Hardware Engineering Team Lead

About Genki Robotics

Genki Robotics was founded by a team of pioneers in humanoid robotics committed to practical applications of physicHardware Eal AI. With decades of collective expertise, we are developing advanced robotic systems that combine intelligence, dexterity, and resilience to address critical challenges in public safety, urban maintenance, and other mission-driven environments. Our vision is to accelerate the integration of intelligent humanoids into society — augmenting human capability and shaping the future of work and service.

We are backed by Andreessen Horowitz, DCM, AMD, Incubate Fund, and X&.

The Role

As Hardware Engineering Team Lead for Dexterous Hand at Genki, you will lead the team that designs and delivers the hands of our humanoids. You will own the hardware stack end-to-end, from actuator and joint architecture through structure, sensing, cabling, and integration, working with controls, firmware, ML, and product to turn capability targets into hardware that performs reliably in the real world.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will set direction for the team while staying close to the bench, making the hard tradeoffs that define an end effector platform: torque density versus thermal limits, dexterity versus durability, sensor fidelity versus serviceability. You will grow a small team of strong engineers, set the technical bar for the subsystem, and be accountable for what the robot can pick up, hold, and do in the field.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead the hand hardware team, setting technical direction across arms, wrists, hands, and end-effectors, and growing the team through hiring, mentoring, and clear engineering standards.
• Own the architecture of the hand, including actuator selection and integration, joint design, structural elements, transmission, cabling, and sensing.
• Drive subsystems from concept through detailed design, prototyping, validation, and release to production, with an eye towards performance, durability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Define and execute test plans that characterize payload, precision, repeatability, backlash, thermal behavior, fatigue life, and field robustness, and translate results into design improvements.
• Partner deeply with controls, firmware, and ML to co-design mechatronic subsystems where mechanical, electrical, and software boundaries are tightly coupled.
• Work with internal machinists and external suppliers on fabrication, sourcing, and process development, and own design for manufacture and assembly for the subsystem.
• Set the technical bar for the team through design reviews, documentation standards, and a culture that values rigor, speed, and learning from real hardware.
• Be accountable for the capability outcomes of the hand, including what the robot can grasp, manipulate, and sustain in operational environments.

Qualifications and Skills

• Strong fundamentals in mechanical and mechatronic engineering, including mechanics of materials, dynamics, machine design, GD&T, and the judgment to apply them under real-world constraints.
• Proven track record designing and shipping precision mechatronic hardware in robotics, surgical, aerospace, automotive, or comparably demanding domains.
• Direct experience with high-performance actuators (BLDC paired with planetary, harmonic, or cycloidal drives) and the joint-level integration that surrounds them.
• Demonstrated technical leadership: you have led or mentored engineers, owned multi-person efforts, and set direction for a subsystem or team.
• Fluency in a modern parametric CAD tool (NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or similar) and comfort with hand calcs and FEA where appropriate.
• Hands-on shop skills. You have turned your own parts, debugged your own prototypes, and are comfortable across mechanical, electrical, and firmware boundaries when the problem demands it.
• Systems judgment to navigate the core tradeoffs of hand hardware: torque density, thermal limits, mass and inertia, stiffness, sensing fidelity, durability, and serviceability.
• A bias toward shipping, paired with the discipline to test rigorously before you do.

Bonus Qualifications

• Direct experience with humanoid platforms, robotic arms, or dexterous hands and end-effectors.
• Familiarity with tactile sensing, force and torque sensing, or integrated joint sensing architectures.
• Experience with structural composites, sheet metal design, or low-volume manufacturing processes.
• Comfort writing Python or similar for test automation, characterization, and data analysis.
• History of taking a subsystem from prototype to deployed product at scale.

Compensation

• Base salary range: $TBD, commensurate with experience, level, and location.
• Meaningful early-stage equity in a well-capitalized humanoid robotics company.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• 401(k) plan.
• Paid time off, parental leave, and company holidays.
• Commuter benefits, a fully equipped lab, and workspace.

Location

• This role is based on-site at our headquarters in the Bay Area with some travel to Japan. Close collaboration with hardware, controls, and product teams in the lab is core to the work, so this is not a remote position.

Work Authorization

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application.
• We are able to sponsor work visas for exceptional candidates where permitted by law.

Equal Opportunity

Genki Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and we believe that diversity makes our work stronger. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to support your needs.