--- title: 'Senior Mechanical Engineer (Battery and Docking Station) at Apptronik' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-battery-and-docking-station-apptronik-austin-qfmna3fch3tr' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Senior Mechanical Engineer (Battery and Docking Station) at Apptronik - **Company:** Apptronik - **Location:** Austin, TX - **Posted:** 2026-08-24 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6151537004?gh_jid=6151537004 ## 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 Applied 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 Apptronik is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer – Battery and Docking Station to lead the mechanical design and development of the battery system and autonomous docking infrastructure for our humanoid robot, Apollo. This role is responsible for delivering robust, manufacturable, and serviceable battery pack and docking station solutions that enable reliable charging, seamless battery integration, and long-term field performance. You will work across mechanical, electrical, controls, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams to develop products that operate safely and reliably in demanding real-world environments. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES - Battery System Design: Lead the mechanical design and integration of battery packs, enclosures, mounting systems, structural components, and service interfaces while meeting performance, safety, and manufacturability requirements. - Docking Station Development: Design autonomous docking stations, charging interfaces, alignment mechanisms, and structural assemblies that enable reliable robot charging and battery engagement under repeated use. - Mechanical Architecture: Define mechanical architectures for battery retention, thermal interfaces, sealing strategies, connector protection, and structural load paths throughout the battery and docking systems. - Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborate closely with Electrical, Controls, Systems, Firmware, and Software teams to ensure seamless integration between charging hardware, battery electronics, sensing, and robotic operation. - Analysis & Validation: Perform structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses to validate designs. Support prototype testing, root cause investigations, and design iterations using both simulation and physical testing. - Prototype Development: Build and evaluate prototypes through laboratory and field testing, identifying opportunities to improve durability, usability, and reliability. - DFM & Production Support: Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to optimize designs for production, assembly, cost, serviceability, and scalability. - Supplier Collaboration: Work directly with suppliers to develop components, review manufacturability, resolve technical issues, and qualify production-ready hardware. - Reliability & Safety: Ensure battery and docking systems meet safety, environmental, and reliability requirements through rigorous design reviews, testing, and validation. - Technical Leadership: Mentor junior engineers, establish mechanical design best practices, and drive engineering excellence across battery and charging hardware development. ## SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS - Mechanical Design Expertise: Strong experience designing precision mechanical assemblies using CAD (NX, or similar), including sheet metal, machined parts, castings, plastics, and structural assemblies. - Battery Hardware Knowledge: Experience developing battery enclosures, structural battery components, charging interfaces, connector systems, or power electronics packaging is highly preferred. - Engineering Analysis: Proficiency in tolerance analysis, and mechanical validation methods, with an understanding of thermal and structural considerations for battery systems. - Manufacturing Experience: Demonstrated success taking products from concept through prototype, validation, and production while working closely with suppliers and manufacturing teams. - Problem Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to balance performance, reliability, cost, manufacturability, and schedule. - Communication: Excellent cross-functional collaboration and technical communication skills. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE - Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field. - Experience: 6+ years of professional experience in mechanical design, with significant experience in battery design, packaging, charging systems, robotics, automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, or other complex electromechanical 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. ## About Apptronik ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity. - **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A) - **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence - Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations - Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain. ## Products & Services - **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated) - **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators. - **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot. - **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them. - **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market). - Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home. - Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo). - Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life. - **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential. - **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values. - **Perks & Benefits**: - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited) - 401k retirement plan - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage - Parental leave - Flexible work hours - Collaborative and innovative work environment - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment. - **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin). - **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7). ## Sources 1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage 2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission 3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture 4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings 5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown) ## Other roles at Apptronik - [Principal Robotics Machine Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-robotics-machine-learning-engineer-apptronik-austin-x92kzcwg7nyv) — Austin, TX - [Staff Simulation Architect - Core Simulation Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-simulation-architect-core-simulation-platform-apptronik-austin-117z0qakax2b) — Austin, TX - [Director, Product Learning & Development](https://feeny.ai/job/director-product-learning-development-apptronik-austin-tk6vhqnh31yt) — Austin, TX - [Global Fleet Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/global-fleet-operations-specialist-apptronik-austin-zwtj3ybk24q2) — Austin, TX - [Senior Software Engineer, ML Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-ml-infrastructure-apptronik-austin-18dndaxv44yc) — Austin, TX - [Staff Perception Hardware Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-perception-hardware-engineer-apptronik-austin-19bevj2req6r) — Austin, TX - [ECAD Librarian](https://feeny.ai/job/ecad-librarian-apptronik-austin-gyswfs07ryd6) — Austin, TX - [Staff Video Producer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-video-producer-apptronik-austin-18bpvt87c36w) — Austin, TX - [Senior System Integration Engineer (Soft Goods/Gloves/Grip)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-integration-engineer-soft-goods-gloves-grip-apptronik-austin-yfa57ybxj1f7) — Austin, TX - [Senior Electrical Engineer - Power](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-power-apptronik-austin-7h4k1bc0f1t1) — Austin, TX