Principal Gear

Amazon is seeking a Principal Gear & Gearbox Manufacturing Engineer to serve as our technical authority for precision gear and gearbox manufacturing across advanced electromechanical systems. You will own gear manufacturing strategy end-to-end — cutting, grinding, heat treatment, finishing, and assembly — with deep expertise in the interplay between micro-geometry, material behavior, and NVH performance for precision actuators. You will define our technical standards, drive supplier and equipment decisions, shape product architecture for manufacturability, and lead our gear manufacturing engineering discipline. This role requires someone with mastery of precision gear production, established industry relationships, and the ability to
operate as both a hands-on technical expert and a strategic manufacturing leader.

Key job responsibilities
Technical Authority & Engineering Leadership
- Serve as principal technical authority on all gear manufacturing decisions from material selection through final quality verification
- Own end-to-end gear and gearbox manufacturing strategy: gear cutting (hobbing, shaping, skiving), grinding, heat treatment, finishing (lapping, honing, superfinishing), and gearbox assembly
- Define manufacturing standards and identify capability requirements.
- Set technical standards and best practices for the gear manufacturing team
Supplier Ecosystem & Industry Partnerships
- Establish strategic partnerships with gear machine tool OEMs, cutting tool suppliers, heat treatment providers, metrology equipment vendors, and contract gear manufacturers
- Drive supplier selection, qualification, and performance management
- Negotiate technical requirements, capacity commitments, and quality standards with supplier leadership

Production Engineering & Process Development
- Own gear manufacturing portion of production facility design: equipment selection, process flow, thermal management, automation strategy, and layout
- Define specifications and lead procurement of gear hobbing/grinding machines, heat treatment furnaces, metrology systems, and assembly equipment
- Manage supplier partnerships and production sourcing strategy

Design Influence & Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with hardware engineering from concept through production on DFM/DFA specific to gears (macro/micro geometry, tooth modifications,
material selection, tolerance stack-ups, cost tradeoffs)
- Influence product architecture for manufacturability, gear quality grade, NVH performance, and supply chain resilience
- Establish design guidelines and manufacturing constraints that enable scalable product development
Process Development & Technical Problem Solving
- Drive process development and optimization for precision actuator gears: cutting parameters, heat treatment profiles, grinding strategies, finishing sequences
- Solve critical manufacturing challenges — distortion control, surface integrity, micro-geometry compliance, NVH root cause analysis
- Establish process parameters, inspection criteria, and quality control methods for high-precision gears (AGMA/DIN quality grades)
- Manage multi-supplier gear manufacturing programs from concept through production
- Create process specifications, PFMEA, control plans, and manufacturing standards

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
- 10+ years in precision gear and/or gearbox manufacturing engineering in production environments (automotive, aerospace, precision electromechanical, power transmission, or similar)
- Track record as a technical leader solving complex gear manufacturing problems and driving engineering excellence
- Deep expertise across gear cutting, heat treatment metallurgy, finishing operations, and gear metrology
- Experience building strategic supplier relationships at engineering leadership levels
- Experience influencing product design through DFM/DFA and cross-functional collaboration
- Strong background in equipment selection and manufacturing process optimization
- Ability to lead technical initiatives across multiple organizations without direct authority
- Experience with CAD software and gear design/analysis tools (KISSsoft, ROMAX, or similar)
- Expert knowledge of GD&T, gear metrology (profile, lead, pitch, runout), and SPC

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Master's degree or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field
- Experience across multiple gear types (spur, helical, bevel, worm, planetary/epicyclic, harmonic/strain wave)
- Deep expertise in gear NVH and the relationship between manufacturing process, micro-geometry, and noise performance
- Familiarity with powder metallurgy gears, gear skiving, hard finishing, or additive