Hardware Engineer - Electrical

Robotics and AI Institute•Cambridge, MA

1d•$126,000 - $358,000

About The Position

The Hardware Engineer - Electrical will own robot electrical subsystems from concept through deployment, working with mechanical, embedded software, controls, and research teams. The role develops subsystems using commercial off-the-shelf and custom components, from requirements and architecture through schematic capture, PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and deployment. The hardware is intended to enable research and contribute to it directly. The engineer integrates power, sensing, actuation, computation, and communications hardware within electrical and mechanical constraints; develops and debugs microcontroller firmware in collaboration with the embedded software team; and plans bench and on-robot testing. The role includes validating high-risk design choices, troubleshooting across electronics, firmware, cabling, and connected systems, defining interfaces across teams, and making practical engineering trade-offs. The engineer also documents designs and tests, leads subsystem design reviews, coordinates work across disciplines, shares expertise with teammates and co-ops, and improves engineering practices for rapid, reliable hardware development.

Requirements

BS in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
5+ years of relevant professional experience developing electrical hardware.
Strong electrical fundamentals and demonstrated ownership of custom electronics through design, schematic capture, layout, fabrication ordering, bring-up, validation, system integration, and documentation.
Proficiency with an electronic design tool such as Altium Designer, Cadence, or KiCad.
Strong electromechanical debugging skills and hands-on use of oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, and other lab instrumentation; ability to inspect boards and identify necessary rework.
Practical experience in at least one relevant area: analog or mixed-signal design, power electronics and motor drives, sensing, embedded systems, high-speed or wireless communications, or densely packaged robot electronics.
Ability to collaborate across hardware and software disciplines, communicate technical trade-offs, and document designs and validation results.
Comfort using AI tools to support technical research, documentation, and routine tasks, with sound judgment about verifying outputs and protecting confidential information.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience developing and debugging microcontroller firmware for board bring-up, sensor interfaces, or hardware validation.
Experience with DC-DC converters, motor-drive electronics, or battery-powered systems, including grounding, power integrity, and EMI/EMC troubleshooting.
Experience with Ethernet or Single Pair Ethernet (SPE), wireless networking, or time synchronization in distributed embedded systems.
Experience with embedded Rust, particularly on STM32 or similar microcontrollers, and familiarity with real-time operating systems or communication/control protocols.
Experience with sensor integration or analog front ends, including capacitive or tactile sensing.
Scripting for test automation, hardware characterization, or data analysis.
Experience with fine-pitch SMD rework, cable harness design and assembly, or rugged electronics for shock, vibration, and repeated cable flexing.

Responsibilities

Own the design and delivery of robot electrical subsystems using commercial off-the-shelf and custom components, from requirements and architecture through schematic capture, PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and deployment.
Integrate power, sensing, actuation, computation, and communications hardware within the robot's electrical and mechanical constraints.
Develop and debug microcontroller firmware for board bring-up, sensor interfaces, and hardware validation in collaboration with the embedded software team.
Plan and execute bench and on-robot testing, validate high-risk design choices early, and troubleshoot failures across electronics, firmware, cabling, and connected systems.
Work across teams to define interfaces, resolve integration issues, and make practical trade-offs between performance, complexity, reliability, and development time.
Document designs, interfaces, test results, and bring-up procedures so others can build, operate, and maintain the hardware.
Lead design reviews for subsystems, coordinate technical work across disciplines, and share expertise with teammates and co-ops.
Improve engineering practices that support rapid, reliable hardware development.