Senior Embedded Electrical Engineer, Manipulation Robotics

Socket.dev; North Reading (MA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

RSUs

Job summary

Socket.dev is seeking a Senior Embedded Electrical Engineer to own and drive the electrical design of robotic manipulation systems from concept through production. You will lead architecture, select components, and collaborate with firmware and mechanical teams to deliver compact, reliable hardware for high-volume fulfillment robotics.

The role requires deep expertise in power electronics, tight packaging, and thermal management, with hands-on bench prototyping and supplier management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent.
• 8+ years of experience in electrical hardware design, including analog and digital circuit design.
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB layout, and design for manufacturability using industry EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer, OrCAD/Cadence, or similar).
• Extensive experience architecting complex electromechanical products, with a strong emphasis on tight packaging, thermal design and scalability.
• Experience with component selection, sourcing, and vendor management for electromechanical systems.
• Expert-level experience with power electronics and BLDC motor drives.
• Knowledge of power electronics, signal integrity, and EMC/EMI considerations for multi-board systems.

Responsibilities

• Influence hardware and electrical strategy across the Manipulation Robotics group and adjacent programs. Contribute to technology roadmaps, identify opportunities for mutual platforms, and drive alignment on architectural decisions that span multiple teams
• Own the electrical architecture and board-level design for robotic arm systems and end-of-arm tooling, including power distribution, signal routing, sensor integration, and embedded compute
• Design tightly integrated electromechanical packages, embedding sensors, cameras, and control electronics into compact grasping mechanisms. Define firmware architectures and partner with firmware engineers to define clear interfaces
• Perform schematic capture, component selection, and PCB layout. Direct and review work from internal and external partners backing design efforts
• Select and qualify components (interconnects, sensors, motor drivers, FPGAs, microcontrollers, cameras, power converters) based on performance, cost, reliability, and supply-chain resilience
• Define electrical interfaces between subsystems and coordinate with EE teams on adjacent programs to ensure compatibility and reuse
• Partner with systems engineers to comprehend and influence requirements, performance targets, timing constraints, and cost tradeoffs. Work with mechanical engineers to co-develop integrated hardware packages, managing thermal, routing, and spatial constraints jointly
• Build and debug prototypes on the bench; develop test plans and validation procedures for board bring-up, signal integrity, and system-level verification
• Engage with contractors, vendors and contract manufacturers for board fabrication, assembly, and component sourcing; manage external partnerships
• Aid product releases to manufacturing, including DFM/DFT reviews and production ramp

Skills

Hardware design

Power electronics

Thermal design

Electrical interfaces

Signal integrity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

OrCAD

Cadence

Job description

Are you excited about designing electronics that live inside robots, tightly packaged alongside mechanisms, sensors, and actuators in space-constrained assemblies? Do you want to shape the electrical architecture of next-generation robotic manipulation systems from the ground up?

The Manipulation Robotics group develops robotic systems that pick, grasp, and move millions of items and packages per day across Amazon's fulfillment network. Our systems are growing in electrical complexity as we push toward more capable grasping: edge motor drive, advanced sensing technology, tighter integration, and increasing on-tool intelligence. These are hard, novel problems with no off-the-shelf answers, and the embedded electrical architecture is central to making them work at scale. We are looking for a Senior Embedded Electrical Engineer to be the founding EE on our hardware team, owning the electrical design of our robotic systems and grasping tools from concept through production.

Key job responsibilities

• Influence hardware and electrical strategy across the Manipulation Robotics group and adjacent programs. Contribute to technology roadmaps, identify opportunities for mutual platforms, and drive alignment on architectural decisions that span multiple teams
• Own the electrical architecture and board-level design for robotic arm systems and end-of-arm tooling, including power distribution, signal routing, sensor integration, and embedded compute
• Design tightly integrated electromechanical packages, embedding sensors, cameras, and control electronics into compact grasping mechanisms. Define firmware architectures and partner with firmware engineers to define clear interfaces
• Perform schematic capture, component selection, and PCB layout. Direct and review work from internal and external partners backing design efforts
• Select and qualify components (interconnects, sensors, motor drivers, FPGAs, microcontrollers, cameras, power converters) based on performance, cost, reliability, and supply-chain resilience
• Define electrical interfaces between subsystems and coordinate with EE teams on adjacent programs to ensure compatibility and reuse
• Partner with systems engineers to comprehend and influence requirements, performance targets, timing constraints, and cost tradeoffs. Work with mechanical engineers to co-develop integrated hardware packages, managing thermal, routing, and spatial constraints jointly
• Build and debug prototypes on the bench; develop test plans and validation procedures for board bring-up, signal integrity, and system-level verification
• Engage with contractors, vendors and contract manufacturers for board fabrication, assembly, and component sourcing; manage external partnerships
• Aid product releases to manufacturing, including DFM/DFT reviews and production ramp

A day in the life

Amazon offers a full range of benefits that support you and eligible family members, including domestic partners. Benefits can vary by location, the number of regularly scheduled hours you work, length of employment, and job status such as seasonal or temporary employment. The benefits that generally apply to regular, full-time employees include:

1. Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
2. Maternity and Parental Leave Options
3. Paid Time Off (PTO)
4. 401(k) Plan

About the team

We are a small, high-ownership hardware team building robotic manipulation systems, from early-stage R&D through fielded products operating 24/7 in Amazon fulfillment centers. Our tools are getting more capable and electrically denser with each generation. The challenges are real: packaging sensors, actuators, and compute into mechanisms that survive millions of cycles, fit inside tight envelopes, and remain cost-effective at fleet scale. Our engineers own problems end-to-end. You'll work alongside mechanical designers, systems engineers, and software/controls teams in a fast-moving environment where your decisions directly shape what ships. This role is the first dedicated EE on the team, which means you will have outsized influence on how we approach electrical design going forward.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent
• 8+ years of experience in electrical hardware design, including analog and digital circuit design
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB layout, and design for manufacturability using industry EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer, OrCAD/Cadence, or similar)
• Extensive experience architecting complex electromechanical products, with a strong emphasis on tight packaging, thermal design and scalability
• Experience with component selection, sourcing, and vendor management for electromechanical systems
• Expert-level experience with power electronics and BLDC motor drives
• Knowledge of power electronics, signal integrity, and EMC/EMI considerations for multi-board systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing electronics for robotic or mechatronic systems (arms, grippers, end-effectors, or similar)
• Experience with embedded systems (microcontrollers, FPGAs, firmware interfaces) at the board level. Ability to design firmware architecture and prototype key features
• Experience with sensor systems (vision, depth, force/torque, proximity) including signal chain design and characterization
• Experience managing or directing external EE design firms and contract manufacturers
• Track record of growing junior engineers through mentorship, design reviews, and shared best practices.
• Experience applying IEC 60204 and/or IEC 61508 machinery safety standards preferred.

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Inclusive Culture

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, MA, North Reading - 137,300.00 - 185,700.00 USD annually