Demo

Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer

Boston Dynamics
Waltham, MA Full Time
POSTED ON 7/3/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 8/9/2026
Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer - Atlas Actuation Technology

We are 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.

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

  • 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.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
  • Professional experience in electromechanical product design and launch (typically 7 years).

10%-20% international travel required to support the global supplier and partner network for actuator products.

The pay range for this position is between $135,000 - $180,000 annually. 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 offers a generous Benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401(k), paid time off and a annual bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer for employment.

Salary : $135,000 - $180,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$108,186 - $133,193
Income Estimation: 
$134,236 - $174,128
Income Estimation: 
$132,162 - $161,329
Income Estimation: 
$106,299 - $135,354
Income Estimation: 
$134,236 - $174,128
Income Estimation: 
$132,162 - $161,329
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Boston Dynamics

  • Boston Dynamics Waltham, MA
  • While our robots are out in the world performing complex tasks, our Service and Support team needs a sophisticated, high-performance toolkit to monitor, di... more
  • 12 Days Ago

  • Boston Dynamics Waltham, MA
  • Boston Dynamics is building the world’s most advanced robots. The Spot quadruped robot performs inspections on thousands of sites around the world, helping... more
  • 12 Days Ago

  • Boston Dynamics Savannah, GA
  • Job Summary The Facilities Maintenance Senior Technician (S4) is responsible for independently performing advanced maintenance, repair, inspection, and mod... more
  • 12 Days Ago

  • Boston Dynamics Waltham, MA
  • As an Optical Sensor Systems Engineer , you will be a key technical leader responsible for the end-to-end design, development, and validation of our integr... more
  • 13 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Senior Staff Mechanical Engineer jobs in the Waltham, MA area that may be a better fit.

  • Boston Dynamics Waltham, MA
  • Atlas is our next-generation humanoid robot, designed to perform useful work in dynamic, real-world environments. A central challenge in achieving this is ... more
  • 3 Days Ago

  • Boston Dynamics Waltham, MA
  • As a Senior Staff Sustaining Enginee r on the Stretch Actuation team you will help our Logistics robotics engineering team design and produce the next gene... more
  • 22 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!