Mechanical Design Engineer, Motor Design & Prototyping

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced motor mechanical design engineer in San Francisco to lead the development of robotic motor hardware from concept through prototype validation. You will own stator/rotor design, CAD drawings, and fixture systems, while advancing lamination stacks, winding interfaces, and low-volume production processes.

The role emphasizes hands-on prototyping, precision metrology, and collaboration across electromagnetic, electrical, and manufacturing teams to optimize

Qualifications

• Experience designing and building motors, actuators, or other precision electromechanical assemblies.
• Experience with lamination stacks, bobbins, winding interfaces, or small-component assembly.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD, manufacturing drawings, tolerance analysis, and fixture design.
• Hands-on metrology and inspection of critical mechanical interfaces.
• Experience with machining, additive manufacturing, bonding, or other prototype manufacturing processes.
• Experience turning an initial build into a repeatable low-volume process.
• Interest in using AI to reduce repetitive design and prototype work, with careful engineering review.
• Ability to work in person in San Francisco, CA, 4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of motor mechanical designs and prototype hardware for advanced robotic systems.
• Own stator and rotor mechanical development from concepts through hands-on builds and prototype validation.
• Own released CAD and drawings, including geometry, interfaces, fits, tolerances, retention, assembly access, and mechanical validation.
• Develop laminations, stack assembly methods, bobbins, and winding interfaces.
• Design, fabricate, and debug fixtures for winding, stacking, assembly, alignment, and inspection.
• Build and troubleshoot prototypes using measurements, defects, rework, and assembly effort to improve designs and processes.
• Establish low-volume prototype production with equipment, build sequences, work instructions, revision control, traceability, and acceptance checks.
• Test new manufacturing methods and winding approaches.
• Collaborate with electromagnetic, electrical, manufacturing, and test engineers to resolve motor performance, packaging, buildability, and validation tradeoffs.

Skills

Motor Mechanical Design

3D CAD Proficiency

Prototype Manufacturing

Metrology & Inspection

Tolerance Analysis

Fixture Design

Machining

Additive Manufacturing

Low-Volume Production

Collaboration

Tools

3D CAD Software

Fixture Design Tools

Machining Equipment

Additive Manufacturing Tools

Job description

• Lead development of motor mechanical designs and prototype hardware for advanced robotic systems
• Own stator and rotor mechanical development from early concepts and detailed design through hands-on builds and prototype validation
• Own released CAD and drawings, including geometry, interfaces, fits, tolerances, retention, assembly access, and mechanical validation
• Develop laminations, stack assembly methods, bobbins, and winding interfaces
• Design, fabricate, and debug fixtures for winding, stacking, assembly, alignment, and inspection
• Build and troubleshoot prototypes using measurements, defects, rework, and assembly effort to improve designs and processes
• Establish low-volume prototype production with equipment, build sequences, work instructions, revision control, traceability, and acceptance checks
• Test new manufacturing methods and winding approaches
• Collaborate with electromagnetic, electrical, manufacturing, and test engineers to resolve motor performance, packaging, buildability, and validation tradeoffs

Requirements

• Experience designing and building motors, actuators, or other precision electromechanical assemblies
• Experience with lamination stacks, bobbins, winding, insulation interfaces, or small-component assembly
• Proficiency in 3D CAD, manufacturing drawings, tolerance analysis, and fixture design
• Hands-on metrology and inspection of critical mechanical interfaces
• Experience with machining, additive manufacturing, bonding, or other prototype manufacturing processes
• Experience turning an initial build into a repeatable low-volume process
• Interest in using AI to reduce repetitive design and prototype work, with careful engineering review
• Ability to work in person in San Francisco, CA, 4 days a week

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in motor mechanical design and prototype development, with a strong focus on CAD, manufacturing processes, and collaboration with cross-functional engineering teams to optimize performance and buildability.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Motor Mechanical Design
• 3D CAD Proficiency
• Prototype Manufacturing Processes
• Lamination Stacks and Winding Interfaces
• Metrology and Inspection

Hard Skills

• Motor Design
• Precision Electromechanical Assembly
• Tolerance Analysis
• Fixture Design
• Machining
• Additive Manufacturing
• Prototype Validation
• Assembly Access Design
• Debugging Prototypes
• Low-Volume Production

Soft Skills

• Collaboration
• Problem-Solving

Industry Keywords

• Robotic Systems
• Electromagnetic Engineering
• Manufacturing Drawings
• Assembly Interfaces
• Prototype Production
• AI in Design