Senior Hardware Engineer

Meril; Vapi; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Meril is seeking an experienced Embedded Hardware Engineer for its Humanoid Robotics R&D team. You will design, develop, prototype, test, debug, and validate embedded electronic hardware used in humanoid robotic systems.

The role emphasizes robust analog/digital circuit design, MCU/processor integration, power electronics, motor control, PCB design, and hardware-software integration, collaborating with Firmware, Robotics, Controls, Mechanical, AI/ML and Software teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience in Embedded Hardware Design & Development.
• Experience with Robotics, Industrial Automation, Automotive, or related fields is preferred.
• Hands-on experience in hardware bring-up, testing, and debugging.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop embedded electronic hardware for humanoid robotics and robotic subsystems.
• Develop schematics, circuit designs, component selection, and hardware architecture.
• Design hardware for motor controllers, actuator control units, sensor interfaces, power distribution, control boards, and communication modules.
• Work with MCUs, processors, sensors, actuators, motor drivers, power ICs, communication transceivers, and other electronic components.
• Design and integrate analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronic circuits.
• Design hardware interfaces for BLDC/PMSM/servo motors, encoders, IMUs, force/torque sensors, current sensors, temperature sensors, and other robotic sensors.
• Design and implement communication interfaces such as CAN/CAN-FD, UART, SPI, I2C, RS485, Ethernet, EtherCAT, USB.
• Power supply, DC-DC converters, LDOs, battery interfaces, power distribution, and protection circuits.
• PCB design and layout review; collaborate with PCB designers for multi-layer development.
• Hardware bring-up, testing, debugging, and validation of prototype boards.
• Board-level troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for hardware failures.
• Validate electronic circuits using oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter, electronic load, power supply, function generator, and other lab equipment.
• Hardware-software integration and board bring-up with Firmware Engineers.
• Prototype development support, component procurement, PCB fabrication, assembly, and testing.
• Design verification and validation (DV/EV) of hardware.
• Hardware reliability, thermal, electrical, and functional testing.
• Identify and resolve issues related to power, signal integrity, noise, EMI/EMC, thermal performance, and component selection.
• Prepare and maintain schematics, BOM, test reports, design specifications, and hardware validation reports.
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to continuous improvement of hardware architecture.
• Support transition of prototype hardware toward production-ready designs.

Skills

Embedded hardware design

Analog design

Motor control

MCU/embedded processors

ARM Cortex

PCB design

Education

Electronics & Communication Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Embedded Systems

Instrumentation Engineering

Mechatronics Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

OrCAD

Cadence Allegro

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Embedded Hardware Engineer to join our Humanoid Robotics R&D team. The candidate will be responsible for the design, development, prototyping, testing, debugging, and validation of embedded electronic hardware used in humanoid robotic systems.

The role requires strong hands-on experience in digital and analog circuit design, microcontrollers, power electronics, motor control, communication interfaces, PCB design, hardware bring-up, and hardware-software integration.

The candidate will work closely with Firmware, Robotics, Controls, Mechanical, AI/ML, and Software teams to develop reliable and high-performance robotic subsystems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop embedded electronic hardware for humanoid robotics and robotic subsystems.
• Develop schematics, circuit designs, component selection, and hardware architecture.
• Design hardware for motor controllers, actuator control units, sensor interfaces, power distribution, control boards, and communication modules.
• Work with MCUs, processors, sensors, actuators, motor drivers, power ICs, communication transceivers, and other electronic components.
• Design and integrate analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronic circuits.
• Design hardware interfaces for BLDC/PMSM/servo motors, encoders, IMUs, force/torque sensors, current sensors, temperature sensors, and other robotic sensors.
• Design and implement communication interfaces such as CAN/CAN-FD, UART, SPI, I2C, RS485, Ethernet, and EtherCAT.
• Work on power supply, DC-DC converters, LDOs, battery interfaces, power distribution, and protection circuits.
• Perform PCB design and layout review, ensuring signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, thermal, and mechanical constraints are considered.
• Collaborate with PCB designers for multi-layer PCB development, including high-speed and mixed-signal boards.
• Perform hardware bring-up, testing, debugging, and validation of prototype boards.
• Conduct board-level troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for hardware failures.
• Validate electronic circuits using oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter, electronic load, power supply, function generator, and other laboratory equipment.
• Work closely with Firmware Engineers during hardware-software integration and board bring-up.
• Support prototype development, component procurement, PCB fabrication, assembly, and testing.
• Perform design verification and validation (DV/EV) of hardware.
• Conduct hardware reliability, thermal, electrical, and functional testing.
• Identify and resolve issues related to power, signal integrity, noise, EMI/EMC, thermal performance, and component selection.
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation including schematics, BOM, test reports, design specifications, and hardware validation reports.
• Participate in design reviews and contribute to continuous improvement of hardware architecture.
• Support transition of prototype hardware toward production-ready designs.

Technical Skills Required

Embedded Hardware Design

• Strong experience in embedded hardware design and development.
• Good understanding of analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuit design.
• Experience with microcontrollers and embedded processors.
• Knowledge of ARM Cortex-M / Cortex-A based systems.
• Experience with STM32, TI, NXP, Renesas, ESP32, or similar platforms will be preferred.
• Strong understanding of GPIO, ADC, DAC, PWM, timers, interrupts, and peripheral interfaces.

Hands-on experience with:

• LDOs
• Battery management and power distribution
• Over-voltage / over-current protection
• Reverse polarity protection
• Load switching
• Power monitoring and sensing

Experience with hardware related to:

• BLDC / PMSM motors
• Servo motors
• Encoders
• Hall sensors
• Current sensing
• Position sensing
• Robotic actuators
• Joint-level electronics

Knowledge of FOC and motor-control hardware architecture will be an advantage.

Communication Interfaces

Strong understanding of:

• CAN / CAN-FD
• UART
• SPI
• I2C
• RS232 / RS485
• Ethernet
• EtherCAT
• USB

Experience with industrial communication and real-time robotic communication systems will be preferred.

PCB Design

• Strong understanding of PCB design and layout principles.
• Experience with multi-layer PCB development.
• Knowledge of:
• Signal integrity
• Power integrity
• Grounding and return paths
• EMI/EMC
• Decoupling
• High-speed routing
• Thermal management
• Experience with Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD, Cadence Allegro, or similar tools.
• Experience reviewing PCB layouts and Gerber files.
• Experience with 6-layer or higher PCB designs will be an advantage.

Hardware Testing & Debugging

Hands-on experience with:

• Logic analyzer
• Digital multimeter
• Electronic load
• Bench power supply
• JTAG / SWD
• Protocol analyzers

Ability to perform:

• Hardware bring-up
• Signal measurement
• Power rail validation
• Root-cause analysis

EMI / EMC & Reliability

• Understanding of EMI/EMC design principles.
• Experience in designing hardware considering EMC requirements.
• Knowledge of ESD, EFT, surge, and transient protection.
• Experience supporting EMI/EMC testing and compliance will be an advantage.
• Understanding of thermal management and component derating.
• Knowledge of hardware reliability and environmental testing.

Development Process

• Ability to prepare and maintain:
• Schematics
• BOM
• Design specifications
• Hardware test plans
• Validation reports
• Familiarity with Git or other version-control/document management systems is an advantage.

Education Required:

• Electronics & Communication Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Embedded Systems
• Instrumentation Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering

Experience

• 5+ years of relevant experience in Embedded Hardware Design & Development.
• Strong hands-on experience in developing and debugging embedded electronic products.
• Experience in Robotics, Industrial Automation, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Medical Devices, or Mechatronics will be preferred.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with experience in the following areas will be highly preferred:

• Humanoid Robotics
• Robotic Actuators
• BLDC / PMSM
• Servo Drives
• Embedded Controller Boards
• Sensor Interface Boards
• Power Distribution Boards
• Battery / Power Management
• EtherCAT
• CAN / CAN-FD
• EMI/EMC compliance
• ROS / ROS2 hardware integration
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent hardware debugging and troubleshooting capability.
• Strong understanding of hardware-software interaction.
• Ability to work independently on complex hardware challenges.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Good documentation and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional engineering teams.
• Strong ownership and execution mindset.
• Passion for Robotics, Embedded Electronics, and Advanced Engineering.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to work on next-generation Humanoid Robotics.
• Work on challenging real-world hardware development problems.
• Opportunity to design and develop robotic electronics from concept to prototype and product.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams across Hardware, Firmware, Controls, Robotics, Mechanical, and AI/ML.
• Be part of an innovative and technology-driven R&D environment.