Are you a structural mechanical systems expert passionate about transitioning cutting-edge technologies from R&D to production? If you thrive in complex design environments and want to see your parts drive the performance of high-impact products, this role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the evolution of our world-class electric humanoid robot.
As a Senior Structural Mechanical Systems Engineer on the Atlas Structures and Mechanisms team, you will combine expertise in structural and mechanical engineering to develop innovative, production-ready designs that maximize performance, cost-efficiency, and manufacturability. You will play a pivotal role in assessing trade-offs in clean sheet designs, evaluating the suitability of manufacturing processes, and mentoring your team to adopt production-focused best practices.
Navigating ambiguity, creative problem-solving, and collaboration are essential to success in this role.
How You Will Make an Impact:
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Optimize Structural and Mechanical Systems: Maximize structural performance per dollar by evaluating and balancing load-bearing capacity and functionality within a production-minded framework.
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Design with Production in Mind: Select and validate manufacturing processes (e.g., casting, forging, stamping, injection molding) to meet performance, cost, and production goals.
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Evaluate Complex Trade Spaces: Conduct clean-sheet designs and assess trade-offs across performance, manufacturability, and cost constraints.
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Translate High-Level Requirements: Take product-level requirements and create detailed component and assembly specifications, ensuring structural integrity and system compatibility.
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Develop and Validate Designs: Use CAD and FEA tools to create, analyze, and optimize components and assemblies; develop drawings, specifications, and test plans. Leverage rapid prototyping to de-risk new designs early .
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Collaborate Across Disciplines: Partner with a multidisciplinary team to balance design, structural efficiency, and manufacturing constraints.
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Drive Continuous Improvement: Troubleshoot issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective and preventative measures to ensure robust designs.
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Mentor and Lead: Share your expertise in structural and mechanical design, mentoring junior engineers to adopt best practices for transitioning designs from prototype to production.
We Are Looking For:
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Educational Background:
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BSME with 8+ years of experience, MSME with 6+ years, or PhD with 3+ years of relevant professional experience.
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Technical Expertise:
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Experience in designing high-complexity mechanical structures and assemblies, leveraging 3+ production-focused fabrication processes (casting, forging, stamping, etc.).
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Advanced proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., Catia, NX, SolidWorks), FEA, and topology optimization.
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Familiarity with ASME drafting standards, including GD&T (Y14.5-2018).
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Proven ability to transition early designs through NPI stages (EVT, DVT) into production-ready products.
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Soft Skills:
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Strong creative thinking, attention to detail, and communication skills.
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A collaborative, team-first mindset.
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Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, mentor others, and adapt to shifting priorities.
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Manufacturing and Design Knowledge:
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Strong understanding of evaluating manufacturing processes for suitability and cost-effectiveness in achieving design goals.
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Ability to assess complex trade spaces and develop clean sheet designs tailored to project objectives.
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Nice to Have:
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Experience designing systems for robotic, automotive, aerospace, or similarly high-precision applications.
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Familiarity with hydroforming, composites, or other advanced manufacturing techniques.
Travel:
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Occasional travel may be required for vendor coordination, prototype evaluations, or design reviews (~10-15%).
A brief portfolio of images with short descriptions of recent work is required via either web-link or PDF.
We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position.
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What We Do
Boston Dynamics builds advanced mobile manipulation robots with remarkable mobility, dexterity perception and agility. We use sensor-based controls and computation to unlock the potential of complex mechanisms. Our world-class development teams develop prototypes for wild new concepts, do build-test-build engineering and field testing and transform successful designs into robot products. Our goal is to change your idea of what robots can do.