Mechanical Engineer - Actuators

1X • San Carlos, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

1X is building humanoid robots for home use, aiming to free up people's time by handling household tasks. This involves solving complex challenges in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously, at scale, and in a safe, home-friendly form factor. The company has been working on these problems since 2014 and is now focused on shipping its flagship product, NEO, a home robot designed for real-world operation alongside people. 1X is scaling and seeking intentional hires who want to create a product that genuinely changes how humans spend their time by safely creating abundance.

The Actuators team at 1X is responsible for developing the electromechanical systems that provide NEO with strength, precision, and reliability in its movements. This work encompasses mechanical design, electric motors, sensing, power transmission, controls integration, and hardware validation. The team collaborates closely with electrical, controls, firmware, test, and manufacturing teams to rapidly develop actuator concepts, validate performance, and mature designs for large-scale production.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field
• 2–5 years of experience in mechanical design, product development, or a related engineering role
• Strong proficiency with CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Onshape, Inventor, or equivalent
• Experience creating production-quality engineering drawings and mechanical documentation
• Strong understanding of tolerances, fits, materials, and mechanical design fundamentals
• Hands-on experience supporting prototype assembly, testing, and hardware iteration
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary engineering environment
• Strong mechanical design fundamentals with the ability to create practical and manufacturable hardware
• Hands-on engineering mindset with an interest in assembling, testing, troubleshooting, and improving physical systems
• Strong mechanical intuition around tolerances, fits, materials, bearings, shafts, and structural interfaces
• Curiosity about electric motors, electromagnetic systems, and multidisciplinary actuator design
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across mechanical, electrical, controls, test, and manufacturing teams

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing robotic actuators, motors, or other electromechanical systems
• Familiarity with electric motors, magnets, laminations, air gaps, encoders, or electromagnetic components
• Experience with bearings, gears, shafts, transmissions, and structural actuator components
• Exposure to rapid prototyping and iterative hardware development cycles
• Experience supporting hardware through verification testing, failure analysis, and design refinement
• Familiarity with Design for Manufacturability and Design for Assembly principles

Responsibilities

• Design and integrate the mechanical systems that enable high-performance robotic actuation.
• Contribute to actuator development from early concepts and technical viability decisions through detailed design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing readiness.
• Design mechanical packaging, define tolerances, integrate components, and iterate designs based on hardware test results.
• Work closely with electric motors and electromagnetic components, ensuring mechanical designs account for critical interfaces such as air gaps, magnets, laminations, sensors, thermal behavior, and assembly constraints.
• Design and release actuator components and assemblies that meet performance, packaging, reliability, and manufacturability requirements.
• Deliver accurate CAD models, engineering drawings, BOMs, tolerance definitions, and interface documentation.
• Improve actuator performance and durability through rapid prototyping, testing, failure analysis, and design iteration.
• Successfully integrate mechanical, electrical, sensing, and electromagnetic components into complete actuator systems.
• Support the transition of actuator designs from early prototypes into repeatable, production-ready hardware.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
• 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
• Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
• Onsite snacks and catered lunches

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level