Senior Design Engineer - Electromagnetic (R&D)

Apptronik•Austin, TX

About The Position

Apptronik is seeking a Senior Design Engineer to lead electromagnetic design for its custom motor program supporting Apollo and other humanoid robots. The role owns custom BLDC/PMSM motor electromagnetic design from concept through built prototype, sets target performance metrics, evaluates advanced motor topologies, and develops designs that balance high performance with mass-manufacturing viability. The engineer will serve as the hands-on electromagnetic design lead and the primary subject matter expert for external partners, university collaborators, suppliers, and specialized manufacturing vendors. The position includes running electromagnetic simulations, defining trade-offs among motor, thermal, and robot-level requirements, and specifying and overseeing motor characterization. The engineer will use motor dynamometer testing to correlate simulations with hardware and validate models. They will also bridge R&D and production, collaborating with mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls engineers to integrate motors into robotic joint and system architectures while accounting for drive interaction, field-oriented control (FOC), and inverter limits. The role also leads technical discussions with external motor-design companies, suppliers, and university collaborators; evaluates proposals; establishes technical requirements; supports technology transfer; and audits alternative supply chains, including US-sourced magnet materials. This is a direct-hire position. Apptronik is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics.

Requirements

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering (electric machines), Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field.
At least 5 years of industry experience designing electric machines for high-performance applications.
Expert-level, hands-on experience with electromagnetic design and simulation software such as Ansys Maxwell/Motor-CAD, JMAG, or similar, and analytical motor modeling.
Exceptional understanding of motor fundamentals, winding theory, magnetic materials, thermal coupling, and torque-density trade-offs.
Proven track record of designing motors that transitioned from prototype to volume manufacturing.
Deep technical credibility, passion for mentoring others, and an experimentalist mindset focused on building capabilities and validating models against hardware.

Nice To Haves

Experience with specialized or novel motor topologies, such as axial flux, transverse flux, or frameless outrunner designs.
Familiarity with robotics constraints, including highly dynamic loads, tight packaging, low gearing ratios, and strict thermal limits.
MATLAB or Python scripting experience for design optimization and workflow automation.
Strong vendor management experience, including successful audits and collaboration with overseas or domestic motor manufacturers.

Responsibilities

Own electromagnetic design of custom BLDC/PMSM motors for humanoid joints from concept through built prototype.
Select and evaluate advanced motor topologies and design approaches.
Run advanced electromagnetic simulations to maximize motor performance.
Define trade-offs among motor, thermal, and robot-level requirements.
Specify motor test requirements and oversee characterization methodology against competing off-the-shelf designs.
Use a motor dynamometer to correlate simulation and hardware data and empirically validate electromagnetic simulations.
Ensure optimized motor designs can transition from R&D to efficient mass manufacturing without compromising performance.
Collaborate with mechanical, thermal, electrical, and controls engineers to integrate custom motors into robotic joint and system architectures, accounting for drive interaction, FOC, and inverter limits.
Serve as technical lead and subject matter expert in discussions with external motor-design companies, suppliers, and university collaborators.
Evaluate external proposals, drive technical requirements, ensure successful technology transfer, and audit alternative supply chains.