Principal Electrical Engineer - Compute and Sensing

Apptronik; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 295,000 - 330,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik is seeking a world-class Principal Compute & Sensing Engineer to lead the nervous system design of the Apollo humanoid robot. This role covers end-to-end hardware architecture from NVIDIA Jetson-based carrier designs to the electrical integration of complex perception suites, ensuring Apollo is powerful, redundant, and functionally safe.

You will mentor engineers, shape multi-modal sensing and data pipelines, and drive a long-term roadmap for high-performance robotics hardware.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of high-performance hardware design in robotics, AV, or aerospace.
• Proven track record designing custom carrier boards for NVIDIA Jetson or similar modules.
• Expertise in high-speed interfaces and sensor integration with precise timing.
• Experience with Functional Safety (ISO 26262 or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end design of Apollo's safe compute architecture and redundancy.
• Lead PCB design, PDN, thermal management, and signal integrity for high-performance modules.
• Define electrical architecture for multi-modal sensing and perception stacks.
• Architect data pipelines and synchronization for sensor fusion with GigE, GMSL2, USB 3.0, MIPI.
• Drive DFM/DFR and safety architectures to operate in human-occupied environments.
• Mentor electrical and embedded engineers and guide cross-functional design reviews.

Skills

Jetson carrier boards

High-speed digital design

Time synchronization

Functional safety

Education

MS/PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

SPICE

Ansys

HyperLynx

Job description

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

Job Summary

Apptronik is seeking a world-class Principal Compute & Sensing Engineer to serve as the lead architect for the "nervous system" of the Apollo humanoid robot. This is a top-tier technical role for an expert who can design and implement the high-performance compute and sensory backbone required for general-purpose robotics. You will be responsible for the end-to-end hardware architecture from NVIDIA Jetson-based carrier designs to the electrical integration of complex perception suites- ensuring that Apollo is powerful, redundant, and functionally safe.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Primary Architect: Own the end-to-end design of Apollo’s safe compute architecture. Select core processing elements (SoCs, FPGAs, MCUs) and design system-level redundancy to meet real-time performance requirements.
• High-Performance PCB Design: Lead the design and validation of custom carrier boards for high-performance modules (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson). Expertly manage power delivery networks (PDN), thermal dissipation strategies, and high-speed signal integrity for complex interfaces.
• Manufacturing & Reliability: Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Reliability (DFR) for compute modules, ensuring they can withstand the high-vibration and dynamic thermal environments of a mobile humanoid robot.
• Multi-Modal Sensing: Define the electrical architecture for a full perception stack, including LiDAR, depth cameras, IMUs, and tactile sensors.
• Data Pipeline Optimization: Architect the high-bandwidth pipelines and synchronization protocols required for sensor fusion. Manage complex communication interfaces (GigE, GMSL2, USB 3.0, MIPI) to ensure low-latency data delivery to the perception software.
• Safety Architecture: Drive the physical and logical architecture decisions required to meet Functional Safety standards Fail-Safe Systems: Design hardware-level redundancy, fail-safe mechanisms, and Built-In Tests (BIT) to achieve required safety integrity levels (ASIL/SIL) for operation in human-occupied environments.
• Diagnostics: Implement robust hardware diagnostics to monitor the health of the compute and sensing backbone in real-time.
• Multi-Generational Roadmap: Define the long-term technical roadmap for Apollo’s compute and sensing evolution, identifying emerging technologies (e.g., new SoCs or sensor modalities) that will keep Apptronik at the cutting edge.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Act as the ultimate technical authority on compute/sensing during design reviews with the Controls, Perception, and Systems Engineering teams.
• Mentorship: Provide deep technical mentorship to electrical and embedded engineers, fostering a culture of rigorous engineering and innovation without the burden of administrative management.

Skills And Requirements

• Expertise: * Proven track record of designing custom carrier boards for NVIDIA Jetson or similar high-end compute modules.
• Mastery of high-speed digital design (PCIe, DDR4/5, GMSL, 10GbE).
• Experience integrating multi-sensor suites with precise hardware-level time synchronization.
• Hands-on experience with Functional Safety architecture (ISO 26262 or equivalent).
• Tools: Proficiency with Altium Designer (or similar) and hardware simulation tools (SPICE, Ansys, or HyperLynx).

EDUCATION And/or EXPERIENCE

• Education: M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 12+ years of experience in high-performance hardware design, with a focus on robotics, autonomous vehicles, or aerospace.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate

The annual salary range is $295,000 - $330,000 base

• This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.