Senior Embedded Linux Engineer

Gravis Robotics; Zürich; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Gravis Robotics is hiring a senior embedded platform engineer to own the software layer closest to hardware. You will oversee bootloader, kernel, device tree, rootfs, and update mechanisms across multiple machines in real environments.

You will collaborate with Hardware, Firmware, Autonomy, and Perception teams to bring up new boards and ensure robust, secure operation with OTA updates and CI/CD pipelines. English proficiency is required.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, CS, or related field.
• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (Thor, Orin, Xavier, Nano or equivalent) and JetPack/L4T.
• Deep knowledge of Linux kernel internals: drivers, device tree, memory management, scheduling.
• Experience with custom hardware bring-up: pin muxing, clock configuration, regulator control, PCIe, USB, I2C, SPI, UART, CSI, Ethernet.
• Strong understanding of circuit diagrams and digital electronics.
• Self-driven, able to own fast-moving startup projects.
• Good English (written and spoken) is a must.

Responsibilities

• Own the embedded Linux platform end-to-end: bootloader, kernel, device tree, rootfs.
• Bring up new hardware with electrical engineers and achieve first power-up to customer-ready boot.
• Write and maintain kernel drivers that connect sensors to the autonomy stack.
• Be the low-level link between hardware and software teams; distinguish driver bugs from hardware faults.
• Drive OTA update and recovery strategy for machines worldwide.
• Set up and maintain CI/CD pipelines for kernel, bootloader, and userspace images.
• Implement security hardening: secure boot, disk encryption, container isolation, vulnerability patching.

Skills

Self-driven

English proficiency

Hardware-software boundary

Analytical debugging

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

NVIDIA Jetson platforms

JetPack/L4T

CI/CD tooling

JTAG/oscilloscope/logic analyzers

Job description

Gravis Robotics is a high-growth Series A start-up backed by SoftBank, bringing Physical AI to the construction industry, turning heavy construction machines into autonomous robots.

Gravis began as an ETH Zurich spin-out, and our unique combination of learning-based automation and augmented remote control lets one operator safely conduct a fleet of earthmoving machines in a gamified environment.

Backed by deep robotics research and now deployed across multiple countries with leading construction and equipment partners, our team is rapidly growing to bring this technology to a trillion-dollar industry.

About The Role

At Gravis, we build high tech systems that give machine operators super human capabilities. To adapt in real time to changes in the environment the Gravis Rack fuses data from LiDAR, cameras, GNSS, and hydraulics into an autonomous control system. All of it runs on Linux, on compute hardware we design ourselves, bolted to the roof of a machine that vibrates, overheats, and regularly loses network coverage.

As a senior engineer focused on the embedded platform, you will own the software layer closest to that hardware: bootloader, kernel, device tree, root filesystem, and the update mechanism that keeps the fleet current. You will work at the intersection of our Hardware, Firmware, Autonomy, and Perception teams to bring up new boards alongside the engineers who designed them, then hand the software organization a platform they can build on without thinking about it. When something fails on site and nobody can yet say whether it's a driver or a solder joint, you are the person who finds out.

What You’ll Do

• Own the embedded Linux platform from end to end: bootloader, kernel, device tree and rootfs.
• Bring up new hardware alongside electrical engineers. Take our boards from first power-up to a boot you’d trust on a customer site.
• Write and maintain the kernel drivers that connect the Rack’s sensors to the autonomy stack
• Be the low level link between hardware and software teams; the person who can tell a driver bug from a hardware fault.
• Drive our OTA update and recovery strategy for machines around the world
• Set up and maintain CI/CD pipelines for kernel, bootloader, and userspace images.
• Implement security hardening: secure boot, disk encryption, container isolation, vulnerability patching.

What we're looking for

• Degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, CS, or related field.
• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (Thor, Orin, Xavier, Nano or equivalent) and JetPack/L4T ecosystem.
• Deep knowledge of Linux kernel internals: device drivers, device tree, interrupt handling, memory management, scheduling.
• Experience with custom hardware bring-up: pin muxing, clock configuration, regulator control, PCIe, USB, I2C, SPI, UART, CSI, Ethernet.
• Strong understanding of circuit diagrams and digital electronics.
• Self-driven, able to take full ownership in a fast-moving startup.
• Good English (written and spoken) is a must.

Bonus Qualifications

• Yocto, Buildroot, nixOS or bootc experience for custom embedded distributions.
• Power, thermal, or performance optimization on resource-constrained SoCs.
• Familiar with CI/CD, Git, and automated build/deployment processes.
• Know how to use debugging tools like JTAG, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
• Experience with the design, implementation and documentation of safety critical firmware
• Robotics experience, especially with middleware e.g. iceoryx2 or DDS

This is an opportunity to join a dynamic, multidisciplinary team and to be part of a company that is reshaping heavy construction.

Gravis is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team, and do not discriminate based on race, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, gender expression, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.