Senior/Staff Loads & Dynamics Engineer

1X • San Carlos, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

1X is building humanoid robots for home use, aiming to give people back their time by handling chores and tasks. This requires solving complex challenges in robotics, AI, and manufacturing simultaneously, at scale, and in a safe form factor for home environments. NEO is their flagship home robot, designed for real-world operation alongside people, and the company is focused on shipping it. They are looking for individuals inspired by this mission who want to build something that genuinely changes how humans spend their time, safely creating abundance for all. The Structural Dynamics & Validation team is responsible for ensuring NEO performs reliably, quietly, and safely. They achieve this through advanced simulation, experimental testing, and cross-functional engineering to enhance durability, structural integrity, vibration performance, and control stability. This team operates at the intersection of mechanical engineering, controls, systems engineering, and hardware validation, playing a crucial role in delivering robots that can withstand demanding conditions while offering a refined user experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Extensive experience in structural dynamics, vibration analysis, durability engineering, or mechanical validation.
• Experience developing correlated analytical and experimental structural models.
• Strong understanding of modal analysis, frequency response, shock, vibration, fatigue, and structural validation techniques.
• Experience designing and executing instrumentation plans, test setups, and data acquisition campaigns.
• Experience working with finite element analysis (FEA) and structural simulation tools.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional engineering decisions.
• Ownership mindset with the ability to independently drive complex technical problems from investigation through resolution.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working on robotic, automotive, aerospace, or other highly dynamic electromechanical systems.
• Familiarity with acoustic noise reduction and advanced NVH optimization techniques.
• Experience supporting controls teams through structural dynamics characterization and stability troubleshooting.
• Exposure to fast-paced hardware development environments with rapid design iteration cycles.

Responsibilities

• Own the structural dynamics and validation strategy for robotic subsystems by translating operational requirements into validated engineering models and test methodologies.
• Define the structural loading environment, develop simulation and experimental validation methods, and ensure hardware designs meet demanding requirements for shock, vibration, durability, acoustic performance, and control stability throughout the product lifecycle.
• Define statistically representative load cases that accurately model real-world robotic operating conditions.
• Develop and maintain validated structural dynamics, shock, and vibration models that correlate with experimental test data.
• Improve robot durability, NVH performance, and control stability through structural analysis and engineering recommendations.
• Lead structural validation efforts including instrumentation, data acquisition, testing, model correlation, and reporting.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve structural dynamics issues affecting vibration, acoustic noise, fatigue life, or system stability.
• Partner with mechanical, controls, systems, and reliability engineers to continuously improve robot performance throughout development.

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: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree