Automation Hardware Development Engineer

- 4+ years of working in mechanical engineering or equivalent experience
- Experience with prototyping and implementation
- Experience in the design of complex mechanical products and equipment at volume
- Knowledge of industry standards and regulatory requirements

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The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, MA, Westborough - 117,300.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
USA, OH, Cincinnati - 117,300.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
USA, TN, Nashville - 111,500.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
USA, TX, Austin - 117,300.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Bellevue - 117,300.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
Amazon’s Material Handling Engineering team is seeking a Hardware Development Engineer (HDE) to help define, design, and deliver the next generation of material handling equipment across our global distribution network. You will play a critical role in developing mechanical, electrical, and control solutions—working both independently and in collaboration with third-party OEM partners.

This role requires a balance of deep technical expertise, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to translate business and operational needs into robust, scalable engineering solutions. You will work at the intersection of R&D, product development, and operations, challenging the status quo of traditional conveyance, sortation, and robotics solutions.


Key job responsibilities
- Design, develop, and validate hardware solutions for Amazon’s next-generation material handling systems.
- Translate ambiguous business problems into clear technical requirements and engineering solutions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional partners (operations, procurement, global engineering, and launch teams) to ensure successful product delivery.
- Lead the design-for-manufacturing, assembly, installation, and maintenance processes to ensure long-term scalability.
- Evaluate and integrate OEM hardware solutions; identify gaps and lead in-house design where required.
- Build prototypes, conduct testing, and analyze results to validate performance, safety, and reliability.
- Author technical specifications, design documents, and test plans.
- Champion data-driven decision making, ensuring technical trade-offs are well-documented and communicated.
- Manage risk through proactive identification and mitigation strategies.
- Stay current with emerging technologies in automation, robotics, and industrial equipment.


Basic qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering, robotics engineering, or an equivalent engineering science
• 5+ years of hardware engineering experience designing, building, and testing automation/mechatronics/robotics products
• Significant experience using SolidWorks
• Knowledge of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools
• Experience in hardware design and validation of components, subsystems and systems
• Experience managing external vendors, distributors, partners or learning providers
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and effective communication abilities
• Experience completing complex tasks quickly with little to no guidance and react with appropriate urgency to situations that require a quick turnaround

Preferred qualifications
• Experience in the design of complex mechanical products and equipment at volume
• Experience and strong technical background in relevant fields of automated or non-automated material handling equipment
• Familiarity with robotics, conveyance, or sortation systems
• Knowledge of industry standards and regulatory requirements





About the team
Amazon installs a significant quantity of new buildings every year. The historical model has been to allow each integrator to use their own equipment, controls, subsystems, and methodologies. While that has allowed Amazon to be successful to this point, the variability between buildings has proven difficult to support and scale. One MHS’ charge is to build partnerships to focus on consistency and scalability across our network of the future. We will be partnering with key suppliers to help them scale up their manufacturing capabilities to keep up with our needs, as well as refining their designs to drive innovation and operational uptime and better meet the specific needs of Amazon’s operational environment.