Lead Robotics Prototype Engineer & Lab Leader

Humanoid; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

PTO

401(k) with match

Equity

Free in-office meals

Collaborative culture

Product influence

Job summary

Humanoid is seeking a Lead Prototype Engineer to head the Core Platform prototyping team, while staying hands‑on at the bench. You’ll set the technical standards for building, diagnosing, and evolving advanced humanoid hardware across the full lifecycle from concept to field repair.

You’ll lead and mentor engineers, own electrical bring‑up of new prototype builds, and collaborate with EE, ME, firmware, and software groups to drive reliable, manufacturable platforms.

Qualifications

• Strong, hands‑on electrical engineering background in rapid prototyping, debugging custom hardware, and troubleshooting complex electrical systems in robotics or similar domains.
• Deep working knowledge of low‑voltage power and mixed‑signal circuits, motor drives, connectors, sensors, and compact electromechanical systems. You are comfortable using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, and other bench instrumentation to diagnose faults.
• Experience reading schematics and PCB layouts, performing board‑level rework and repair, and designing or specifying harnesses and cable assemblies.
• Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers or technicians, formally or as a technical lead. You are comfortable taking on direct reports and balancing people management with hands‑on work.
• Track record of communicating concisely through documentation, procedures, test plans, diagnostics, and lessons learned.
• Adept at collaborating across electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries to solve urgent, ambiguous problems. Mechanical prototyping skills are a plus.
• Comfortable in a high‑velocity, high‑ambiguity startup setting where priorities shift fast.
• Experience designing for manufacturability and reliability in human‑sized or mobile robotics.
• Familiarity with automated test and diagnostic tools used in modern hardware labs.
• Experience building or scaling a prototyping or field engineering team, including hiring and setting up lab processes.
• Mechanical assembly and integration experience alongside strong electrical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of prototype engineers and technicians. Set priorities, allocate work, and raise the team’s technical and process standards.
• Stay hands‑on: personally drive troubleshooting and resolution of the most complex electrical issues in prototype humanoid robots, across operational and in‑development systems. Lead detailed failure analysis and share learnings with hardware and software engineering teams.
• Own electrical bring‑up of new prototype builds, including power distribution, motor drive and actuator electronics, sensor integration, communications buses, and high‑density electromechanical integrations.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, firmware, and software engineers on prototype design, assembly, and design‑for‑test.
• Define, maintain, and enforce test procedures, troubleshooting guides, and repair runbooks for the prototyping lab, and make sure the team follows them.
• Design, document, and iterate on cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, and test jigs built for repeated use on dynamic robotic platforms.
• Own lab planning and priorities: build schedules, resource allocation, tooling, equipment, and spares. Balance competing demands from multiple engineering teams.
• Identify and drive continuous improvement in processes and products, reducing downtime, improving test and repair efficiency, and raising first‑pass yield and manufacturability.
• Build strong feedback loops across design, build, and test, and communicate status, risks, and lessons learned to engineering leadership.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Prototype development

Troubleshooting

Hardware debugging

Low‑voltage power

Mixed-signal circuits

Motor drives

Sensors

PCB layouts

Harness design

Mentoring

Documentation

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Power supplies

Job description

Humanoid is seeking a Lead Prototype Engineer to head the Core Platform prototyping team, while staying hands‑on at the bench. You’ll set the technical standards for building, diagnosing, and evolving advanced humanoid hardware across the full lifecycle from concept to field repair.

You’ll lead and mentor engineers, own electrical bring‑up of new prototype builds, and collaborate with EE, ME, firmware, and software groups to drive reliable, manufacturable platforms.