Electrical Engineer

Robust; San Carlos, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Strong startup culture

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Flexible vacation and sick leave

Job summary

Robust AI is seeking an Electrical Engineer to own schematic capture and PCB layout for our warehouse robot fleet. You will bring hardware from prototype to production, debug on-rig, and collaborate with mechanical, firmware, and software teams to shape next-generation robotics hardware.

The role requires hands-on hardware bring-up, strong embedded fundamentals, and experience with Altium. You will engage with contract manufacturers and ensure EMC-compliant designs in a fast-paced startup

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).
• Experience taking boards from prototype to production, including working with fab houses and contract manufacturers, and designing with EMC compliance in mind.
• Hands-on experience debugging complex electro-mechanical hardware with tools such as scopes, logic analyzers, and DMMs.
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as USB, I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, etc.
• Experience conducting bench modifications and fast development of hardware prototypes.
• 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.

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 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, and design with EMC compliance in mind.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Embedded systems

Schematic capture

PCB layout

Board bring-up

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Job description

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 an 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.

The base pay range for this role is between $160,000 and $200,000, depending on your skills, qualifications and experience.

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, and design with EMC compliance in mind

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)
• Experience taking boards from prototype to production, including working with fab houses and contract manufacturers, and designing with EMC compliance in mind
• Hands-on experience debugging complex electro-mechanical hardware with tools such as scopes, logic analyzers, and DMMs
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as USB, I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, etc.
• Experience conducting bench modifications and fast development of hardware prototypes
• 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)

• Experience with firmware development in C
• Experience with scripting languages (Python) and comfort working in Linux environments
• Proficiency with microcontrollers, preferably within the STM32 family
• Experience with BLDC motors and motor control is a plus
• Previous experience working with robotic or mechatronic systems

What we offer

• Base pay between $160,000 and $200,000, dependent 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

$160,000 - $200,000 a year

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.