Staff Systems Engineer - Dexterity
Company: Apptronik
Location: Austin
Posted on: April 1, 2026
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Job Description:
Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing
AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our
flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate
thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as
manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in
healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of
embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack
to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a
team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the
complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass
production to change the world for the better. JOB SUMMARY We are
seeking an experienced Staff Systems Engineer to to own the
end-to-end architecture, integration, and lifecycle of our
next-generation dexterous humanoid robot hands. This role sits at
the intersection of mechanical design, embedded systems, sensing,
controls, and software integration. You will be responsible for
defining system requirements, driving cross-functional execution,
and ensuring that our humanoid hands meet performance, reliability,
safety, and manufacturability targets. This is a high-impact role
with ownership from concept through deployment. If you thrive in a
fast-paced environment, with a successful track record of leading
engineering design verification and product validation of
electro-mechanical products, we’d love to speak with you. This
position requires deep experience in robotics systems design,
scaling complex systems, and the ability to balance technical
vision with pragmatic execution. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES Define and maintain
system-level requirements and specifications. Develop and manage
system architecture for dexterous humanoid hands (mechanical,
electrical, sensing, actuation, firmware, controls). Drive
interface definitions between hand hardware and higher-level robot
control systems. Perform trade studies across performance, weight,
cost, manufacturability, and reliability. Lead system integration
efforts across hardware, firmware, and control stacks. Develop
verification and validation (V&V) plans and test protocols.
Define performance benchmarks (force control, grip strength,
dexterity, tactile feedback, latency, thermal limits). Partner with
mechanical, electrical, embedded, controls, AI, and manufacturing
teams. Lead Systems requirement definition and integration across
all hardware, sensing, compute, power management and distribution,
EE architecture, capabilities, and operator interfaces. Design for
real-time performance, fault tolerance, and reliability in a
production environment Coordinate prototype builds and design
reviews. Support supplier selection and qualification for
actuators, sensors, and precision components. Support compliance,
safety standards, and field deployment readiness. Design and
develop requirements for real-time monitoring, data logging and
remote diagnostics for production scale robot fleets Drive and
support root cause failure analysis and fault recovery mechanism to
enhance uptime and performance SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS Deep
experience in designing and scaling complex hardware systems for
real-time, high-DOF robotics applications. Strong understanding of
Precision actuation (BLDC, tendon-driven systems, harmonic drives,
etc.), Embedded systems and real-time control, Sensor integration
(tactile, force/torque, encoders) and Closed-loop control systems
Excellent cross-functional communication skills. Experience with
dexterous manipulation systems or anthropomorphic robotic hands.
Background in tactile sensing, impedance control, or compliant
actuation. Experience taking robotic hardware from prototype to
production. Knowledge of safety standards for collaborative
robotics. Strong grasp of robotics architecture patterns,
perception, sensing, actuation, kinematics and dynamics. Strong
background in systems architecture, human machine interface design
and experience with reliability engineering, including logging,
telemetry, debugging, and automated test frameworks. Knowledge of
communications protocols, perception (camera) systems, tactile
(touch) sensing and their implementation and application in
robotics and robotic manipulation Familiarity with human grasp
taxonomies and principles of robotic manipulation Well-informed on
state-of-the-art in Machine Learning and its applications in
robotics controls and robotics manipulation Collaborative,
communicative, and motivated by leading a tight knit team of expert
engineers Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity in an R&D
focused environment EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree
in engineering. Master’s and / or PhD degree in engineering
preferred. 10 years in systems and/or software engineering with at
least 5 in complex robotics systems or autonomous systems
Demonstrated experience owning system-level architecture of robotic
or mechatronic products. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Prolonged periods of
sitting at a desk and working on a computer Must be able to lift 15
pounds at times. Vision to read printed materials and a computer
screen. Hearing and speech to communicate. *This is a direct hire.
Please, no outside Agency solicitations. Apptronik provides equal
employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for
employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type
without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin,
disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other
characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Keywords: Apptronik, San Marcos , Staff Systems Engineer - Dexterity, Engineering , Austin, Texas
