Senior Mechanical Engineer- Neck

Senior Mechanical Engineer- Neck LocationMountain ViewEmployment TypeFull timeDepartmentHardwareCompensation$175K – $250K • Offers EquityAt 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 neck of our humanoid robot platform. You'll own actuation selection and packaging for the neck's degrees of freedom, drive the head stabilization strategy with controls engineers, define the mass and CG budget the head team designs to, and coordinate the interfaces to torso, head, and cladding. This is a high-ownership role where actuator engineering, dynamics, and packaging craft come together in one of the most expressive parts of the robot.What You'll DoOwn the mechanical architecture of the neck — kinematics, joint arrangement, structural design, and packaging of the full mechanism within a slender, ID-constrained envelopeLead actuation selection and packaging for the neck's degrees of freedom — evaluating motor, gearbox, and transmission options against torque, bandwidth, backdrivability, acoustic, and packaging requirementsDefine the head mass and center-of-gravity budget in partnership with the head team, and own the system-level trade between head mass, neck actuator sizing, and dynamic performanceDevelop and validate the head stabilization strategy in collaboration with controls engineers — structural stiffness, backlash and compliance management, vibration isolation, and the dynamic performance needed for stable imagery from head-mounted camerasDesign for quiet, smooth, lifelike motion — managing gear noise, cogging, and structural resonances in a subsystem that operates close to people's facesDefine and own the mechanical interface to the head — structural mount, alignment and registration, electrical pass-through, and serviceability — and the interface to the torso below, driving both to closure with their respective teamsOwn cable routing through the neck: power and data runs to the head across moving joints, service loops, strain relief, and bend-cycle durability through the full range of motionWork closely with the cladding team on the moving-surface problem — gaps, pinch points, flexible or telescoping cladding elements, and attachment schemes that survive continuous articulationCreate and maintain CAD models, drawings, tolerance stacks, and BOMs to support design reviews, prototyping, and manufacturing handoffsPlan and execute prototype builds and test campaigns — dynamic performance, acoustics, durability, and stabilization — and lead root cause analysis when issues ariseWhat We're Looking ForBS in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field (MS preferred)5+ years of experience in mechanical design of actuated mechanisms — robotics, gimbals, precision motion systems, or similarDemonstrated experience selecting and integrating actuators — motors, gearboxes, and transmissions — including sizing against dynamic requirements and packaging into tight envelopesStrong command of mechanism design fundamentals: kinematics, stiffness, backlash, preload, and bearing selection for precision motionHands-on experience with cable routing and harness design across articulating jointsExpert-level proficiency with CAD software (Catia, SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape, or similar) for complex part and assembly designDeep familiarity with manufacturing processes — machining, casting, injection molding,...