Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics

OpenAI, San Francisco

The role

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer for a senior individual-contributor role leading printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) test fixtures and infrastructure for advanced robotic systems. You will independently turn evolving requirements into working fixtures, make technical tradeoffs, and own delivery from concept and detailed design through fabrication, validation, deployment, and reliable operation.

This role combines development-lab work with deployment at contract manufacturers. You will build precision mechanical systems for board programming, functional test, and characterization, including board nests, probe plates, connector interfaces, alignment features, clamps, enclosures, and thermal interfaces. You will partner with electrical, firmware, software, manufacturing, and reliability teams to make fixtures repeatable, protective of delicate assemblies, and maintainable as board designs evolve.

Posted pay

$318K–$423K

a year

Compared with similar jobs

This base pay is above the median for hardware and robotics jobs in the Bay Area with no level in the job title.

Median: $174K a year
Other jobs in the group: 542

We compare the middle of each posted range. This is base pay as posted. The group does not include this job.

Location

San Francisco

Work type

Onsite

Level

Not given

Skills in the job text

SolidWorks

Posted

22 days ago

Last check

3 h ago

Job type

Hardware and robotics

The role

What you will do

In this role, you will

Own the mechanical architecture of PCBA test stations, including frames, board nests, datum schemes, access, guarding, ergonomics, and serviceability.
Design probe and bed-of-nails fixtures, connector-mating mechanisms, board supports, clamps, and interchangeable tooling for programming, functional test, and characterization.
Use first-principles analysis and simulation to assess stiffness, probe and insertion forces, board deflection, tolerance stacks, thermal growth, and fixture life; validate key predictions on hardware.
Develop locating and compliance features that accommodate board and assembly variation, protect components and solder joints, and preserve contact repeatability across loading cycles and board revisions.
Partner with electrical engineers on test-point access, probe selection, connector engagement, ESD provisions, cable routing, cooling, and interlocks; define motion and sequencing constraints with software and controls partners.
Build, assemble, instrument, and debug fixtures in the lab. Establish acceptance checks for alignment, force, board strain where needed, contact repeatability, and cycle life; separate fixture problems from board failures.
Design safe loading, pinch-point protection, hard stops, and operator access for manual or actuated fixtures. Make wear components easy to inspect, clean, and replace.
Manage fabrication partners and component vendors. Release CAD, drawings, bills of materials, tolerance analyses, assembly instructions, inspection plans, and maintenance procedures.
Own fixture deployment and acceptance at contract manufacturers, including assembly and alignment checks, correlation with lab fixtures, operator training, and troubleshooting. Support replication, board-revision changes, and maintenance through released documentation.

What success looks like

Deliver a reusable PCBA fixture that meets agreed alignment, contact, board-support, and loading requirements, with demonstrated repeatability and protection of the assembly under test.
Validate fixture wear and cycle life, identify sources of intermittent contact or board loading, and improve contact-related failures, changeover time, and serviceability against agreed targets.
Deploy and accept the fixture at a contract manufacturer with released CAD, drawings, inspection checks, assembly instructions, spare-parts information, and maintenance procedures that enable others to reproduce and sustain it.

Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics

The role

Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics

The role

The team

What you will do

In this role, you will

What success looks like

What you need

You might thrive in this role if you

Required qualifications

Nice to have

About OpenAI

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Company facts

OpenAI

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