Senior Mechanical Engineer- Robot Head
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 19, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jul 13, 2026. Rhoda AI scores A on the Alion truth index.
At Rhoda AI, we’re building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality.
We're looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the head of our humanoid robot platform. The head is one of the most constrained and cross-functional subsystems on the robot - it packages cameras, speakers, and sensors into a tight envelope that must satisfy industrial design intent, thermal and structural requirements, and strict mass and center-of-gravity targets driven by the neck it sits on. You'll drive the head's internal architecture, work shoulder-to-shoulder with perception, industrial design, and cladding teams, and coordinate closely with the neck team on the interface that carries everything. This is a high-ownership role where your decisions define what our robot sees, hears, and looks like.
What You'll Do
Own the mechanical architecture and packaging of the robot head, including cameras, speakers, microphones, and supporting electronics, within a tightly constrained envelope
Drive compatibility between the internal packaging and the industrial design surfaces, negotiating trade-offs between ID intent, sensor fields of view, thermal performance, and serviceability
Manage the head's mass properties - minimizing mass and controlling center-of-gravity location to meet targets defined with the neck team, so the head can move responsively without oversizing the neck actuation
Design stiff, stable sensor mounting - camera alignment, boresight retention through thermal and dynamic loading, and structural paths that keep image quality high while the head is in motion
Define and own the mechanical interface to the neck - the structural mount, alignment and registration features, electrical pass-through, and serviceability scheme - driving this interface to closure with the neck team
Work closely with the cladding team to define interfaces, attachment schemes, tolerances, and assembly sequences between the head structure and exterior cladding
Drive finalization of sensor requirements with perception and systems teams - locking placement, alignment, thermal, and mounting specifications for cameras and other head-mounted sensors
Create and maintain CAD models, drawings, tolerance stacks, and BOMs to support design reviews, prototyping, and manufacturing handoffs
What We're Looking For
BS in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field (MS preferred)
5+ years of experience in mechanical design of complex electromechanical products - robotics, consumer electronics, camera systems, or similar
Demonstrated experience packaging sensors, cameras, or dense electronics in tightly constrained, thermally challenging envelopes
Strong command of mass properties analysis and the discipline to design to hard mass and CG budgets
Experience with precision optical or sensor mounting - alignment, boresight stability, and tolerance analysis for optical assemblies
Expert-level proficiency with CAD software (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape, or similar) for complex part and assembly design
Experience collaborating with industrial design teams and translating ID surfaces into manufacturable, serviceable mechanical architectures
Deep familiarity with manufacturing processes - machining, injection molding, die casting, sheet metal, 3D printing - and design-for-manufacture principles
Comfort working hands-on with hardware: building prototypes, running tests, and troubleshooting physical systems
Strong communication skills and the ability to drive requirements to closure across mechanical, electrical, software, and design disciplines
Nice to Have (But Not Required)
Experience packaging camera modules or vision systems in consumer electronics, AR/VR headsets, drones, or robotics
Background in acoustic design - speaker enclosures, microphone placement, or noise/vibration mitigation
Familiarity with thermal design and simulation for sealed or semi-sealed electronics enclosures
Experience designing to industrial design intent on consumer-facing products
Experience defining sensor requirements alongside perception or computer vision teams
Working knowledge of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) applied to optical and precision mechanical assemblies
Experience taking a subsystem from concept through DVT/PVT into production
Why This Role
Own the face of the robot - the head is what people look at and interact with, and you'll own everything inside it, from sensor packaging through ID integration
Work at the intersection of perception and industrial design - few mechanical roles demand optical packaging, acoustics, thermals, and aesthetic collaboration in one tightly constrained envelope
Join at a foundational moment and make the decisions that define the physical identity of a next-generation humanoid robot