Lead Prototype Engineer

Humanoid
Boston, MA
On-site

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have hands-on electrical engineering experience in robotics and prior leadership in technical teams.

Best fit for

  • Individuals who thrive in high-velocity, high-ambiguity startup settings and can adapt to shifting priorities
    — “Comfortable in a high-velocity, high-ambiguity startup setting where priorities shift fast”
  • Candidates with a history of defining and enforcing test procedures and troubleshooting guides
    — “Define, maintain, and enforce test procedures, troubleshooting guides, and repair runbooks”

Things to consider

  • The role requires a strong commitment to in-person work in Boston, MA
    — “For this role in Massachusetts, the expected base salary range is $150K–$200K USD per year”
  • This position involves balancing people management with hands-on technical work
    — “Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers or technicians, formally or as a technical lead”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience with electrical bring-up and complex system troubleshooting in your resume and interviews
    — “Own electrical bring-up of new prototype builds, including power distribution, motor drive and actuator electronics”
  • Emphasize your ability to document and communicate technical processes and lessons learned clearly
    — “Track record of communicating concisely through documentation, procedures, test plans, diagnostics, and lessons learned”
  • Showcase your leadership in growing and mentoring technical teams, with specific examples
    — “Lead, mentor, and develop a team of prototype engineers and technicians”
  • Include experience with low-voltage power and mixed-signal circuits in your technical background
    — “Deep working knowledge of low-voltage power and mixed-signal circuits”
  • Demonstrate your ability to collaborate across electrical, mechanical, and software domains effectively
    — “Adept at collaborating across electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries to solve urgent, ambiguous problems”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • led and developed a team of prototype engineers
  • troubleshooted complex electrical issues
  • collaborated with cross-functional teams
Typical background
strong hands-on electrical engineering backgroundexperience leading or mentoring engineers

Skills & requirements

Required

Electrical EngineeringRoboticsTroubleshootingTeam LeadershipProcess ImprovementTest Procedures

Preferred

Humanoid RoboticsRapid Prototyping

Stack & domain

Electrical EngineeringRapid PrototypingDebugging Custom HardwareTroubleshooting Complex Electrical SystemsPower DistributionMotor DrivesSensor IntegrationCommunications BusesElectromechanical IntegrationsTest ProceduresTroubleshooting GuidesRepair RunbooksCable AssembliesWiring HarnessesTest JigsLab PlanningResource AllocationToolingEquipmentSparesContinuous ImprovementDowntime ReductionTest And Repair EfficiencyFirst-pass YieldManufacturabilityFeedback LoopsStatus CommunicationRisk ManagementLessons LearnedLeadershipMentoringTeamworkCommunicationCollaborationRoboticsAI

About the role

Original posting from Humanoid via Ashby

Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 - our rapidly developed humanoid platform being deployed in real industrial environments - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Lead Prototype Engineer on the Core Platform team, you will lead and grow a team of prototype engineers and technicians while staying hands-on at the bench. You’ll set the technical standard for how we build, diagnose, and evolve advanced humanoid robotic platforms. Your focus is electrical integration, bring-up, and root-cause analysis across the full hardware lifecycle, from concept and prototyping to field repair. You’ll emphasize reliability and repeatable processes.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of prototype engineers and technicians. Set priorities, allocate work, and raise the team’s technical and process standards.
  • Stay hands-on: personally drive troubleshooting and resolution of the most complex electrical issues in prototype humanoid robots, across operational and in-development systems. Lead detailed failure analysis and share learnings with hardware and software engineering teams.
  • Own electrical bring-up of new prototype builds, including power distribution, motor drive and actuator electronics, sensor integration, communications buses, and high-density electromechanical integrations.
  • Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, firmware, and software engineers on prototype design, assembly, and design-for-test.
  • Define, maintain, and enforce test procedures, troubleshooting guides, and repair runbooks for the prototyping lab, and make sure the team follows them.
  • Design, document, and iterate on cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, and test jigs built for repeated use on dynamic robotic platforms.
  • Own lab planning and priorities: build schedules, resource allocation, tooling, equipment, and spares. Balance competing demands from multiple engineering teams.
  • Identify and drive continuous improvement in processes and products, reducing downtime, improving test and repair efficiency, and raising first-pass yield and manufacturability.
  • Build strong feedback loops across design, build, and test, and communicate status, risks, and lessons learned to engineering leadership.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • Strong, hands-on electrical engineering background in rapid prototyping, debugging custom hardware, and troubleshooting complex electrical systems in robotics or similar domains.
  • Deep working knowledge of low-voltage power and mixed-signal circuits, motor drives, connectors, sensors, and compact electromechanical systems. You are comfortable using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, and other bench instrumentation to diagnose faults.
  • Experience reading schematics and PCB layouts, performing board-level rework and repair, and designing or specifying harnesses and cable assemblies.
  • Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers or technicians, formally or as a technical lead. You are comfortable taking on direct reports and balancing people management with hands-on work.
  • Track record of communicating concisely through documentation, procedures, test plans, diagnostics, and lessons learned.
  • Adept at collaborating across electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries to solve urgent, ambiguous problems. Mechanical prototyping skills are a plus.
  • Comfortable in a high-velocity, high-ambiguity startup setting where priorities shift fast.

Preferred:

  • Experience designing for manufacturability and reliability in human-sized or mobile robotics.
  • Familiarity with automated test and diagnostic tools used in modern hardware labs.
  • Experience building or scaling a prototyping or field engineering team, including hiring and setting up lab processes.
  • Mechanical assembly and integration experience alongside strong electrical skills.

WHAT WE OFFER

  • Comprehensive health coverage for US‑based employees, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with virtual care and employee assistance resources.
  • Meaningful time off to rest and recharge: 23 days of PTO (accrued), separate sick leave, and paid company holidays.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with 4% employer match.
  • Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.
  • Free daily catered lunch, snacks, and drinks in‑office.
  • Collaboration with top‑tier engineers, researchers, and product experts in AI and robotics.
  • Freedom to influence the product and own key initiatives.

For this role in Massachusetts, the expected base salary range is $150K–$200K USD per year; your placement in that range depends on how your experience maps to our internal leveling.

Source: Humanoid careers (Ashby)

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