Technical Lab Manager - Robotics R&D, Frontier AI & Robotics

Key job responsibilities

• Prototype Lab Leadership — Lead & develop a cross-functional technician team supporting robotic prototype hardware; own daily priorities, team KPIs, and risk communication to FAR leadership. Serve as the technical escalation point for the lab.
• Assembly, Integration & DFx ownership — Assemble & integrate robotic hardware (actuators, sensors, vision, machined components). Build assembly processes and test protocols with hardware engineering. Drive DFM/DFA feedback and own simple mechanical/electrical design tasks, lead integration/debug, and partner with engineers to optimize manufacturability and testability.
• Own R&D prototype test & validation — Validate hardware revisions, verify mechanical assemblies, power sequencing, comms interfaces, and peripherals during bring-up.
• Build a strong debugging & failure analysis function — Troubleshoot & root-cause across the full robot platform (power, compute, comms, actuators, sensors); hands-on for complex issues, directing the team on routine ones. Conduct failure analysis from component to system level using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters; train technicians on diagnostic techniques. Reproduce critical failures, interpret schematics, and bridge communication between the lab and engineering teams.
• Own lab technical documentation — Own documentation & quality - author runbooks, FA reports, assembly guides and troubleshooting guides; mentor the team to maintain consistent standards.
• Own mechanical design for the lab — Own mechanical design technician output. Oversee technicians performing simple R&D design tasks and test fixture design, ensuring quality and alignment with engineering priorities.
• Manage prototyping lab operations — oversee machine shop capabilities and quality, equipment/inventory, vendor coordination, and safety/regulatory compliance.
• Build additional lab capabilities — develop test methodologies, design jigs/fixtures, implement HIL testing, and streamline failure-to-resolution workflows.

About the team

At Frontier AI & Robotics, we're not just advancing robotics – we're reimagining it from the ground up. Our team is building the future of intelligent robotics through frontier foundation models and end-to-end learned systems. We tackle some of the most challenging problems in AI and robotics, from developing sophisticated perception systems to creating adaptive manipulation strategies that work in complex, real-world scenarios. We leverage Amazon's computational infrastructure and rich real-world datasets to train and deploy state-of-the-art foundation models. Our work spans the full spectrum of robotics intelligence – from multimodal perception using images, videos, and sensor data, to sophisticated manipulation strategies that can handle diverse real-world scenarios. We're building systems that don't just work in the lab, but scale to meet the demands of Amazon's global operations.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in robotics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field
• 7+ years of hands-on experience with robotic systems integration, including actuators, sensors (force/torque, IMUs, encoders), and embedded systems
• 3+ years of experience leading and mentoring technical teams in laboratory or prototype development environments
• Proficiency with hardware troubleshooting and root cause analysis using diagnostic equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, signal analyzers)
• Deep understanding of electromechanical systems including power distribution, communication buses (CAN, EtherCAT, RS-485), and sensor integration
• Proven track record developing assembly procedures, test protocols, and technical documentation for prototype hardware
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, and system architecture diagrams

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in robotics hardware development, hardware integration, or related work within advanced robotic systems, research institutions, or high-performance engineering environments
• Extensive experience designing, integrating, and troubleshooting high degree of freedom robotic systems, including actuators, force/torque sensors, inertial measurement units, encoders, vision systems, and associated control hardware
• Operational experience with robotic control systems, including performance monitoring, hardware health diagnostics, and data-driven analysis of robotic system behavior during testing and deployment
• Hands-on experience in robotics labs, hardware test facilities, or hardware integration environments, including familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop testing methodologies and robotic system acceptance test procedures
• Proven track record fostering a culture of innovation, quality, and continuous improvement within technical teams