Manufacturing Engineer, Motors & Actuators

OpenAI•San Francisco, CA

26d•$225,000 - $318,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking Manufacturing Engineers to lead the development of processes, tooling, and prototype builds for custom motors and actuators. You will own a primary area as a Stator Process / Manufacturing Engineer, Tooling / Fixture Engineer, or Prototype Manufacturing Engineer, taking that work from early development through validation and repeatable execution in close partnership with mechanical, electromagnetic, electrical, test, quality, and supplier teams. These roles focus on the development, integration, and validation of electromechanical manufacturing capabilities, including stator winding processes, assembly and inspection tooling, and actuator prototype builds. You will help translate engineering designs into reliable hardware while establishing scalable processes, equipment, and build practices for future robotic platforms. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 5 days a week.

Requirements

Have personally developed, built, or improved manufacturing processes, tooling, or electromechanical assemblies, and can explain the engineering decisions and results you owned.
Move comfortably between hands-on troubleshooting, technical analysis, and working with technicians, operators, and suppliers.
Use measurements and experiments to distinguish part variation, tooling problems, process settings, and operator effects.
Choose equipment and automation with sound judgment about production rate, flexibility, cost, safety, and maintainability.
Set practical build or development priorities, communicate blockers early, and work across design, controls, test, quality, and operations to resolve them.

Nice To Haves

Stator Process / Manufacturing: stacking, winding, termination, potting or cure processes, and winding or handling tooling.
Tooling / Fixture: fixture design, CAD and manufacturing drawings, metrology, equipment commissioning, and repeatability studies.
Prototype Manufacturing: electromechanical assembly, build planning, parts readiness, inspection, rework, testing, and delivery of complete hardware builds.
Motor, stator, actuator, or comparable electromechanical manufacturing experience.
Automated assembly, inline inspection, end-of-line testing, or equipment fault recovery; familiarity with sensors, PLCs, I/O, or pneumatics.
Process capability, measurement-system studies, and structured experiments.
Interest in using AI to simplify repetitive engineering work, with sound review of its outputs.

Responsibilities

Develop and validate stacking, winding, termination, and potting processes. Establish process parameters, work instructions, and defect controls that produce consistent results across trained operators.
Design and deliver winding tools, assembly fixtures, inspection gauges, and bench equipment, from CAD and drawings through fabrication, commissioning, and troubleshooting. Improve setup time, labor, and repeatability.
Plan and execute builds of existing actuator designs, from parts readiness and work instructions through inspection, approved rework, and delivery of complete actuator assemblies ready for robot integration. Resolve supplier and process issues, track failed parts, and use labor and yield data to improve subsequent builds.
Integrate and troubleshoot equipment within your specialty, working through operator workflow, material flow, and controls or test interfaces.
Resolve defects and bottlenecks through measurements and controlled trials. Demonstrate improvements in build time, repeatability, yield, and quality against defined acceptance criteria.
Release clear process and tooling documentation, maintain revisions, and train technicians and operators to reproduce successful results.
Work with mechanical designers to improve manufacturability while preserving approved magnetic, electrical, and safety requirements. Own the tooling designs and drawings needed to build and inspect the hardware, and coordinate product geometry, tolerance, and drawing changes with the product-design owner.