Staff Mechanical Engineer — Robotic Hand Architect Lead

Robotgifs.com; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer – Robotic Hand Design Tech Lead to guide the structural design and architecture of a next-generation humanoid hand. You will balance dexterity with strength, integrate with actuation, sensing, and controls, and drive design reviews for safe interaction in unstructured environments.

As technical lead for hand structures, you will own multi-DOF mechanisms, deliver high-cycle-life components, and mentor engineers while collaborating across

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering required.
• 8+ years of mechanical design experience in complex robotic systems.
• Hands-on experience with hand design or dexterous manipulation preferred.
• Experience with tendon-driven or underactuated mechanisms preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define the mechanical architecture of a multi-fingered humanoid hand balancing dexterity, strength, and weight.
• Lead design of fingers and joints for durability under real-world loads.
• Collaborate with actuation, control, and perception teams to integrate systems.
• Perform FEA and validation for stress, fatigue, and impact.

Skills

Lead initiatives

Surfacing

Robotic hand design

High-DOF design

Tendon-driven

Packaging

DFM/DFA

Cross-functional

FEA

Materials wear

Education

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

Catia

Job description

Apptronik is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer – Robotic Hand Design Tech Lead to guide the structural design and architecture of a next-generation humanoid hand. You will balance dexterity with strength, integrate with actuation, sensing, and controls, and drive design reviews for safe interaction in unstructured environments.

As technical lead for hand structures, you will own multi-DOF mechanisms, deliver high-cycle-life components, and mentor engineers while collaborating across