Boston Dynamics is looking for a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead the transition of high-performance Actuator Products from architecture to robust, mass-production hardware on next-generation humanoid robotic platforms. This role sits at the intersection of complex mechanical design and industrialization, shaping how high-torque-density electromechanical systems are matured, integrated, and brought to life at scale. The actuators enable our robots to move and accomplish their complex work - this is a critical role on the Atlas team.
You will be responsible for the technical leadership of specific actuator product lines, ensuring designs meet all performance and reliability targets while fostering the professional growth of a team of design engineers through the rigor of production release.
Boston Dynamics is a world leader in mobile robots, tackling some of the toughest robotics challenges. For years, our awe-inspiring viral videos on YouTube have shown the world what remarkably capable robots can do. Now we are quickly becoming a recognized leader in automation solutions for industrial applications and warehouse logistics.
What You'll Do:
- Technical Leadership: Guide the mechanical design and release for actuator products, overseeing technical execution from initial architecture through to manufacturing.
- Production Excellence: Facilitate CAD completion and lead the generation of comprehensive drawing packages, utilizing advanced GD&T and 1D/3D tolerance analysis to ensure high-quality builds.
- Collaborative Design (DFx): Partner with suppliers and manufacturing teams to optimize designs for assembly, cost, and long-term reliability.
- Mentorship & Development: Support and mentor early-career and mid-level engineers, providing technical guidance, conducting thoughtful design reviews, and fostering an inclusive team environment.
- Risk Stewardship: Manage technical risk through FMEAs, validation planning, and detailed due diligence on moving assemblies (gears, bearings, seals, and shafts).
What You Bring:
- Degree: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
- Professional experience: electromechanical product design and launch experience (typically 7+ years).
- Production Rigor: A track record of bringing complex electromechanical assemblies from architecture through production release in high-rigor environments (e.g., automotive, aerospace, or medical devices).
- Technical Stewardship: High proficiency in 3D CAD (CATIA preferred) and PLM, with a commitment to detailed documentation, GD&T, and tolerance stack analysis.
- Thoughtful Judgment: Ability to resolve ambiguous design challenges and balance innovation with practical manufacturing constraints.
- Interpersonal Influence: Experience leading cross-functional efforts and building alignment across technical teams through collaboration and clear communication.
5%-10% international travel required to support the global supplier and partner network for actuator products.
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.
The salary range for this position will be clearly stated in the job posting as required by Massachusetts law. The base pay range for this position is between $135,000 - $167,000. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting.
Boston Dynamics will never ask you to divulge your personal financial or account information as part of its recruiting process.
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Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
- Typically 7+ years of experience in design, systems, or sustaining engineering
- Experience scaling products from low-volume in-house builds to high-volume overseas manufacturing
- Strong proficiency with Root Cause Analysis and hardware problem-solving methodologies for complex electromechanical assemblies
- Track record of product launches and continuous improvement using Engineering Change Orders and Design for Manufacturability/Assembly principles
- Proficiency with 3D CAD
- Experience independently managing large, complex projects and making prioritization and delegation decisions
- Strong organizational and cross-functional communication skills
- Experience with CATIA
- Experience with Arena or ENOVIA PLM systems
- Familiarity with Jira, JAMA, or Smartsheet
- Commitment to mentoring and fostering technical excellence and best practices
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.
