Senior Mechatronics Engineer — Aquila Earth

Location: Sydney, Australia — Marrickville (Onsite, ~5 days/week)
Compensation: $140,000 – $200,000 AUD base (~$99,400 – $142,000 USD equivalent) + ~0.1% equity
Visa Sponsorship: International relocation and visa sponsorship supported — relocation assistance available including support for families and pets
Employment Type: Full-Time

About Aquila Earth

Aquila Earth is building an infinitely scalable energy network that powers a more abundant, limitless, and sustainable future. The company develops technology that beams energy through high-powered lasers, charging drones mid-flight and converting light into electrical power through highly efficient energy links. Every challenge the team tackles sits at the cutting edge of physics, controls, optics, and engineering. A 15-person, engineering-dense team based in Sydney currently finishing its Series A raise — with plans to double headcount in the near future.

About the Role

As Senior Mechatronics Engineer, you'll own the mechatronics stack end-to-end and help build systems that deliver energy through light. You'll work across beam steering, control systems, firmware, electronics, safety systems, and integrated hardware platforms — designing, testing, and shaping foundational architecture from the ground up while solving problems no one has solved before.

What You'll Own

• Develop optical gimbals capable of pointing an invisible laser within millimeters of a drone flying kilometers away
• Design, implement, and validate advanced MIMO controllers and observers for high-accuracy drone tracking
• Design, build, and validate precision test rigs with microsecond-level repeatability
• Own the mechatronics stack end to end — actuators, sensors, electronics, and firmware
• Lead higher-performance redesign efforts around precision beam steering and safety system timing
• Collaborate closely with electronics, firmware, optics, mechanical, and laser engineers in rotating project pods

Requirements

• Strong end-to-end mechatronics systems experience built from scratch
• Real-world high-performance control systems experience
• First-principles problem-solving ability without reliance on established playbooks
• C/C++ familiarity for embedded systems, firmware, or real-time microcontroller development
• Bench-level electronics debugging experience including schematics, circuits, and instrumentation

Nice to Have

• Formula SAE / Formula Student or comparable university engineering project experience
• Startup or scrappy engineering company experience with demonstrated ownership
• Familiarity with CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, and low-level communications debugging
• Experience with or curiosity around functional safety systems and high-power laser technologies

This Role Is NOT For

• Large-company engineers without ownership experience
• 10+ years of experience without evidence of startup or hands-on ownership mentality
• Pure software engineers lacking hardware integration and electronics debugging depth