Senior Product Development Engineer, Hardware / Mechatronics (w/m/d)

Hands-on senior engineering role to build Ai-Motional’s Berlin prototyping lab and bring a smart scent diffuser from prototypes V2/V3 to industrialisable version.

Location

Berlin, Germany

Working time

Full‑time, 40 hours/week

Desired start date : 15.08-1.9.2026, subject to the candidate’s availability and notice period.

Company

• Ai-Motional SA
• About the project

Ai-Motional SA is a young Swiss start‑up that is developing a smart scent diffuser capable of precisely dispensing, metering and adjusting scents.

The project combines mechanics, electronics, airflow, fluidics, cartridges, fragrance substances, sensors, firmware/software and physical prototyping.

We are opening a lab / technical workshop in Berlin to accelerate the development of a V2/V3 prototype, prepared for future industrialisation.

• Mission
• We are looking for a

Senior Product Development Engineer able to take technical ownership of the prototype in Berlin, with final validation of key decisions by management.

Your role will be to translate product needs into concrete, testable and documented technical solutions.

You will be the main technical reference for the project on site and will provide technical guidance to a junior engineer.

Responsibilities

• Translate product needs into technical requirements and define the overall architecture of the diffuser.
• Design and integrate the mechanical, electronic airflow/fluidic and cartridge‑related elements of the prototype.
• Identify and address critical points such as dosing, mixing, sealing, noise, maintenance, power consumption, repeatability and reliability.
• Develop, test and document prototyping solutions, especially around airflow, fluidics, cartridges, reservoirs and replaceable components.
• Evaluate key components, suppliers and technical trade‑offs, and build and maintain the BOM.
• Prepare the prototype progressively for an industrialisable design, including assembly, maintenance, reliability, target cost and DFM/DFA.
• Identify risks related to substances, batteries, heat and electrical components, and contribute to lab safety procedures.
• Provide technical guidance to a junior engineer in prototyping, assembly, testing, documentation and early escalation of issues without line‑management or disciplinary responsibility.

What we offer

• A senior role with a direct impact on prototypes.
• The opportunity to set up the Berlin laboratory from the ground up, with a budget allocated for the necessary machinery, tools and equipment.
• A hands‑on working environment: physical prototyping, testing, assembly, CAD, 3D printing, technical documentation and product improvement.
• Planned resources include: computer with CAD software, 3D printer, prototyping tools, Microsoft Cloud environment and external service providers already identified in Switzerland and abroad.
• A high degree of technical autonomy, with decisions proposed by the Senior Engineer and approved by management.
• A 12‑month project aimed at transforming prototypes into a reliable, tested and documented version, prepared for industrialisation within a 12–18 month horizon.
• A small team, short decision‑making processes and a direct impact on the product.
• Profile
• You are highly autonomous, structured and pragmatic.
• You have solid experience in mechanical engineering, mechatronics or hardware product development.
• You know how to move from a concept to a physical prototype, and from a prototype to an industrialisable version.
• You are able to integrate mechanics, electronics and firmware/software, without necessarily being a senior specialist in each of these areas.
• You know how to build, test, document, learn from failures and clearly say when an idea does not work.
• You enjoy startup environments, but bring engineering discipline: traceable decisions, documented tests, maintained BOM, identified risks and early escalation of problems.
• Required skills
• Minimum 5 years of experience, ideally 7–10 years with hardware products or physical systems.
• Experience with physical prototyping.
• Good understanding of airflow, fluidics, sealing and mechanical integration.
• Experience with compact products, connected devices, medtech, lab devices, home devices or consumer hardware.
• Proficiency with a CAD tool.
• Ability to work with technical suppliers.
• Understanding of cost, assembly, maintenance, reliability and industrialisation constraints.
• Ability to create methods in an environment that is still lightly structured.
• Professional English required, min B2+/C1.
• German is a strong advantage, minimum B1, ideally B2.
• French is a strong plus, as the current core team mainly works in French, but it is not mandatory.
• Conditions
• Position based in Berlin.
• Work mainly on site in the lab / technical workshop.
• Remote work is not planned by default and is possible only by written exception if compatible with the project.
• Possible extension or follow‑up project depending on company needs.
• Application

We look forward to receiving your application.

Please send us your application documents, including your CV and a short cover letter in French, German or English, preferably as a single PDF file.

In your cover letter or in a short additional document, please present a few examples of hardware projects, prototypes, mechatronic systems or physical products you have contributed to.

A short explanation of your exact role in these projects is welcome.

Please also include your expected annual gross salary in EUR and your availability.

Employment will be subject to a German employment‑law compliant contract.

No recruiters / no agencies at this stage.

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