Mechanical Architect, Robotics

About the TeamOur Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples' lives.About the RoleAs Mechanical Architect on the Robotics team, you will play a crucial role in defining and developing the end-to-end mechanical architecture of our robotic systems. You’ll lead system-level mechanical design including, ensuring seamless integration of actuators, gearing, sensors, computational elements, and structural components to bring our advanced models into the real world. This role offers the chance to influence how our AI scales beyond simulation, ensuring that each design, test, and iteration moves us closer to truly adaptive, versatile robotic systems. This position may require up to 15% travel to support testing, deployment, and collaboration with external partners.This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person 4 days a week.You might thrive in this role if you:Have at least 8 years of consumer or industrial electronics experience, including at least 2 years of experience leading mechanical system architecture development, defining modular and scalable designs for robotic platforms.Direct hands-on experience in system-level mechanical design, either with mechanism design (actuators, motors, gearing, and structural layouts) or integrating electronics (custom batteries, silicon, cooling, sensors, charging, and system EE components.Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, materials science, and tolerance analysis.Excellent 3D CAD experience in a leading design tool, including basic strength analysis.Ability to define and enforce system-level trade-offs, balancing mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software constraints.Strong technical communication skills with peer engineers, software engineers and XFN partners.Additional, preferred qualifications:Experience in developing modular mechanical architectures for complex electromechanical systems.Experience with thermal cooling solutions for hardware and silicon, or integrating sensors.Experienced in Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), statistical tolerance analysis techniques, CTF dimensioning, and geometric tolerancingExperience designing mechanical systems intended for high volume (1M+)Experience problem-solving on assembly lines and directing CM teams in all design phases.About OpenAIOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy PolicyAt OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

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