What are the responsibilities and job description for the Member of Technical Staff - Robotics Mechanical Engineer, Frontier AI & Robotics position at Amazon?
Description
About the Role:
We are looking for a Member of Technical Staff - Mechanical Engineer with a passion for building complex robotic systems from the ground up. This role is ideal for someone with a deep understanding of structural and electromechanical design, who thrives in hands-on environments and has experience taking high-performance robots from concept to production.
You will work on the mechanical and system architecture of advanced robotics platforms, including high degree-of-freedom systems, where considerations such as actuator selection, thermal constraints, cabling, sensing integration, and manufacturability are critical. This is a cross-disciplinary role requiring close collaboration with electrical, software, and AI research teams.
Beyond day-to-day hardware development, this role also provides exciting avenues to contribute to innovative research projects. Whether you’re interested in mechatronics, sensor integration, or novel actuation methods, you’ll find opportunities to explore your research interests while building real-world systems that advance in the field of high degree-of-freedom robotics.
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.
* 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.
- Knowledge of DFM/DFA principles and exposure to volume production (50 units).
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent
- Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to execute product design from concept to production
- Experience with the project management of technical projects
- 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.)
- Experience with structural analysis practices and tools (e.g. FEA/Ansys), thermal analysis, and material selection.
- 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.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $150,000/year in our lowest geographic market up to $300,000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors, including market location, and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.
Salary : $150,000 - $300,000