System Design and Architecture Engineer

base-power; Austin (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

base-power is seeking a System Design & Architecture Engineer in Austin, California, to lead the hardware architecture of multi-subsystem products. The role involves defining system boundaries, writing requirements, and transitioning into system integration as the program evolves.

The ideal candidate has over 4 years of experience in systems design with strong fundamentals in electrical engineering and firmware. We value first-principles thinking and collaboration as part of our mission to rebuild the grid.

Qualifications

• 4+ years designing or integrating multi-subsystem electromechanical systems.
• Strong EE fundamentals and firmware fundamentals; able to reason about embedded behavior.
• Strong physics and first-principles reasoning.

Responsibilities

• Define hardware architecture across subsystems.
• Write and own system-level requirements.
• Lead root-cause investigation on system-level failures.

Skills

System-level architecture

Embedded systems design

Root cause analysis

MATLAB/Simulink proficiency

Cross-domain decision making

Education

4+ years in systems design or integration

Tools

Python scripting

Dynamic controls knowledge

Job description

About Base

Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.

About the Role

We are seeking a System Design & Architecture Engineer to own the system-level hardware architecture of multi-subsystem products. This person decides how the subsystems work together as one coherent system, defines where system boundaries fall (which box owns the shared power supply?), and sets the communications, information, authority, and control flows across the system. They write and own requirements during the design phase and transition into a system integration role as the program matures, making the system-level calls that keep cross-domain design work from design-by-committee.

What You’ll Do

• System Architecture: Define the hardware architecture across subsystems—partitioning functions, resolving where system boundaries blur, and making the system-level decisions (e.g., "how many data buses, and at what speed do they operate?") that the implementation teams design to.
• Requirements Ownership: Write and own system-level requirements through the design phase, flowing them down to the domain teams and keeping them coherent as the design evolves.
• Integration: Transition into the system integration role in later development phases—bringing up the integrated system, owning multi-subsystem behavior, and root-causing issues that fall between domains.
• Cross-Domain Decision-Making: Hold system-level authority over architecture decisions while influencing the implementation layer. Resolve cross-domain trade-offs decisively so multi-part design work doesn't stall.
• Root Cause Analysis: Lead root-cause investigation on system-level and inter-subsystem failures, applying strong first-principles reasoning.

What You'll Bring

• 4+ years designing or integrating multi-subsystem electromechanical, embedded, or power-electronics systems, with system-architecture ownership. Experience on a highly integrated system (e.g., automotive) is strongly relevant.
• Strong EE fundamentals and stronger firmware fundamentals—able to reason about embedded behavior, communications, and system timing, and to design across the HW/FW boundary.
• Very strong physics and first-principles reasoning; strong root-cause analysis on complex, multi-domain problems.
• Working knowledge of classical dynamic controls (e.g., understands PID and feedback-loop behavior).
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink for modeling and analysis. Able to write Python scripts and quickly build tooling as needed; comfortable expressing designs as state charts and diagrams.
• Demonstrated ability to own cross-domain system decisions and drive them to closure without defaulting to design-by-committee.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience defining communications architectures (CAN, Ethernet, Modbus) and authority/control flows in a distributed embedded system.
• Working knowledge of functional safety concepts and their application to complex systems.
• Track record carrying a system from architecture definition through integration and bring-up.
• Experience across multiple product domains or system types.
• Mechanical engineering depth is not required for this role.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.

Our Values

• First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.
• Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.
• Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.
• Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.
• Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.
• Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in‑person. It’s not a 9‑to‑5. We are all‑in.
• Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.

Do the best work of your life at Base.