Staff Mechanical Engineer – Upper Body Tech Lead

Job Summary

Apptronik is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to serve as the technical lead for Apollo’s upper body. This is a high-visibility leadership role responsible for the torso, head, and arm assemblies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities or Key Accountabilities

• System Architecture & Industrial Design Integration

  • Upper Body Ownership: Define the mechanical architecture for the torso, head, and arms. Lead the trade-off studies between mass distribution, range of motion (ROM), and structural rigidity.

  • ID Intent & A-Surfaces: Serve as the primary bridge between Industrial Design (ID) and Engineering. Responsible for incorporating ID intent into final A-surfaces, ensuring that mechanical constraints (draft, wall thickness, cooling vents) do not compromise the iconic Apollo head design language and brand identity.

  • Aesthetic & Functional Synthesis: Manage the complex surfacing of the robot's "skin," ensuring seamless transitions between structural elements and aesthetic covers while maintaining IP (Ingress Protection) and thermal venting requirements.

• Complex Mechanism Design

  • Kinematic Structures: Drive the development of high-performance robotic limbs. Design innovative mechanisms that manage extreme dynamic loads while maintaining the precision required for human-like manipulation.

  • Structural Integrity: Lead the design of the primary "chassis" (torso) to protect internal electronics from high-energy impact events (e.g., falls) using advanced materials and topology optimization.

• High-Density Integration

  • Subsystem Packaging: Lead the tight-space integration of the compute cluster (NVIDIA Jetson/SoMs), battery modules, and perception sensors (LiDAR, Depth Cameras) within the torso and head.

  • Interconnect & Cable Management: Architect the routing strategy for complex wire harnesses through high-flex joints (shoulders, neck, elbows), ensuring multi-million cycle reliability and signal integrity.

• Verification & Leadership

  • DVT Ownership: Define and execute the Design Verification Test (DVT) plan for the upper body stack, including environmental, vibration, and lifecycle testing.

  • Technical Mentorship: Conduct deep-dive design reviews and establish company-wide standards for high-performance robotic design, mentoring senior and junior engineers.

Skills and Requirements

• Drive Through Influence: A proven ability to lead technical initiatives and align cross-functional stakeholders without direct reporting authority. You must be able to build consensus on complex architectural trade-offs.

• Surfacing Expertise: Proven ability to work with Class-A surfaces and complex geometries; expert-level proficiency in surfacing tools within SolidWorks, NX, Catia…

• Subject Matter Expertise: Proven track record of designing multi-axis robotic arms or high-DOF dynamic mechanisms.

• Packaging Mastery: Exceptional skills in "tight-space" integration; experience with ruggedized electronics packaging or automotive/aerospace interiors is a plus.

Educational and/or Experience

• Experience: 8 years of experience in mechanical design of complex robotic systems

• Education: BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate