Principal Motor Engineer

Matic Robots; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading robotics company in Mountain View, California, is seeking a Motor Design Expert to architect high-performance motors for their innovative robotic systems. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in designing motors for consumer products or automotive applications, with a strong emphasis on acoustics and efficiency. Join a dynamic team dedicated to transforming household chores through advanced robotics technology, and help shape the future of home automation.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of motor design experience for consumer or automotive products.
• Deep understanding of motor physics and control theory.
• Experience with custom BLDC or PMSM designs.

Responsibilities

• Own motor architecture from design through production.
• Design motor solutions focused on cost and performance.
• Perform electromagnetic simulations for motor optimization.

Skills

Motor design

Electromagnetics

Thermal dynamics

AC acoustic principles

Motor simulation tools

Education

Technical degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

ANSYS Maxwell

Motor-CAD

Job description

Company Overview

Each year, 2.5 trillion hours are spent on household chores. At Matic, we’re on a mission to recapture that lost time, and we’re doing it by revolutionizing home robotics.

Our first product, also called Matic, is a Wall‑E‑esque floor‑cleaning robot. We’ve built what amounts to “full self‑driving in the home” with real‑time 3D mapping, adaptive path‑tracking, and a precise semantic understanding of the home. Our breakthroughs in spatial AI allow Matic to work reliably in real homes, using only RGB cameras and neural networks running on‑device.

Privacy First: What happens in the home, stays in the home. Our robots are private by design, with all data processing performed by the robot itself, not in the cloud.

Our Approach: Before the iPhone, consumers adopted several distinct devices; cell phones, PDAs, and portable music players each served a particular need. We believe in a similar progression for home robotics, starting with single‑purpose robots and building iteratively toward more complex capabilities over time.

Our Culture: Matic is a tight‑knit and collaborative team, singularly focused on building products our customers will cherish. We’re ultra‑hardworking people committed to solving tough problems that save precious time and energy.

About The Role

As a Motor Design Expert, you’ll architect the actuators of our robotic systems – the motors that power every movement and action. You’ll work at the intersection of electromagnetics, acoustics, and controls to create motors that are whisper‑quiet, incredibly efficient, and manufacturable at scale.

If you’re passionate about pushing the boundaries of motor technology and obsessed with achieving the impossible combination of performance, silence, and cost, we’d love to talk to you about how you can help us revolutionize home robotics.

What You’ll Do

• Own end‑to‑end motor architecture from electromagnetic design through production validation for all motorized subsystems.
• Design custom motor solutions optimizing for acoustic performance (85%), form factor, cost (<$15/unit), and scalability to 100k+ units/year.
• Perform electromagnetic FEA simulations for motor optimization including flux density, cogging torque, and back‑EMF analysis.
• Select and validate motor control algorithms, drive electronics, and feedback systems for precise motion control.
• Develop motor specification requirements balancing torque density, thermal management, and acoustic emissions.
• Design accelerated life testing protocols specific to motor failure modes including bearing wear, insulation breakdown, and demagnetization.
• Collaborate with suppliers on custom rotor/stator designs, winding patterns, and manufacturing processes.
• Drive cost reduction initiatives through design optimization, material selection, and manufacturing process improvements.
• Work cross‑functionally with NVH, controls, and thermal teams to achieve system‑level optimization.

What We Look For

• Technical degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Physics with focus on electromagnetics.
• 5+ years of experience designing motors for high‑volume consumer products or automotive applications.
• Deep understanding of motor physics including electromagnetics, thermal dynamics, and rotordynamics.
• Proven track record of shipping custom BLDC, PMSM, or reluctance motor designs in products.
• Experience with motor simulation tools such as ANSYS Maxwell, JMAG, or Motor‑CAD.
• Expertise in motor control theory including FOC, sensorless control, and active vibration damping.
• Understanding of acoustic principles related to motor design including slot/pole combinations and skewing techniques.
• Experience with bearing systems, lubrication, and tribology for long‑life applications.
• Familiarity with motor manufacturing processes including winding, magnetization, and balancing.
• Knowledge of safety standards and certifications (UL, CE) for motor‑driven appliances.
• Comfort with fast‑paced, startup atmosphere – you don’t shy away from the hard work.
• High level of maturity, ownership, and pride in your work.

We’d Love to Hear from You If…

• You are genuinely motivated to help those around you.
• You are passionate about learning outside of your normal comfort zones.
• You love diagnosing complex technical issues.
• You are excited to do great work.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Matic Robots by 2x.