Actuator Gear Design Engineer

About the company

• OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.

About the role

• Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings.
• We are seeking an Actuator Gear Design Engineer to lead the development of custom gears and gear stages for advanced robotic systems.
• This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and integration of custom robotic actuator gearing.
• Define actuator requirements and system-level trade studies around torque density, bandwidth, efficiency, thermal performance, back drivability, inertia, reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Design precision electromechanical assemblies with strong attention to tolerances, alignment, load paths, thermal expansion, sealing, wear, and serviceability.
• Drive actuator integration into robotic systems.
• Develop and evaluate architectures with integrated sensing and encoder strategies.
• Build and validate prototypes through hands-on bring-up, debugging, characterization, and iterative refinement.
• Develop test methodologies and characterization infrastructure for actuator performance, reliability, durability, and failure analysis.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and supplier partners to transition designs from prototype to scalable production-ready assemblies.
• Support DFM, DFA, DFT, calibration, and assembly strategies for electromechanical subsystems.
• Contribute to actuator sourcing strategy, vendor qualification, prototype builds, and supply-chain development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing gears systems, robotic actuators, or precision mechatronic hardware.
• Experience developing transmission elements for robotics, automation, aerospace, automotive, or other high-performance dynamic systems.
• Strong understanding of motors, transmissions, bearings, encoders, structural design, thermal management, and precision mechanical integration.
• Familiarity with actuator sensing architectures, including encoder integration and calibration strategies.
• Experience designing for prototype and production manufacturing processes including machining, casting, molding, and assembly.
• Proficiency with CAD and PLM tools such as NX and Teamcenter or equivalent systems.
• Experience developing validation plans, reliability testing, and failure analysis workflows.
• Experience scaling hardware systems from prototype through high volume production.