Senior Hardware Engineer

The JAM l People in Robotics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

The JAM l People in Robotics is seeking a Senior Hardware Engineer to advance autonomy hardware for heavy equipment. You will own the hardware that connects robotics intelligence to real machines, from sensors and electronics to harnesses and mounting systems built for harsh environments.

The role focuses on bringing prototypes to production with hands-on work in a workshop setting, coordinating with cross-functional teams to scale deployments across construction, mining and quarry environments.

Qualifications

• Requires hardware or electrical engineering experience across design, prototyping and field deployment.
• Experience shipping hardware onto real machines or heavy equipment.
• Experience with industrial networking and vehicle interfaces is a bonus.
• Strong CAD experience and the ability to design, build and iterate PCBs quickly.
• Familiarity with embedded Linux and standard interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, TCP/UDP).
• Understanding FCC regulatory requirements is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware development from design and prototyping through bring-up, deployment and field revisions.
• Develop electrical schematics, PCBs and BOMs, plus CAD work for housings and mounts.
• Integrate sensors and compute modules using GMSL, Ethernet and RS-422.
• Bring up and harden NVIDIA Jetson-class compute running embedded Linux.
• Interface with vehicle and industrial networks such as CAN and J1939.
• Improve reliability, ease of installation and manufacturing repeatability as deployments scale.
• Support hardware regulatory compliance, including FCC requirements.

Skills

Hardware design

CAD

Embedded Linux

CAN/J1939

PCB design

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

GMSL

Ethernet

RS-422

NVIDIA Jetson

Job description

Senior Hardware Engineer | Robotics & Heavy Equipment Autonomy

I’m looking for a Senior Hardware Engineer to join an early-stage robotics company developing autonomy systems for heavy machinery across construction, mining and quarries.

With around 150 hardware deployments already in the field, the team needs an experienced engineer to take its universal sensor kit and onboard compute housing from prototype to repeatable production.

You’ll own the hardware that connects robotic intelligence to real machines: sensors, electronics, compute, harnesses and mounting systems built to withstand demanding environments.

What you’ll do

• Own hardware development from design and prototyping through bring-up, deployment and field revisions.
• Develop electrical schematics, PCBs and BOMs, alongside CAD work for housings, mounts and hardware integration.
• Integrate cameras, LiDAR, radar, GNSS and IMUs using GMSL, Ethernet and RS-422.
• Bring up and harden NVIDIA Jetson-class compute running embedded Linux.
• Interface with vehicle and industrial networks, including CAN and J1939.
• Improve reliability, ease of installation and manufacturing repeatability as deployments scale.
• Support hardware regulatory compliance, including FCC requirements.

What I’m looking for

• Typically 4–10 years’ experience in hardware or electrical engineering.
• A track record of shipping hardware onto real machines, robots or heavy equipment operating in harsh environments.
• Practical experience with industrial equipment, vehicle networking or robotic machinery.
• Extensive CAD experience and the ability to design, build and iterate PCBs quickly.
• Confidence with embedded Linux, command-line tools and protocols such as SPI, I2C, UART, TCP and UDP.
• Previous experience with hardware regulatory compliance, including FCC.

Robotics, autonomous vehicle, aerospace or heavy-equipment experience would be particularly relevant. Early-stage startup experience is a bonus.

You’ll join a small team with direct ownership of engineering decisions and the opportunity to see your hardware deployed on working machines. The role is predominantly workshop-based, with approximately 90% of your time in-shop.