Senior Mechanical Engineer – Thermal Simulation & Analysis

Senior Mechanical Engineer – Thermal Simulation & Analysis

Austin, TX

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.

The Senior Mechanical Engineer – Thermal Simulation & Analysis is responsible for designing and optimizing thermal systems for Apptronik's humanoid robot, Apollo. This role focuses on solving complex thermal challenges across actuators, embedded compute, and battery systems within tightly constrained robotic architectures. The engineer will own major subsystems, contribute to system-level design decisions, and ensure thermal performance meets safety, reliability, and operational requirements.

Design and develop thermal management solutions (passive and active) for actuators, compute systems, and battery packs

Build and execute CFD and heat transfer simulations to guide design decisions

Perform transient thermal analysis for dynamic robot operation and varying duty cycles

Collaborate cross-functionally with mechanical, electrical, and controls teams to integrate thermal solutions

Supports test plan creation by identifying critical thermal scenarios from CFD and transient models and defining corresponding instrumentation and test procedures

Mentor junior level engineers and act as the technical escalation point for hardest problems

Correlate simulation results with physical test data and refine models accordingly

Contribute to material selection (TIMs, heat spreaders, alloys) balancing performance, weight, and cost

Develop and document thermal design guidelines and best practices

Strong proficiency in CFD tools (e.g., Ansys Icepak, Fluent, or similar)

Solid understanding of heat transfer principles: conduction, convection, and radiation

Experience with transient thermal modeling and real-world duty cycles

Ability to perform first-order thermal calculations to guide design decisions

Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills

Experience working with physical hardware and test environments

Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering or related field

At least 5–8 years of experience in thermal design and simulation for electromechanical systems

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

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.