Senior Electrical Engineer

SIMPL Automation; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A robotics and automation company based in Massachusetts is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to design, debug, and lead the electrical discipline across robotics products. This role involves end-to-end ownership of electrical architecture, maintenance of system schematics, and integration of multi-axis servo systems. The ideal candidate has 7–12 years in robotics or automation, proven electrical ownership of complex products, and a hands-on approach towards design and debugging.

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years of experience in robotics, automation, mechatronics, or industrial systems.
• Proven system-level electrical ownership of complex products including power, motion, communications, and sensing.
• Experience designing and bringing up PCBs for power, comms, and sensing.

Responsibilities

• Own the electrical architecture end-to-end for robotic platforms and automation equipment.
• Design and maintain system schematics and wiring diagrams.
• Architect and integrate multi-axis servo systems and power systems.

Skills

multi-axis servo systems and motion-related electrical issues

CAN (and ideally CAN open/J1939 or vendor variants)

DC power systems and protection in dynamic, regenerative environments

strong hands-on experience

oscilloscopes and current probes

Job description

We’re looking for a senior-level, deeply hands-on Electrical Engineer to own and scale the electrical discipline across our robotics and automation products. This role is for someone who wants to design, debug, build, and lead—not just review slides.

You’ll define the electrical architecture of onboard robotic systems (multi-axis motion, sensors, comms, power storage) while also shaping how we design, test, document, and ship electrical systems as a company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the electrical architecture end-to-end for robotic platforms and automation equipment:
  • Onboard power distribution, energy storage, comms, sensing, motion, safety
  • Interfaces to higher-power equipment and facility-level power cabinets
• Design and maintain system schematics, wiring diagrams, cable/harness documentation, and electrical BOMs.
• Architect and integrate multi-axis servo systems (drives, motors, feedback, regen handling, EMI)
• Design and own power systems:
  • DC buses, protection, fusing, pre-charge/inrush control
  • Battery and capacitor energy storage, BMS integration, telemetry, safety
  • Power management, communications, sensing, telemetry
• Define and implement communications architectures:
  • CAN/CAN-based protocols for real-time control
  • MQTT-based telemetry and diagnostics for fleet visibility
• Own sensor integration (encoders, IMUs, proximity, force/torque, current/voltage, environmental sensors), including signal integrity and calibration strategy.
• Design robust cabling and interconnects for mobile robots.
• Drive test and validation strategy:
  • Bench, system-level, environmental, and production test
  • Define acceptance criteria and failure detection
• Lead root cause analysis on lab, manufacturing, and field issues—and drive fixes into design standards.
• Build the EE function:
  • Hire and mentor future EEs/technicians
  • Choose tools, libraries, reference designs, and workflows

Qualifications:

Must-haves

• 7–12+ years of experience in robotics, automation, mechatronics, or industrial systems.
• Proven system-level electrical ownership of complex products (power + motion + comms + sensing).
• Strong hands-on experience with the following:
  • multi-axis servo systems and motion-related electrical issues
  • CAN (and ideally CAN open/J1939 or vendor variants)
  • DC power systems and protection in dynamic, regenerative environments
• Experience designing and bringing up PCBs (power, comms, sensing).
• Comfort in the lab: oscilloscopes, current probes, power analyzers, bus analyzers.
• Ability to move fluidly between architectural thinking and soldering/debugging.
• Strong documentation discipline and a bias toward designs that survive manufacturing and the field.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with industrial power cabinets, panel layouts, or facility-level power integration.
• Safety-related design exposure (E-stop chains, STO, interlocks, safety I/O).
• Experience defining production test or working closely with contract manufacturers.
• Early-stage startup experience: ambiguity, fast iteration, owning tradeoffs.
• Experience with some of the following: