Senior Powertrain Engineer

Humble Robotics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading robotics company in San Francisco is seeking a Senior Powertrain Engineer responsible for the architecture, design, and delivery of the electric powertrain system for an autonomous heavy-duty vehicle platform. This role involves end-to-end development of systems including batteries, motors, and inverters, with a focus on safety and performance. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and several years of experience in electric powertrains or vehicle propulsion.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in electric powertrain, battery systems, or vehicle propulsion.
• Strong fundamentals in electric machines, power electronics, and lithium-ion battery systems.
• Experience with high voltage system design and safety considerations.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of the electric powertrain system.
• Define system architecture and key trade-offs across performance and efficiency.
• Lead battery system integration, including pack design requirements.

Skills

Electric powertrain

Battery systems

System modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Job description

Position Overview

The Senior Powertrain Engineer owns the architecture, design, and delivery of the full electric powertrain system – including battery, high voltage distribution, motors, inverters, and drivetrain for our autonomous heavy duty vehicle platform.

This is a highly cross‑disciplinary, safety critical role. You will define system level architecture, drive performance and efficiency from first principles, and deliver production‑ready hardware that operates reliably under demanding real‑world conditions.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end development of the electric powertrain system, including battery pack, HV architecture, motors, inverters, and drivetrain.
• Define system architecture and key trade‑offs across performance, range, efficiency, thermal management, and durability.
• Lead battery system integration, including pack design requirements, thermal strategy, HV safety, and interface with BMS.
• Drive system‑level modeling and analysis (energy consumption, thermal behavior, duty cycles, and degradation).
• Collaborate closely with controls, autonomy, electrical, and thermal teams to ensure seamless system integration.
• Lead validation strategy and execution, including component testing, battery validation, vehicle testing, and durability testing.
• Support prototype builds and vehicle bring‑up, including hands‑on debugging of HV and powertrain systems.
• Own supplier technical relationships for battery systems, motors, inverters, and drivetrain components.
• Identify and mitigate key risks across HV safety, thermal limits, and system reliability.
• Set engineering standards, review designs, and raise the technical bar across the team.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in electric powertrain, battery systems, or vehicle propulsion.
• Strong fundamentals in electric machines, power electronics, and lithium‑ion battery systems.
• Experience with high voltage system design and safety considerations.
• Proven track record delivering hardware from concept through validation.
• Experience with system modeling tools.
• Hands‑on experience with prototyping, testing, and debugging electromechanical systems.
• Ability to operate independently and make high‑quality engineering decisions under uncertainty.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration and communication skills.
• Eligible to work in the United States.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with heavy‑duty trucks or commercial EV platforms.
• Experience with battery pack design, integration, or validation.
• Experience with BMS, HV distribution, and thermal management systems.
• Experience with inverter/motor integration and controls.
• Familiarity with automotive standards (e.g., ISO 26262, SAE, FMVSS).
• Experience scaling systems from prototype to production.
• Experience working in fast‑paced startup or product development environments.

Humble Robotics is an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status or any other characteristics protected by law. Humble Robotics will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with local ordinances.