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Mechanical Design Engineer: Robotics Hardware Engineering, Surfacing

Meta· Hardware
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Redmond, WA$173k - $245kFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Mechanical Design Engineer focused on Robot Design with expertise in Class-A surfacing and safety between mechanical and industrial design teams. Owns mechanical design of exterior robot panels, protective structures, and safety-related features for a humanoid platform, working within a fast-paced Meta Robotics Hardware team focused on data collection, system testing, and safety.

Responsibilities

  • Translate industrial design intent (from ID models, renderings, and printed busts) into CAD geometry with complex, multi-patch surface construction
  • Build and maintain Class-A and high-quality B-surface models for exterior robot panels, covers, and housings using advanced surfacing techniques (G2/G3 continuity, multi-span lofts, curvature-matched blends)
  • Manage the tension between aesthetic design intent, safety, structural, thermal, and manufacturing feasibility — negotiate changes that satisfy all three
  • Develop parametric surfacing strategies that allow rapid iteration on form while preserving engineering constraints (wall thickness, draft, undercut limits, parting lines)
  • Define and enforce safe-by-design guidelines: minimum edge radii, maximum surface hardness, breakaway/compliant panel strategies, and finger/limb entrapment gap standards
  • Design protective structures that limit contact force and pressure to safe thresholds during intended and unintended human-robot interaction
  • Own the mechanical safety architecture of the humanoid platform — exterior shells, padding systems, compliant covers, pinch-point elimination, and edge-radius standards
  • Conduct and maintain risk assessments (per ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, and emerging safety standards) to identify hazards
  • Perform hand calculations and FEA for impact, crush, and pinch scenarios; define material and geometry requirements to bound contact forces
  • Collaborate with controls and firmware teams to ensure mechanical safety features complement electronic safety systems
  • Support safety certification efforts — prepare design evidence packages, test plans, and compliance documentation
  • Investigate and resolve safety-related findings from testing, user studies, and hazard reviews
  • Define and enforce surface quality standards: curvature continuity specs, reflection line criteria, and deviation from design intent
  • Work with DFMA engineers and molding vendors to ensure manufacturability of complex surfaces
  • Generate and manage scan-to-CAD workflows when iterating from physical models or prototypes
  • Produce rendered visualizations and surface analysis outputs to communicate design quality to stakeholders
  • Partner with industrial designers to jointly develop safe, beautiful, and buildable forms
  • Collaborate with mechanical design engineers on structural integration — mounting, sealing, cable routing, serviceability
  • Work with materials engineers on surface material selection (soft-touch elastomers, foams, rigid plastics, fabrics)
  • Support user research and human factors teams with physical mock-ups for ergonomic and safety validation

Qualifications

  • BS degree in Mechanical Engineering or relevant field
  • 8+ years of mechanical design experience with significant work in complex surface modeling
  • Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, NX, or CREO, Rhino)
  • Working knowledge of CNC machining processes and tolerances
  • Experience with rapid prototyping manufacturing processes and materials
  • Experience designing exterior enclosures or covers for electromechanical products with high aesthetic standards
  • Working knowledge of mechanical safety principles — contact force limits, entrapment hazards, edge/radius requirements, energy-absorbing material systems
  • Familiarity with injection molding, thermoforming, or composite manufacturing as it relates to complex-geometry parts
  • Ability to interpret and apply GD&T for sculptural parts with compound curvature
  • Strong collaboration skills across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and safety
  • Experience managing time-sensitive projects end-to-end with diverse stakeholders
  • Experience in GD&T per ASME Y14.5
  • Experience in Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Strong communication skills and cross-functional influence
  • Background in high-mix/low-volume to mid-volume production environments

Skills

Required:Class-A surface modelingGD&T (ASME Y14.5)FEACAD tools
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

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