Senior Embedded Linux Engineer

Apptronik; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik, a leader in human-centered robotics, seeks a Senior Embedded BSP Engineer to own the BSP and OS config for the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform in Apollo humanoid robots. You will partner with firmware, hardware, and robot software teams to bring up carrier boards, customize boot chains, and deliver secure, field-updatable OS images for production fleets.

You will tune for low latency, prototype-to-production bring-up, and contribute to platform quality while participating in reviews and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience building, debugging, and shipping embedded systems using Linux and/or QNX.
• Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Jetson (Thor or Orin) and JetPack, including flashing and carrier board customization.
• Strong OS-level skills: Linux kernel configuration, device tree, driver development and debugging, kernel upgrades or backports.
• Proficiency in C/C++ with Python or Bash for tooling, Git, and hardware debugging with scopes, analyzers, and JTAG/serial.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the BSP for NVIDIA Jetson Thor modules and custom carrier boards, including board bring-up, device tree, pinmux, and peripheral enablement.
• Customize and maintain the boot chain (firmware, UEFI, and OS loader), kernel or QNX microkernel configuration, and out-of-tree kernel modules or QNX resource managers and drivers.
• Build and maintain OS images (Linux via Yocto or JetPack/Ubuntu, and/or QNX via QNX SDP) with reproducible, CI-driven builds.
• Tune the OS for real-time and low-latency behavior with PREEMPT_RT, CPU isolation, IRQ affinity, QNX scheduling/partitioning, and power/thermal profiles.
• Own OS lifecycle tooling: JetPack / NVIDIA BSP upgrades, A/B OTA updates, secure boot, disk encryption, and fleet flashing and provisioning.
• Triage lab/field issues (boot failures, kernel panics, driver regressions, thermal throttling) and document root causes.
• Define new hardware requirements and review schematics and layout with the hardware team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to bring up compute hardware from prototype through production.
• Develop test strategies with validation teams and participate in code/design reviews; raise the bar for platform quality.

Skills

NVIDIA Jetson

Linux kernel config

Device tree

C/C++

Python/Bash tooling

Git

Hardware debugging

Yocto/Buildroot

QNX Neutrino

Real-time systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

NVIDIA JetPack

QNX SDP

Yocto

Buildroot

Mender/OTA

CAN/EtherCAT/Ethernet

CUDA/TensorRT

ROS 2

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

We are seeking a Senior Embedded BSP Engineer to own the board support package and OS configuration for the NVIDIA Jetson Thor compute platform in our humanoid robots. You will collaborate with our firmware, hardware, and robot software teams to bring up custom carrier boards, develop and maintain the boot chain, kernel or RTOS configuration, and device drivers, and deliver reproducible, secure, field-updatable OS images. You will tune the platform for low-latency, real-time performance, support hardware bring-up from prototype through production, and help own platform quality and reliability as we scale from prototypes to fleets of hundreds and thousands of robots in the field. As you grow on the team, you will participate in code and design reviews and contribute to the architectural direction of our compute platform alongside your peers.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Develop and maintain the BSP for NVIDIA Jetson Thor modules and custom carrier boards, including board bring-up, device tree, pinmux, and peripheral enablement. Customize and maintain the boot chain (firmware, UEFI, and OS loader), kernel or QNX microkernel configuration, and out-of-tree kernel modules or QNX resource managers and drivers.
• Build and maintain OS images (Linux via Yocto or JetPack/Ubuntu, and/or QNX via QNX SDP) with reproducible, CI-driven builds.
• Tune the OS for real-time and low-latency behavior, including PREEMPT_RT, CPU isolation, IRQ affinity, QNX scheduling and partitioning, and power and thermal profiles. Own OS lifecycle tooling: JetPack / NVIDIA BSP upgrades, A/B OTA updates, secure boot, disk encryption, and fleet flashing and provisioning.
• Triage lab and field issues such as boot failures, kernel panics, driver regressions, and thermal throttling, and document root causes.
• Define new hardware requirements and review schematics and layout with the hardware team.
• Work with cross-functional engineering teams, including Hardware, Robot Software, QA, Validation, and Manufacturing, to bring up compute hardware from prototype through production.
• Collaborate with validation teams to develop test strategies and test plans. Participate in code reviews, design reviews, and pair debugging; help raise the bar for platform quality across the team.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience building, debugging, and shipping embedded systems using Linux and/or QNX.
• Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Jetson (Thor or Orin) and JetPack, including flashing and carrier board customization.
• Strong OS-level skills: Linux kernel configuration, device tree, driver development and debugging, kernel upgrades or backports. Solid understanding of the boot process: bootloaders, initramfs, and rootfs layout. Proficiency in C/C++; working knowledge of Python or Bash for tooling, and Git. Strong hardware debugging skills using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG / serial debug.
• Experience with Yocto, Buildroot, or a comparable image build system. Solid understanding of the boot process: bootloaders, initramfs, and rootfs layout. Proficiency in C/C++; working knowledge of Python or Bash for tooling, and Git. Strong hardware debugging skills using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG / serial debug.
• Ability to read and interpret system schematics and hardware datasheets. Working knowledge of embedded networking protocols such as CAN, EtherCAT, and Ethernet.
• Familiarity with embedded Linux security fundamentals such as secure boot, PKI, and hardware key storage.
• Experience writing and understanding technical specifications.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Experience with QNX Neutrino, including SDP, BSP development, and resource managers. Experience with real-time Linux tuning such as PREEMPT_RT.
• Experience with humanoid robotics, industrial robotics, or other high-performance real-time systems.
• Experience with CUDA, TensorRT, and container environments on Jetson. Experience with OTA update frameworks (RAUC, SWUpdate, Mender) and fleet provisioning. Familiarity with ROS 2 and DDS middleware.
• Familiarity with safety-critical embedded system design standards, including ISO 26262. Contributions to upstream kernel or open-source BSP projects.

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 $210,000 - $235,000

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.