Principal Gear & Gearbox Manufacturing Engineer, Advanced Manufacturing

Amazon is seeking a Principal Gear & Gearbox Manufacturing Engineer to serve as the technical authority for precision gear and gearbox manufacturing across advanced electromechanical systems. You will own the gear manufacturing strategy end-to-end—cutting, grinding, heat treatment, finishing, and assembly—with deep expertise in the interplay between micro-geometry, material behavior, and NVH performance for precision actuators.

Responsibilities

• Technical Authority & Engineering Leadership
  • Serve as principal technical authority on all gear manufacturing decisions from material selection through final quality verification
  • Own end-to-end gear and gearbox manufacturing strategy: gear cutting (hobbing, shaping, skiving), grinding, heat treatment, finishing (lapping, honing, superfinishing), and gearbox assembly
  • Define manufacturing standards and identify capability requirements; set technical standards and best practices for the gear manufacturing team
• Supplier Ecosystem & Industry Partnerships
  • Establish strategic partnerships with gear machine tool OEMs, cutting tool suppliers, heat treatment providers, metrology equipment vendors, and contract gear manufacturers
  • Drive supplier selection, qualification, and performance management
  • Negotiate technical requirements, capacity commitments, and quality standards with supplier leadership
• Production Engineering & Process Development
  • Own gear manufacturing portion of production facility design: equipment selection, process flow, thermal management, automation strategy, and layout
  • Define specifications and lead procurement of gear hobbing/grinding machines, heat treatment furnaces, metrology systems, and assembly equipment
  • Manage supplier partnerships and production sourcing strategy
• Design Influence & Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with hardware engineering from concept through production on DFM/DFA specific to gears (macro/micro geometry, tooth modifications, material selection, tolerance stack-ups, cost tradeoffs)
  • Influence product architecture for manufacturability, gear quality grade, NVH performance, and supply chain resilience
  • Establish design guidelines and manufacturing constraints that enable scalable product development
• Process Development & Technical Problem Solving
  • Drive process development and optimization for precision actuator gears: cutting parameters, heat treatment profiles, grinding strategies, finishing sequences
  • Solve critical manufacturing challenges—distortion control, surface integrity, micro-geometry compliance, NVH root cause analysis
  • Establish process parameters, inspection criteria, and quality control methods for high-precision gears (AGMA/DIN quality grades)
  • Manage multi-supplier gear manufacturing programs from concept through production; create process specifications, PFMEA, control plans, and manufacturing standards

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
• 10+ years in precision gear and/or gearbox manufacturing engineering in production environments (automotive, aerospace, precision electromechanical, power transmission, or similar)
• Track record as a technical leader solving complex gear manufacturing problems and driving engineering excellence
• Deep expertise across gear cutting, heat treatment metallurgy, finishing operations, and gear metrology
• Experience building strategic supplier relationships at engineering leadership levels
• Experience influencing product design through DFM/DFA and cross-functional collaboration
• Strong background in equipment selection and manufacturing process optimization
• Ability to lead technical initiatives across multiple organizations without direct authority
• Experience with CAD software and gear design/analysis tools (KISSsoft, ROMAX, or similar)
• Expert knowledge of GD&T, gear metrology (profile, lead, pitch, runout), and SPC

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field
• Experience across multiple gear types (spur, helical, bevel, worm, planetary/epicyclic, harmonic/strain wave)
• Deep expertise in gear NVH and the relationship between manufacturing process, micro-geometry, and noise performance
• Familiarity with powder metallurgy gears, gear skiving, hard finishing, or additive manufacturing for tooling
• AGMA membership, committee involvement, or conference participation
• Knowledge of gear standards (AGMA, ISO 1328, DIN 3960 series)
• Experience with heat treatment process control (carburizing, nitriding, induction hardening) and distortion management
• Published research, patents, or recognized industry contributions in gear manufacturing

Pay

USA, MA, N.Reading - $163,400.00 - $221,000.00 USD annually
USA, TX, Austin - $163,400.00 - $221,000.00 USD annually

Benefits

• Sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs)
• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance, and option for Supplemental life plans)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off and parental leave

Learn more about our benefits at amazon.jobs/en/benefits.