Tech Lead: Robotic Hand Design & Dexterous Manipulation

Booster; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik in Austin, TX is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer – Robotic Hand Design Tech Lead to own the structural architecture and multi-DOF fingers for a humanoid platform. You will balance dexterity, strength, weight, and tactile interaction while collaborating across controls, perception, electrical, and software teams.

You will lead design reviews, drive FEA validation, and ensure manufacturability and scale-up, delivering production-ready hands for real-world, unstructured environments.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering
• 8 years experience in mechanical design of complex robotic systems
• Experience with robotic hands or dexterous manipulation preferred
• Proficiency with SolidWorks, NX or Catia
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams
• Familiarity with tendon-driven or underactuated mechanisms preferred

Responsibilities

• Own the robotic hand structural architecture
• Lead design of fingers and joints
• Co-design with actuation systems
• Engineer for contact-rich, human-like interaction
• Drive structural analysis and durability
• Enable compact, integrated designs
• Lead prototyping and iteration
• Own manufacturability and scale-up
• Collaborate cross-functionally
• Provide technical leadership

Skills

Technical leadership

Robotics design

FEA

Human-robot interaction

Education

B.S in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

Catia

Job description

Apptronik in Austin, TX is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer – Robotic Hand Design Tech Lead to own the structural architecture and multi-DOF fingers for a humanoid platform. You will balance dexterity, strength, weight, and tactile interaction while collaborating across controls, perception, electrical, and software teams.

You will lead design reviews, drive FEA validation, and ensure manufacturability and scale-up, delivering production-ready hands for real-world, unstructured environments.