Principal Robotics Engineer Bot Routing Jobs in San Francisco, CA

We are seeking a Member of Technical Staff - Mechanical Engineer to lead the structural and electromechanical design of advanced high degree-of-freedom robotic systems within a frontier AI and robotics research lab. You will own the mechanical architecture of our robotics platform end-to-end: actuator selection, joint design, thermal management, cable routing, sensing integration, and structural optimization - all under the demanding constraints of a high-DoF system that must be lightweight, robust, and production-viable. This is a unique opportunity to define the physical design direction of a next-generation robotics platform from first principles.
The ideal candidate has deep experience designing complex robotic systems and scaling hardware from concept through prototyping to production. You thrive on analytical problem solving, possess strong intuition for structural and electromechanical tradeoffs, and are equally comfortable in CAD and on the shop floor. You will be the technical lead of a small team of talented mechanical engineers while collaborating closely with electrical, firmware, controls, and AI research teams to set the mechanical and structural direction of the platform.
Beyond core platform development, this role offers real latitude to push into novel territory - novel actuation methods, advanced sensor integration, or new approaches to mechatronic packaging. If you have research instincts alongside shipping discipline, you'll find an environment that rewards both. We're looking for someone who wants to be the technical authority on how a high-performance robot is physically built, not just a contributor to the effort.
What You Bring:
- A systems-thinking mindset with a strong grasp of cross-domain engineering tradeoffs.
- A bias toward action: comfortable building, testing, and iterating rapidly.
- A collaborative and communicative working style - especially in multi-disciplinary research environments.
- A passion for robotics and advancing the state of the art in intelligent, capable machines.
Key job responsibilities
- Lead mechanical design of robotic subsystems and full platforms, including structures, joints, enclosures, and mechanisms for a research environment.
- Own kinematic, dynamic, and structural analyses to guide the design and optimization of full systems and subsystems of high-DoF robots
- Specify and integrate actuators and motors for high-torque density applications in high-degree-of-freedom systems.
- Drive rapid iteration and prototyping cycles - from concept sketches through functional hardware - to accelerate learning and compress development timelines in a fast-paced R&D environment.
- Partner with the AI research team to establish simulation pipelines that enable rapid exploration of mechanical design space, informing actuator choices, structural topology, and system-level tradeoffs before committing to physical builds.
- Contribute to thermal management strategies for motors, sensors, and embedded compute hardware.
- Integrate sensors such as lidar, stereo cameras, IMUs, tactile sensors, and compute modules into compact, functional assemblies.
- Design and route cabling and wire harnesses, ensuring reliability, serviceability, and thermal/electrical integrity.
- Prototype and test mechanical systems; support hands-on builds, debug sessions, and field testing.
- Conduct root cause analysis on system-level failures or performance issues and implement design improvements.
- Apply Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles to transition prototypes into scalable builds (10s-100s of units).
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams in electrical engineering, controls, perception, and research to meet research and product goals.
About the team
Frontier AI & Robotics (FAR) is the team at Amazon building the next generation of embodied intelligence. FAR drives the development and implementation of advanced AI models within Amazon's operations that enable robots to see, reason, and act on the world around them, supporting a number of different warehouse automation tasks.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent
- 6 to 10+ years in designing mechanical systems for robotics or complex electromechanical products.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD (e.g., SolidWorks, OnShape, or equivalent).
- Hands-on experience building prototypes, integrating hardware, and troubleshooting mechanical/electromechanical issues.
- Understanding of actuator and motor selection for complex robotic applications, including sizing for torque, speed, and thermal performance.
- Experience with wire/cable harness design and routing in compact mechanical systems.
- Familiarity with integrating sensing and compute elements into mechanical designs.
- Experience with structural analysis practices and tools (e.g. FEA/Ansys), thermal analysis, and material selection.
- Knowledge of DFM/DFA principles and exposure to volume production (100+ units).
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to execute product design from concept to production
- Experience with the project management of technical projects
- Master's degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering, or equivalent
- Experience working on robotic manipulators or high-DOF electromechanical systems
- Exposure to designing, testing and validation for compliance (design for safety) and environmental factors (thermal, vibration, ingress protection, etc.)
- Basic familiarity with controls or embedded system concepts for integrated design work.
- Experience with formal engineering documentation and design review processes in a corporate R&D setting
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company's reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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