Senior Mechanical Engineer- Robot Head

Job Description

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**
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* 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**
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* 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)**
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* 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**
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* 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