Embedded Hardware Engineer

MAKIINA; Tampere; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Competitive salary

Job summary

MAKIINA is a Tampere-based startup building the hardware and software stack for physical intelligence, designing modular, low-cost robotics components. In this hands-on role you will design PCBs for actuator and motor controllers, bring prototypes from schematic to bench, and work with the SMT production line and soldering iron, on-site at Tampere facilities.

This role requires proven PCB design experience, firmware knowledge (C/C++, STM32 or similar), and care for compact, dense layouts, noise,

Qualifications

• Proven hands-on PCB design experience with real boards you designed, built, and debugged.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop PCBs for robotic actuators, motor controllers, sensor units, and power management systems.
• Optimise layouts for performance, size, thermals, supply chain, and cost within robot constraints.
• Implement high-power delivery, battery management, and charging circuits.
• Bring up, test, and validate your designs, and debug hardware on the bench.
• Debug and troubleshoot hardware issues and improve design/manufacturing processes with the team.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions.

Skills

PCB design

Altium Designer

C/C++ firmware

Power delivery

Signal integrity

Schematic to layout

Ownership & initiative

Education

Electrical Engineering (BSc/MSc)

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

MAKIINA is building the hardware and software stack for physical intelligence: modular, low-cost, scalable, and made in Finland.

From drone motors, actuators, power electronics, sensor units, perception stacks, to a breakthrough AI robotics foundation model, each piece is built like LEGO blocks so they fit together into different form factors of physical AI agents, affordably and at scale.

We are a Tampere (Finland) based startup, with a very healthy funding base.

Role Description

You will design and manufacture the electronics that make our parts and systems communicate and move. PCBs for actuator and motor controllers, closed-loop drive electronics, sensor interfaces, power delivery, battery management and charging systems.

This is a hands-on role. You take a board from schematic through layout to a working prototype on your bench, bring it up yourself, and debug it with a scope in hand. You will work with the SMT production line, as well as the good-old soldering iron. This role is full time on-site at our Tampere facilities.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop PCBs for robotic actuators, motor controllers, sensor units, and power management systems.
• Optimise layouts for performance, size, thermals, supply chain, and cost within the constraints of a robot.
• Implement high-power delivery, battery management, and charging circuits.
• Bring up, test, and validate your own designs, and make sure they hold up outside the lab bench.
• Debug and troubleshoot hardware issues, and improve our design and manufacturing processes, together with the team.
• Contribute to system architecture decisions.

Required Qualifications

• Proven, hands-on PCB design experience, with real boards you have designed, built, and debugged yourself.
• Scrappy, high-agency, and a fast learner.
• Focus on power delivery, motor control, and sensor integration.
• Proficiency in ECAD tools such as Altium Designer or similar.
• Experience with compact, dense PCB designs and closed-loop control systems.
• Solid grasp of electrical noise, signal integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC design considerations.
• Ability to move fast, initiate solutions, and take ownership.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• Vocational qualification, Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Embedded Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. We care more about what you have built than about which certificate you hold.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous domain experience with robotic systems, mechatronics, or motor controllers.
• Knowledge of BLDC motors, FOC, encoders, and actuator design.
• Ability to write and debug embedded firmware (C/C++, STM32 or similar), and comfort working across the hardware and software boundary.
• Understanding of rapid prototyping methods, including SLS or similar additive manufacturing.
• Familiarity with safety standards, compliance, and best practices in electrical systems.
• Proficiency in Finnish is a plus.

What We Offer

• Ability to have impact and a strong growth trajectory in cutting-edge AI-driven robotics.
• A well-equipped labs and manufacturing facilities where you can design a board, get it built, and have it running in a robot without leaving the building.
• Competitive salary and stock options.