Principal Robotics Hardware Engineer

Location: Tokyo, Japan; hybrid workplace

Company

hirify.global develops humanoid robots and related hardware systems.

What you will do

• Resolve complex robot hardware problems where requirements, root causes, or solutions are unclear.
• Define constraints, form hypotheses from first principles, and plan and execute prototypes, measurements, and experiments.
• Design mechanical system architectures, key interfaces, and performance allocations for robots and data-collection systems.
• Own hardware development from prototyping and assembly through evaluation, unit production, and ongoing operation.
• Investigate failures and validate performance, reliability, maintainability, and the effectiveness of countermeasures.
• Provide technical leadership, design reviews, mentoring, and cross-team decision-making on critical robot-system issues.

Requirements

• 7+ years of hands-on experience combining mechanism, drive-system, materials, strength, stiffness, tolerancing, quantitative analysis, and physical validation.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD, technical drawings, design for manufacturing and assembly, hands-on assembly, evaluation, and failure analysis.
• Experience developing robots, mechatronic systems, or complex mechanical equipment from concept through physical-hardware evaluation.
• Understanding of sensors, actuators, electrical components, wiring, and thermal-management constraints, with the ability to work across electrical, controls, and software disciplines.
• Experience solving unprecedented technical problems through hypotheses, prototyping, experiments, and concrete validation.
• Ability to conduct technical discussions and negotiations with domestic and international suppliers and collaborate in English.

Nice to have

• Experience with end effectors, actuators, robot arms, robot hands, or Leader/Follower teleoperation systems.
• Experience with motion mapping, force and position measurement, calibration, haptics, tactile sensors, compliant mechanisms, or compact power transmission.
• Experience developing hardware and data-collection systems for imitation learning or reinforcement learning.
• Experience selecting or developing reducers, motors, encoders, bearings, and other actuator components.
• Experience scaling research-stage technology to approximately 100–1,000 production units, including variation, calibration, and maintenance resolution.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid workplace in Tokyo.
• Fast-paced, highly goal-oriented working environment.
• Autonomous ownership of technical problems and responsibility for making the complete robot work.
• Collaboration with domestic and international suppliers and specialists across mechanical, electrical, controls, and software disciplines.