Senior Hardware Engineer, Robotics
Robust.ai · San Carlos, CA · onsite
USD 160,000 to 200,000 · period not stated
Senior Electrical Engineer, Robotics
About you and this role
Robust AI is a fast-growing, early-stage startup founded in 2019 by an unsurpassed team of veterans in robotics, AI, and business. We are a collaborative group with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, seeking talented individuals who are just as excited about robotics and AI as we are! Help us redefine the very foundation of robotics and build robots that are smart, collaborative, robust, safe, flexible, and genuinely autonomous.
As a Senior Electrical Engineer at Robust AI, you will join a small, fast-paced team designing and deploying the next generation of warehouse robotic systems. You’ll own schematic capture and board layout for custom PCBs, get your hands dirty debugging and bringing up hardware on our current robot fleet, and help inform the design of our next-generation robot. You thrive in ambiguity, move quickly, and are comfortable wearing multiple hats — the kind of engineer who’s happiest when a scope, a soldering iron, and a stack of datasheets are all within arm’s reach. You’re excited about seeing robots deployed at scale, and you can pivot effectively as priorities shift in an early-stage startup environment.
Main responsibilities:
- Design, prototype, and iterate custom PCBs for the robot, from schematic capture through board layout
- Hands-on bring-up, debugging, and testing of electrical hardware on our current robot fleet
- Collaborate with the team to formulate electrical architecture and inform next-generation robot design
- Generate design documentation and lead design reviews
- Conduct bench modifications and rapid hardware prototyping to unblock development
- Engage with cross-functional engineering team members (mechanical, firmware, software) to fulfill and enhance performance requirements while optimizing hardware/firmware interfaces
- Support firmware integration, testing, and debugging alongside the firmware team as needed
- Work directly with fab houses and contract manufacturers to take boards from prototype through production
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent
- 5+ years of experience in electrical/hardware engineering
- Strong electrical and embedded systems fundamentals
- Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout (Altium preferred)
- Proven track record of releasing boards to production, with designs that meet EMC compliance requirements
- Hands-on experience debugging complex electromechanical hardware with tools such as scopes, logic analyzers, and DMMs
- Familiarity with communication protocols such as USB, I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, etc.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment and able to pivot effectively as priorities change
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and cross-functional audiences
Preferred qualifications (bonus):
- Firmware development in C
- Python scripting and comfort working in Linux environments
- Proficiency with microcontrollers, preferably the STM32 family
- Familiarity with BLDC motors and motor control
- Background in robotic or mechatronic systems
What we offer:
- Base pay between $160,000 and $200,000, depending on your skills, qualifications, and experience
- Stock options and huge potential for growth
- Strong startup (and fun) culture
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Flexible vacation and sick leave practices
- Paid parental leave
Robust AI fosters a culture of belonging and a shared commitment to equality and equity. Having a diverse set of perspectives is key to ensuring AI and robotics serve the needs of all.