Staff Test Engineer - Actuation

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 a Staff Test Engineer – Actuation to own the design validation and NPI test process for Apptronik's custom actuator systems. This is a hands-on, multi-disciplinary role spanning mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software testing — requiring someone who can independently drive actuator characterization and validation from initial bringup through design verification, and build the test methods and automation that transfer to test ops as programs move into production.

You will design and execute actuator test campaigns, develop robust bringup and calibration workflows, diagnose hardware issues across the full electromechanical stack, and deliver validated, well-documented test processes that are ready for handoff. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and controls engineers — connecting test data to root-cause analysis and hardware design improvements.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Actuator Bringup & Calibration: Lead the bringup process for new actuator hardware — including firmware deployment, motor and encoder calibration, and functional verification. Develop documented, repeatable procedures that can be transferred to test ops for production use. Design Validation Testing: Plan and execute design validation campaigns to characterize actuator performance across the operating envelope.

, positional accuracy, off-axis loading, effort production) domains. Test Method Development for Production: Design and validate the production test methods used during NPI — including test scripts, post-processing, pass/fail criteria, and operator documentation — then hand off to the test ops team with the tooling and training needed to run them at scale. Test Automation & Data Infrastructure: Build Python-based test automation, data pipelines, and analysis tools that enable repeatable, scalable validation across multiple actuator types and hardware revisions.

Test Equipment Operation: Operate and configure dynamometer, benchtop, and custom test setups. Manage fixture configurations and load motor modes across different actuator and gearbox variants. Cross-Stack Root-Cause Analysis: Diagnose actuator performance issues spanning firmware, electrical, and mechanical domains using structured, data-driven reasoning.

Provide clear, actionable feedback to design teams. System Identification: Apply system identification techniques to characterize actuator dynamics — including inertia, friction, bandwidth, and torque constant — providing data that supports both hardware validation and simulation fidelity. Collaboration & Reporting: Work closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and controls engineers.

Communicate test results, failure modes, and recommendations clearly to engineering and program leadership.

REQUIREMENTS

Required Qualifications

Direct hands-on experience testing and characterizing actuators, motors, or gearboxes — including operation of dynamometer or motor test stand systems. Experience with motor bringup and calibration workflows, with enough firmware and electrical fluency to diagnose calibration and drive faults independently.