Electrical Engineer, Robotics Hardware

Medium; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Remote or hybrid arrangements

Job summary

Medium is seeking an Electrical Engineer to join their Hardware Team in Boston, MA. This role involves designing and implementing electrical systems to ensure robustness and scalability across autonomous robotics. You'll collaborate with various teams to create integrated solutions.

The ideal candidate will hold a degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering and have experience with power systems, harnesses, and PCB design. The compensation ranges from $70,000 to $300,000 based on experience.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and testing low-voltage regulated power systems.
• Hands-on design and integration of custom wire harnesses for robotics.
• Proficiency in PCB schematic and layout using KiCAD or Altium.

Responsibilities

• Design regulated power systems including voltage rails and DC/DC converters.
• Create PCBs for power distribution, protocol bridging, and embedded control.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure end-to-end system compatibility and robustness.

Skills

Power Systems

PCB Design

Harnessing

Communication Protocols

Testing & Debugging

Systems Thinking

Education

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field

Tools

KiCAD

Altium

Job description

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk‑aware, reliable, and field‑ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data‑driven approaches or pure transformer‑based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already‑globally‑deployed solutions delivering real‑world results and rapidly improving models through real‑field applications.

Hardware Team

The Hardware Team at Field AI develops perception and compute payloads that power autonomous robotics systems in complex real world environments. Our work spans the full hardware stack designing and integrating sensing systems (LiDAR, camera, TOF, IMU, GPS), embedded compute (CPUs, GPUs, microcontrollers, Linux, ROS), electrical systems (power distribution, communication), and mechanical components (structures, thermal regulation, ingress protection). The team focuses on both development (research, design, prototyping, testing) and operations (production, testing, QA, debugging). We’re a small, fast‑moving team, and we care deeply about improving: 1) core capabilities, 2) system reliability, 3) system scalability. As a growing team we are also building operational systems and procedures from the ground up.

Electrical Systems Role

As an Electrical Engineer on the Hardware Team at Field AI, you will contribute to the design and implementation of electrical systems that enable power and communications across the sense and compute packages. Your work will span across power systems, wire harnesses, PCB design, and communications networks with the goal of ensuring our systems are electrically robust, safe, and scalable. Responsibilities may span the full lifecycle from electrical CAD through production to field support. You will collaborate closely with the mechanical, sensor, and compute teams to build tightly integrated solutions ready for deployment in challenging field environments. Additionally, while your focus will be on electrical systems you will likely contribute across all hardware domains.

What You Will Get To Do

1. Electrical System Design

• Power Architecture: Design regulated power systems including voltage rails, DC/DC converters, switches, fuses, and grounding schemes.
• Wire Harness Design: Design and document robust wire harnesses for power and data lines, including shielding, strain relief, and standard connectors.
• PCB Design: Create PCBs for power distribution, protocol bridging, and embedded control.
• Networking & Communication: Architect wired and wireless communication systems (Ethernet, USB, CAN, I²C, WiFi, 5G).
• Budgets & Tolerances: Maintain system‑level power and bandwidth budgets. Ensure electrical tolerance to noise, EMI, and vibration.

2. Electrical System Implementation

• CAD & Schematics: Create PCB schematics, harness diagrams, pinouts, and complete PCB BOMs using tools like KiCAD or Altium.
• Calculations: Conduct electrical calculations including current draw, peak power, signal integrity, and fault analysis.
• Design for Field Conditions: Engineer for EMI/EMC robustness, thermal resilience, and fault isolation under field operating conditions.
• Testing: Conduct power validation (noise, load, transients), communication tests (bandwidth, latency), and EMI evaluation.
• Integration: Collaborate with sensor, compute, and mechanical teams to ensure end‑to‑end system compatibility and robustness.
• Documentation & Budgets: Maintain PCB schematics and systems level wiring diagrams. Manage system‑level power and data bandwidth budgets.

3. Electrical System Production & Servicing

• Build: Work with vendors and contract manufacturers to procure PCBs and harnesses. Develop QA checks for incoming units.
• Debug: Investigate system faults using logs, oscilloscopes, analyzers, and power monitors.
• Support: Provide hands‑on support during integration, deployment, and servicing in the field.

What You Have

• Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• Experience Level: We are recruiting across a wide range of experience levels from entry level engineers to senior and staff engineers.
• Power Systems: Experience designing and testing low‑voltage regulated power systems.
• Harnessing: Hands‑on design and integration of custom wire harnesses for robotics or automotive‑style systems.
• PCB Design: Proficiency in PCB schematic and layout using KiCAD, Altium, or equivalent tools.
• Communication Protocols: Familiarity with USB, Ethernet, CAN, I²C, GMSL, and wireless technologies.
• Testing & Debugging: Skills using electrical test tools including oscilloscopes, power analyzers, and EMI/EMC setups.
• Documentation: Ability to produce detailed electrical documentation for design, manufacturing, and servicing.
• Systems Thinking: Experience working across mechanical, compute, and autonomy teams to deliver robust integrated systems.
• Cross Functional Robotic Skills: Ability to contribute electrical, sensing, and embedded computing work to deliver robust integrated systems.

What Will Set You Apart

• Scaling: Experience taking systems from prototype to large‑scale production.
• Field Environments: Experience developing systems for harsh field environments.
• Deployed Robotics: Experience working on robotics deployed in real‑world settings such as autonomous vehicles, drones, or ruggedized robots.
• Systems Level Robotics: Fluency across electrical, mechanical, and software systems.
• Reliability Engineering: Background in fault protection, EMI/EMC compliance, and safety‑critical design.

Compensation and Benefits

Our salary range is $70,000 - $300,000 annual, depending on background, experience, and geographic location. We also offer flexible work options, including hybrid or remote arrangements.

Why Join Field AI?

We are solving one of the world’s most complex challenges: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, ensuring our approach is explainable and safe for deployment.

You will have the opportunity to work with a world‑class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. With decades of experience and wins in DARPA challenges, we are set to achieve our ambitious goals.

Be part of the next robotics revolution. To tackle such ambitious challenges, we need a team as unique as our vision — innovators who go beyond conventional methods and are eager to tackle tough, uncharted questions. We’re seeking individuals who challenge the status quo, dive into uncharted territory, and bring interdisciplinary expertise.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.