Hardware Engineer & Upside Robotics

Who Is Upside Robotics & How Are They Changing the World

Upside Robotics is transforming modern agriculture with AI-powered, autonomous field robots that deliver water and nutrients directly to plant roots; cutting fertilizer waste, improving yields, and reducing environmental impact. Founded in Kitchener-Waterloo, they’re backed by world-class investors and already partnering with Ontario farms to prove what sustainable, high-efficiency farming looks like in practice.

How Will I Make An Impact?

Reporting to the CTO, you’ll own the physical systems that make Upside’s robots work in the field, day after day, acre after acre. You’ll join as an early team member with direct influence on product design, reliability, and scale-up.

• Lead mechanical/electro-mechanical builds, integration, and reliability improvements
• Productionize prototypes into repeatable, field-ready systems
• Collaborate with software and autonomy engineer on full-system integration
• Debug, commission, and maintain robots during growing season field deployments
• Create documentation, processes, and systems that set the foundation for commercialization

How Do I Know If This Is For Me?

You’re excited by hands-on, scrappy hardware work in a startup where designs evolve quickly, and where the field is the ultimate proving ground.

• You like spending time outdoors, testing in real-world conditions, and solving problems on the fly
• You enjoy working with both mechanical and electrical systems, and you’re comfortable supporting software colleagues with integration
• You want to see your designs move from prototype → production → field deployment → scale
• You’re motivated by the impact of climate-focused, sustainability-driven work

Our Ideal Candidate Looks Like:

We’re not looking for perfect resumes, we’re looking for builders. You’ll thrive here if you bring:

• 2–6+ years of experience in mechatronics, robotics, or automation.
• Comfort with CAD (SolidWorks preferred), fabrication, assembly, and electro-mechanical integration (12/24V, pumps, harnessing, enclosures)
• Experience supporting or collaborating on embedded/software-controlled systems (ROS, Python, C++ basics helpful)
• A systems mindset. You think about interfaces, reliability, and the whole product, not just parts
• Curiosity and resilience in outdoor/agriculture environments
• Bonus: exposure to ag equipment, robotics for rough environments, or early-stage hardware commercialization

Location and Working Model: 

This role is based in Kitchener-Waterloo. The team works together in-office at least 4 days per week during the off-season. From May through October, you’ll also spend regular time in the field at farms across Ontario (Owen Sound → Sarnia corridor).

Because agriculture is seasonal and weather-driven:

• Hours are less predictable in the growing season. Sunny days mean long days in the field; rainy days mean downtime.
• Off-season (Nov–Apr) looks more like a standard 9–5 schedule focused on design, prototyping, and prep.
• You’ll need to genuinely enjoy being outdoors, walking fields, troubleshooting robots, and seeing firsthand how your work impacts crops.

We understand, accept, and value the differences between people of different backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, ages, beliefs, and abilities. We are happy to make any accommodations you may need throughout the interview process.  We aim to create an inclusive environment and encourage diverse individuals to apply.

The Process:

• Screening conversation with Carly at Artemis Canada
• Intro conversation with Jana, CEO (values, culture, motivation)
• Technical deep dive with Sam, CTO (your experience and problem-solving)
• Hands-on/whiteboard session (debug or design exercise)
• Final meeting (onsite/shop/field visit where possible)

Your Artemis Canada partner, Carly,  will work closely with you throughout every step of the process.

We’d love to hear from you - even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements! Send a note to Carly@artemiscanada.com if you  or someone you know is interested!