Actuator Gear Design Engineer — Robotics Systems

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

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

This role emphasizes precision gearing, motor electromagnetics, and integration with manufacturing and suppliers to transition designs to scalable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 5+ years designing gears, robotic actuators, or precision mechatronic hardware.
• Experience with transmission elements for robotics and high-performance dynamics.
• CAD and PLM tools like NX and Teamcenter.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and integration of custom robotic actuator gearing.
• Define actuator requirements and system trade studies around torque, bandwidth, and thermal performance.
• Design precision electromechanical assemblies with tight tolerances and robust load paths.
• Drive actuator integration with controls, firmware, electrical, and software teams.
• Develop and validate prototypes through bring-up, testing, and iteration.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and suppliers for production readiness and DFM/DFM considerations.
• Document designs, interfaces, validation results, and decisions for long-term maintenance.

Skills

Gear design

Actuator design

Precision mechatronics

Thermal management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Job description

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

This role emphasizes precision gearing, motor electromagnetics, and integration with manufacturing and suppliers to transition designs to scalable