-$210,000, plus equity and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, and location.
WHY JOIN FORWARD?
We don’t want to just move dollars around the healthcare industry - we want to rebuild it and fix it. All of it. You’d be a major part of the story behind one of the most ambitious startup attempts of the past decade and you’d work with a team of people who want to use their talents for good.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
We deeply understand the value of bringing together a team with different perspectives, educational backgrounds, and life experiences, and we prioritize diversity within our team. We encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
We are an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We conform to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
