Senior Mechanical Engineer - High-DoF Robotics Platform Lead

Amazon Science; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Science seeks a Member of Technical Staff — Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical architecture of our high-DoF robotic platform, from actuator selection to thermal and cable routing. You will lead a small team, collaborate with electrical, firmware, controls, and AI researchers, and push novel actuation methods and packaging while ensuring production-viable designs.

The ideal candidate has deep experience in complex robotic systems, strong CAD skills, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent.
• 6–10+ years designing mechanical systems for robotics or complex electromechanical products.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, OnShape, or equivalent).
• Hands-on experience building prototypes, integrating hardware, and troubleshooting mechanical/electromechanical issues.
• Experience with actuator selection, wire harness design, and sensing integration.
• Experience with structural/thermal analysis and DFM/ DFA.

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design of robotic subsystems and full platforms, including structures, joints, enclosures, and mechanisms for a research environment.
• Own kinematic, dynamic, and structural analyses to guide design and optimization of full systems and subsystems of high-DoF robots.
• Specify and integrate actuators and motors for high-torque density applications in high-DoF systems.
• Drive rapid iteration and prototyping cycles from concept sketches through functional hardware.
• Partner with AI researchers to develop simulation pipelines informing design choices before physical builds.
• Contribute to thermal management strategies for motors, sensors, and compute hardware.
• Integrate sensors (lidar, stereo cameras, IMUs, tactile sensors) into compact assemblies.
• Design and route cabling and wire harnesses for reliability and heat management.
• Prototype and test mechanical systems; support hands-on builds and field testing.
• Conduct root-cause analysis on system-level failures and implement design improvements.
• Apply DFM and DFA principles to scale prototypes into production (10s–100s of units).
• Collaborate with electrical, controls, perception and research teams to meet goals.

Skills

Systems thinking

Prototyping

Cross-functional collaboration

CAD/FEA

Robot hardware design

Thermal management

Sensing integration

DFM/ DFA

Education

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

SolidWorks

OnShape

Ansys/FEA

Job description

Amazon Science seeks a Member of Technical Staff — Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical architecture of our high-DoF robotic platform, from actuator selection to thermal and cable routing. You will lead a small team, collaborate with electrical, firmware, controls, and AI researchers, and push novel actuation methods and packaging while ensuring production-viable designs.

The ideal candidate has deep experience in complex robotic systems, strong CAD skills, and a track record of