Mechanical Design Engineer: Robotics Hardware Engineering, Surfacing

At Meta, we're building the future of human connection and the technology that enables it. This means continuously inventing and developing technologies for the next generation of experiences. To continue our efforts in the path to AGI, and as we move closer to a future with intelligent robots and advanced AI models, we're hiring talent across a broad range of disciplines from robotics hardware to system software, machine perception, and artificial intelligence. These crucial projects and initiatives taken on by this team have never been done before, so you have a rare opportunity to help us create new ways people connect around the world. The Meta Robotics Hardware team is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer focused on Robot Design with expertise in both advanced complex surface modeling and design for safety to exist between mechanical and industrial design teams. You will own the mechanical design of structural components, impact-attenuating structures, and human-contact surfaces — ensuring every external element of the product is both aesthetically refined and engineered to protect people during interaction. This role requires someone equally comfortable running crush-force calculations and building Class-A surfacing in CAD. This role will be part of a ME team responsible for concept development, analytical modeling, prototype design, first article build, fabrication, vendor management, and testing. Candidates should be comfortable working in a high ambiguity, fast paced environment where full system requirements are seldom known. This team is dedicated to building hardware that enables learning through data collection and system testing.

Responsibilities

• Translate industrial design intent (from ID models, renderings, and printed busts) into CAD geometry with complex, multi-patch surface construction
• Build and maintain Class-A and high-quality B-surface models for exterior robot panels, covers, and housings using advanced surfacing techniques (G2/G3 continuity, multi-span lofts, curvature-matched blends)
• Manage the tension between aesthetic design intent, safety, structural, thermal, and manufacturing feasibility — negotiate changes that satisfy all three
• Develop parametric surfacing strategies that allow rapid iteration on form while preserving engineering constraints (wall thickness, draft, undercut limits, parting lines)
• Define and enforce safe-by-design guidelines: minimum edge radii, maximum surface hardness, breakaway/compliant panel strategies, and finger/limb entrapment gap standards
• Design protective structures that limit contact force and pressure to safe thresholds during intended and unintended human-robot interaction
• Own the mechanical safety architecture of the humanoid platform — exterior shells, padding systems, compliant covers, pinch-point elimination, and edge-radius standards
• Conduct and maintain risk assessments (per ISO 10218, ISO/TS 15066, and emerging collaborative/humanoid robot safety standards) to identify hazards from moving parts, contact forces, and entrapment geometries
• Perform hand calculations and FEA for impact, crush, and pinch scenarios; define material and geometry requirements that bound contact forces within safety limits
• Collaborate with controls and firmware teams to ensure mechanical safety features complement electronic safety systems (force limiting, collision detection, safe stop)
• Support safety certification efforts — prepare design evidence packages, test plans, and compliance documentation for regulatory submissions
• Investigate and resolve safety-related findings from testing, user studies, and hazard reviews
• Define and enforce surface quality standards: curvature continuity specs, reflection line criteria, and acceptable deviation from design intent
• Work closely with DFMA engineers and molding vendors to ensure complex surfaces are manufacturable via injection molding, thermoforming, or composite layup — resolving draft, undercut, and flow challenges
• Generate and manage scan-to-CAD workflows when iterating from physical models or prototypes
• Produce rendered visualizations and surface analysis outputs (zebra stripes, curvature combs, deviation maps) to communicate design quality to stakeholders
• Partner with industrial designers to jointly develop forms that are safe, beautiful, and buildable
• Collaborate with mechanical design engineers on structural integration — mounting, sealing, cable routing, and serviceability behind exterior panels
• Work with materials engineers on surface material selection: soft-touch elastomers, impact-absorbing foams, rigid plastics, and fabric/textile outers
• Support user research and human factors teams with physical mock-ups and rapid prototypes for ergonomic and safety validation

Minimum Qualifications

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering or relevant field
• 8+ years of mechanical design experience with significant work in complex surface modeling
• Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks, NX, or CREO, Rhino)
• Working knowledge of CNC machining processes — understanding of fixturing, tool access, setup minimization, and achievable tolerances
• Experience with rapid prototyping manufacturing processes and materials
• Experience designing exterior enclosures or covers for electromechanical products with high aesthetic standards
• Working knowledge of mechanical safety principles — contact force limits, entrapment hazards, edge/radius requirements, and energy-absorbing material systems
• Familiarity with injection molding, thermoforming, or composite manufacturing as it relates to complex-geometry parts
• Ability to interpret and apply GD&T for sculptural parts with compound curvature
• Strong collaboration skills — comfortable working at the intersection of industrial design, mechanical engineering, and safety
• Experience managing time-sensitive projects through to completion while balancing evolving priorities and a broad range of stakeholders
• Experience in tolerance analysis, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T per ASME Y14.5)
• Experience in Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence design decisions across multidisciplinary teams
• Background in high-mix/low-volume transitioning to mid-volume production environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with robotic systems — BLDC motors, actuators, gearboxes, linkage mechanisms
• MS in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, or related discipline
• Background in impact biomechanics or human injury tolerance thresholds (e.g., pain onset, bruising limits per ISO/TS 15066 body model)
• Experience with Autodesk Alias or ICEM Surf for Class-A surface development
• Familiarity with soft robotics materials — silicone skins, TPU, EVA foams, viscoelastic padding
• Experience with physical prototyping methods for form validation: CNC foam milling, 3D printing, vacuum forming
• Background in consumer electronics, automotive interiors, medical devices, or wearables where safety and surface quality are co-equal requirements
• Knowledge of FEA for non-linear contact and soft material deformation (Abaqus, LS-DYNA, or similar)
• Experience in thermal management
• Familiarity with statistical tolerance analysis and process capability (Cp/Cpk)
• Experience with additional manufacturing processes: sheet metal, additive manufacturing, anodizing, and plating
• Experience with PLM/PDM systems (Teamcenter, Solidworks PDM, Windchill, or similar)
• Experience writing a clear failure report that a cross-functional team can act on