Director of Mechanical Engineering, 1X
5 days a week in office (Palo Alto, CA)
General purpose androids
Be an early applicant
General purpose androids
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
5 days a week in office (Palo Alto, CA)
201-500 employees
Company mission
To design androids that work alongside people, to meet the world’s labor demands and build an abundant society.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of experience in mechanical engineering roles, with deep ownership over complex electromechanical products
- Perfect competence on fundamentals of mechanical design and engineering best practices
- Demonstrated ability to ship high-performance hardware under fast timelines and resource constraints
- Expert in at least one core area (e.g. actuator design, structural design, thermal management, precision mechanisms) with breadth across the stack
- Mastery of CAD and simulation tools, with a bias toward prototyping and rapid iteration
- Proven track record as a top individual contributor with strong instincts for simplification and reliability
- Experience hiring, mentoring, and leading small- to mid-sized technical teams
- Clear communicator with strong cross-functional instincts
- Startup mindset, hands-on, no ego, bias to action, and able to zoom between detail and strategy
What the job involves
- As we matured our unique actuation technology and performed several design iterations on our robot, we are looking for a Director of Mechanical Engineering to lead the development of our humanoid robot’s mechanical systems
- This is not a pure management role and includes pure R&D exploration and product engineering, we’re looking for a world-class mechanical engineer who still wants to design, build, and debug, while also attracting, mentoring, and scaling a high-performance team
- You will own mechanical design across the product, from joint actuation and structural design to thermal, packaging, and reliability
- You’ll work closely with electrical, manufacturing, and product teams to ensure we ship a robust, manufacturable, and elegant system
- Serve as the technical lead and primary contributor on key mechanical systems, from architecture through detailed design, prototyping, validation, and production
- Drive system-level mechanical design across actuators, linkages, enclosures, structures, and thermal components
- Own key decisions around materials, DFM, durability, serviceability, and cost
- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing mechanical engineering team, setting a high technical bar and pragmatic execution culture
- Collaborate tightly with electrical, software, and manufacturing teams to ensure seamless integration and system reliability
- Set direction on tools, processes, documentation, and quality standards to ensure velocity and repeatability as we scale
- Balance immediate technical execution with long-term architecture, roadmap planning, and hiring strategy
- Roll up sleeves constantly—this is a hands-on role where you’ll be in the CAD, in the lab, and in the reviews
Our take
The field of robotics has advanced massively in the last few years, to the point where androids no longer belong to the realm of science fiction. 1X, formerly known as Halodi Robotics, is developing androids capable of human-like movement and behaviour, to employ in workplaces across the globe.
1X's flagship model, EVE, boasts front and rear optics, wheeled navigation and gripper-hands. The android is strong enough to move shipments but gentle enough to handle fragile items, making it ideal for work in retail storerooms or distribution centers. In addition, it is able to open doors and take elevators, and its AI mind grants it heightened navigation abilities, meaning it is simple to fit into workplaces without making large adjustments.
With significant funding at its back, the company is now looking to scale up its manufacture of EVE androids, as well as accelerate the production of its second-gen bipedal android model NEO which is described as an "intelligent android assistant". Though the adoption of working androids is still in its early stages, 1X has certainly made a splash in the space and may well be one to watch as it takes its place in shaping the future of robotics.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
104% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company HQ
Alviso, San Jose, CA
Leadership
Bernt Øivind Børnich
(CEO & Robotics Engineer)Has worked as a Senior Development Engineer for Data Respons, Senior Consultant for Inmeta Crayon, and System Developer for Bring Dialogue.
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