Field Application Engineer – Robotics Networking

NXP Semiconductors•San Jose, CA

1d•$166,200 - $228,500•Hybrid

About The Position

AI is rapidly moving beyond research labs and into the real world—powering advancements in vehicles, factories, hospitals, homes, and everyday devices. NXP’s Global Sales organization is the force that transforms our intelligent edge vision into meaningful market impact. We operate on the front lines of innovation, delivering real‑world AI, secure edge intelligence, and breakthrough technologies to the customers shaping tomorrow’s world. As a strategic partner at the intersection of customer ambition and NXP capability, our global sales team drives alignment, opens new markets, and builds the relationships that lead to design wins and revenue growth. Through deep market insight and long‑term collaboration, we embed customer‑centricity into every decision and help accelerate innovation at the system‑solution level. This disciplined, client‑first mindset enables us to architect integrated, future‑ready solutions that deliver sustained value and strengthen NXP’s competitive advantage. We thrive in a high‑performance, high‑ownership environment—competing boldly, executing with urgency, and celebrating results. If you want to win big, grow fast, and work with the customers building what’s next, NXP Global Sales is where ambition becomes achievement. We are seeking a highly motivated, experienced engineer to join our FAE team supporting the rapidly growing robotics market — Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), drones, and humanoid platforms. You will help our customers deploy industry-leading networking and high-speed communication technologies — Ethernet, SerDes, TSN, EtherCAT, and Power-over-Dataline/Ethernet — into next-generation robotic systems where deterministic, low-latency communication is critical for perception, motion, and motor control. You will join a collaborative, passionate team that values creativity, open communication, and having fun while solving tough problems together developing leading-edge hardware & software solutions. We support flexible work arrangements and a healthy work-life balance, and welcome teams to a modern, collaborative workspace in San Jose, conveniently located in the heart of North San Jose's thriving tech community. Ready to make your mark on the future of robotics? Apply now and let's build something amazing together!

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent.
10+ years in embedded systems development or applications support with microcontroller, switch, or SoC platforms, with demonstrated technical leadership.
Proficient in C/C++ firmware development and debugging with ARM microcontrollers.
Strong working knowledge of Ethernet controllers and switches — MAC, PHY, DMA, filters/queues, MDIO, switch configuration, and frame forwarding.
Hands-on understanding of Single-Pair Ethernet PHY technologies (100/1000/2.5G BASE-T1, 10BASE-T1S) and the associated PMA/PMD layers.
Familiarity with SerDes interfaces, PCIe Gen3/Gen4, and high-speed signal integrity considerations.
Experience with low-latency, deterministic real-time Ethernet — TSN (time synchronization, traffic shaping, frame replication) and EtherCAT (distributed clocks, master / sub-device topologies).
Working knowledge of functional safety (IEC 61508, ISO 13849) and cybersecurity (IEC 62443) standards relevant to robotics and industrial systems, plus Ethernet network segmentation and security (VLANs, MACsec, IEEE 802.1X).
Familiarity with the broader industrial real-time protocol landscape (e.g., PROFINET, EtherNet/IP) used in robotics and factory automation.
Experience with Power-over-Dataline (PoDL) and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), and 48V power architectures spanning BMS, motor drives, and combined power-and-data distribution in modern robots, AMRs, and humanoid platforms.
Strong troubleshooting skills with schematic review, signal analysis, and lab tools.
Excellent verbal and written communication for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to travel as needed, primarily within North America.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of CAN networking technologies — CAN FD, CAN SIC, and emerging CAN XL — including partial networking and use in joint modules, BMS, and zonal nodes.
Familiarity with ARM Cortex MCUs/SoCs and RTOS platforms (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, NuttX), and embedded Linux (kernel, u-boot, user-space) — particularly Ethernet driver and switchdev work.
Familiarity with robotics-relevant compute and middleware: ROS / ROS 2, DDS, real-time Linux (PREEMPT_RT), and motor-control stacks.
Experience optimizing PCB schematic design and layout for high-speed communication signals, including EMC/EMI for signal integrity in motor-noisy environments.

Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership to sales teams and customers covering networking architecture, silicon and product selection, bring-up, and software stack integration for NXP Ethernet switches, PHYs, and SerDes products targeting robotics platforms.
Architect and support next-generation in-robot network topologies — including zonal and microzonal architectures, Single-Pair Ethernet (SPE) backbones, 10BASE-T1S sensor/edge segments, and 48V combined power-and-data distribution using PoDL and PoE.
Offer design support through schematic and PCB reviews, bench bring-up, debugging, root-cause analysis, and customer troubleshooting on complex multi-node robotic systems.
Troubleshoot complex issues in the lab (schematics, board bring-up, software drivers) using oscilloscopes, network/protocol analyzers, and software debug/trace tools.
Perform validation and performance tuning for Ethernet, SerDes, and industrial real-time protocol interfaces to meet the deterministic latency and synchronization requirements of motor control, servo drives, joint modules, and real-time perception pipelines.
Deliver on-site and remote proof-of-concept builds using NXP evaluation kits and reference designs, demonstrating end-to-end network solutions for AMR, drone, and humanoid use cases.
Lead technical training and project coordination across customers, business lines, and partners — running webinars, workshops, and deep-dives while managing timelines and deliverables.