Actuator Gear Design Engineer for Robotics

Triwill Group; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking an Actuator Gear Design Engineer in San Francisco to lead the development of custom gears and gear stages for advanced robotic systems. You will own actuator development from concept to prototype validation and system integration, partnering with mechanical, electrical, controls, firmware, and reliability teams.

You will collaborate with external suppliers and internal manufacturing to create full gearbox assemblies, focusing on precision gearing, motor electromagnetics,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• 5+ years designing gears systems, robotic actuators, or precision hardware.
• Strong understanding of motors, transmissions, encoders, thermal management, and precision integration.
• Experience with prototype-to-production transitions and validation workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, design, and integration of custom robotic actuator gearing.
• Define actuator requirements and conduct system-level trade studies.
• Design precision electromechanical assemblies with attention to tolerances and thermal expansion.
• Drive actuator integration with controls, firmware, and software teams.
• Develop test methodologies and infrastructure for performance, durability, and failure analysis.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and suppliers to move designs toward production.
• Document designs and validation results to support maintenance and production readiness.

Skills

Gear design

Actuator development

Mechanical engineering

Robotics

Mechatronics

Precision mechanical integration

Thermal management

CAD

Prototype validation

Failure analysis

Reliability testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or Mechatronics

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Job description

OpenAI is seeking an Actuator Gear Design Engineer in San Francisco to lead the development of custom gears and gear stages for advanced robotic systems. You will own actuator development from concept to prototype validation and system integration, partnering with mechanical, electrical, controls, firmware, and reliability teams.

You will collaborate with external suppliers and internal manufacturing to create full gearbox assemblies, focusing on precision gearing, motor electromagnetics,