Firmware Engineer, Robotics

OpenAI • San Francisco, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

As a Firmware Engineer on the Robotics team, you will help enable the next generation of embodied AI by developing low-level firmware that drives our robotic systems. You will join at an early phase of our firmware development, working alongside electrical, mechanical, and control systems engineers to bring up new boards, integrate novel sensors, and build foundational infrastructure for the distributed system that drives our robots.
This role is hands-on and bare-metal focused. You will read datasheets and reference manuals, write startup code and peripheral drivers, and debug hardware–firmware interactions during board bring-up and deployment. Your work will span everything from simple single-purpose sensing devices to more complex, safety- and reliability-critical subsystems, with an emphasis on correctness, performance, and scalability.
By working closely across disciplines, you will help ensure that firmware, hardware, and system-level assumptions align, and that new designs can be brought up, tested, and iterated on quickly. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the early firmware architecture for advanced robotic systems operating in real-world environments.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week.

Requirements

• Have experience developing firmware for microcontrollers and enjoy working close to the hardware.
• Are comfortable writing bare-metal firmware, or are eager to deepen your understanding of startup code, peripheral drivers, low-level system initialization, and bootloaders.
• Regularly read datasheets, reference manuals, and schematics to understand how new hardware works.
• Have participated in board bring-up, lab debugging, or early hardware validation.
• Are curious about how systems fail and enjoy debugging hardware-firmware interactions using real measurement tools.
• Are comfortable developing in a test-driven environment as well as building testbenches or simple tooling to validate hardware and system behavior.
• Care about writing correct, robust firmware and improving your technical judgment through hands-on experience.

Nice To Haves

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with common embedded communication protocols (e.g., SPI, I²C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, BiSS).
• Experience writing C++, or Rust for microcontrollers, especially in resource-constrained or bare-metal environments.
• Familiarity with hardware debugging tools such as JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, or similar lab equipment.
• Experience with robotics, sensing systems, data acquisition, or other hardware-centric products.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, especially when collaborating with hardware and systems engineers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level