Staff Electrical Engineer - RF/EMI/EMC

Apptronik; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik is seeking an experienced staff electrical engineer to own the electronics EMI/EMC design and test strategy as well as RF communication subsystems for the Apollo humanoid robot. The role focuses on RF, EMI, and EMC strategy for electrical systems around Apollo and requires experience bringing robotics or space-constrained devices to market.

You will validate and test against FCC/CE standards, define architecture, select components, and collaborate with leadership to drive the project

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in electronics development.
• Experience taking products through FCC/CE radiated and conducted testing.

Responsibilities

• Own RF, EMI, EMI/EMC requirements for Apollo electronics.
• Design and select RF components and subsystems.
• Develop validation/test plans and build test fixtures.
• Create schematics, diagrams, test plans and assembly drawings.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers and manage vendor relationships.
• Oversee lifecycle from concept through production release and support.

Skills

RF design

EMI/EMC testing

PCB design

Regulatory compliance

RF module integration

Antenna integration

System-level design

Prototyping

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Tools

Lab equipment

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're looking for an experienced staff electrical engineer to own the electronics EMI/EMC design and test strategy as well as RF communication subsystems for the Apollo humanoid robot. We are primarily interested in candidates who have developed and released products to the market in robotics, automotive, medical, personal electronics, or enterprise spaces. In this job role, you will own the strategy for requirements, design, and testing of RF, EMI, and EMC for the electrical systems in and around Apollo.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Develop and execute comprehensive validation and test plans, design necessary test fixtures, and execute rigorous testing to confirm compliance with performance specifications and regulatory standards (e.g., FCC, CE, UL).
• Own architecture and component selection for RF communication subsystems.
• Collaborate with leadership, program management, and cross-functional teams to plan and execute company strategy.
• Innovate by bringing new core technologies, test practices, and processes into electrical engineering developments.
• Define, simulate, and verify electronics and electrical system requirements.
• Design, simulate, implement, and test multi-layer mixed signal PCBAs.
• Rapid prototyping of electrical systems at both system and board levels.
• Generate design documentation such as schematics, block diagrams, test plans and procedures, fabrication and assembly drawings.
• Design hardware to meet functional safety requirements, implementing redundant systems, fail-safe mechanisms, and diagnostic features to meet or exceed industry safety standards.
• Conduct performance benchmarking and power analysis to optimize the hardware for maximum efficiency and thermal management.
• Participate in the debugging and root cause analysis related to hardware and software defect resolution.
• Own the entire lifecycle of electronics and electrical systems from initial concept and architecture definition through design, prototyping, validation, production release, change requests, and ongoing support.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers.
• Manage 3rd party relationships with vendors, contract manufacturers, and external design services.

Skills And Requirements

• Demonstrated experience taking a product through FCC (Part 15b) and CE radiated and conducted emissions testing.
• Experience with 47 CFR 15.109 and IEC 61000-6 series standards.
• Experience with RF module selection and integration, particularly for 2x2 (or 4x4) Triband Wifi (5, 6, 6E, 7), high-throughput/data rate wifi systems, mobile device RF design, cellular 5G (carrier and private).
• Experience with wifi drivers for IEEE 802.11.
• Experience with antenna integration. Can inform on antenna selection or design, antenna placement, and interaction of antennas and surrounding materials.
• Experience with RF system performance optimization (mixed HW / SW / FW configuration).
• Excellent communication (verbal & written); will be expected to develop detailed build assembly instructions and diagrams.
• Excellent problem-solving and hardware debugging skills.
• Hands-on experience with prototyping and testing, including the use of lab equipment.
• Experience with robotics or designing electronics for lightweight, space-constrained systems is a significant plus.
• Nice-to-have: RF firmware/software experience, Nvidia Orin NX, Nvidia Orin AGX, Mobile robotics experience is a plus (antennas on robot vacuums or industrial AMRs), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201.

EDUCATION And/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelors, Masters, or PhD degree (or equivalent) in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in electronics development.

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

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.