OpenAI

Electrical Engineer, Actuator test infrastructure

OpenAI$120K — $145K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or related field.
  • Experience with building and maintaining electrical systems in robotic applications.
  • Hands-on experience with servo systems and motor drives.
  • Strong grasp of grounding, shielding, EMI/EMC, and signal integrity standards.
  • Experience integrating sensors and DAQ hardware for detailed measurements.
  • Familiarity with electrical safety practices related to laboratories and machinery.

Responsibilities

  • Own the electrical architecture of dynamometer and actuator test cells.
  • Specify and commission motor drives and load machines for tests.
  • Design power distribution systems and grounding for high-performance setups.
  • Integrate various instrumentation into control systems for data collection.
  • Develop comprehensive electrical schematics and panel layouts.
  • Debug and maintain the electrical infrastructure swiftly and effectively.
  • Ensure safety through designing and validating safety circuit implementations.

Benefits

  • Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams.
  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge robotic technologies.
  • Hands-on lab work with real hardware and exciting challenges.
  • A role that combines system architecture with practical executions.
  • Possibility to make significant contributions to the advancement of robotics.
Full Job Description
About the Role

We are seeking an Electrical Engineer to build and own the electrical backbone of our robotic actuator dynamometer and test infrastructure. You will design, integrate, and operate the load motor drives, power distribution, instrumentation wiring, DAQ interfaces, and safety systems that make high-performance robotic actuator testing repeatable, safe, and scalable.

This role spans hands-on lab execution and system architecture: selecting and commissioning power electronics, designing robust test-cell electrical systems, bringing up sensors and DAQ, and partnering with mechanical and software engineers to turn robotic actuator hardware into trustworthy data.

In this role, you will
  • Own the electrical architecture of dynamometer and actuator test cells, from mains distribution and protection through load motor drives, braking, and auxiliary power.
  • Specify, integrate, commission, and tune motor drives and load machines for robotic actuator torque, speed, efficiency, thermal, and durability testing.
  • Design power distribution, grounding, shielding, cable routing, and connectorization for high-current, high-voltage, and low-level measurement systems.
  • Integrate torque, position, speed, temperature, voltage, current, vibration, and other instrumentation from robotic actuators into DAQ and control systems.
  • Develop electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, panel layouts, harness documentation, and test-cell interface definitions.
  • Build, debug, and maintain test-cell electrical hardware, rapidly diagnosing noise, EMI, grounding, drive, sensor, and power-quality issues.
  • Design and validate safety circuits including E-stops, interlocks, contactors, safe torque off, guarding interfaces, and fault detection.
  • Partner with mechanical engineers on packaging, cooling, fixturing interfaces, and serviceability of test infrastructure.
  • Partner with software and controls engineers on I/O maps, real-time signals, calibration, automated sequences, and reliable data capture.
  • Establish commissioning, calibration, inspection, and preventive-maintenance procedures for lab electrical systems.
  • Evaluate vendors and components for drives, motors, sensors, DAQ hardware, protection devices, and electrical enclosures.
  • Analyze test and diagnostic data to improve measurement quality, cell uptime, and hardware reliability.
  • Set practical electrical standards that enable a growing dyno lab to operate safely and consistently.

You might thrive in this role if you

Have strong intuition for power electronics, motor drives, electrical safety, and precision measurement in noisy electromechanical environments.
  • Enjoy being hands-on in the lab: wiring, probing, commissioning, debugging, and improving real hardware.
  • Can move comfortably between system-level architecture and detailed electrical implementation.
  • Care about clean grounding, shielding, calibration, and signal integrity because trustworthy data depends on them.
  • Are comfortable working with evolving hardware and creating structure in a fast-moving environment.
  • Take ownership of safety and operational reliability, not just a schematic or subsystem.
  • Communicate clearly across electrical, mechanical, controls, software, facilities, and operations teams.
  • Balance engineering rigor with rapid iteration and pragmatic lab execution.
  • Are motivated by building infrastructure that accelerates the development of advanced robotic actuators.
  • Are excited to build electrical test infrastructure that accelerates robotic actuator development.

Preferred qualifications
  • Preferred qualifications
  • Bachelor's or graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
  • Experience building, commissioning, or maintaining electrical systems for robotic actuator dynamometers, robotics, automation, motors, power electronics, or industrial test equipment.
  • Hands-on experience with motor drives, servo systems, load motors, power distribution, and electrical protection.
  • Strong understanding of grounding, shielding, EMI/EMC, signal integrity, and instrumentation wiring.
  • Experience integrating sensors and DAQ hardware for voltage, current, torque, position, speed, temperature, or vibration measurements.
  • Familiarity with electrical safety practices, E-stops, interlocks, safe torque off, lockout/tagout, and relevant lab or machinery standards.
  • Ability to create and maintain schematics, wiring diagrams, panel layouts, and clear electrical documentation.
  • Experience troubleshooting complex electromechanical systems with oscilloscopes, meters, power analyzers, and other lab tools.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and John Schulman. OpenAI's mission is to develop and promote friendly AI for the betterment of humanity. The company has developed a number of cutting-edge AI technologies, including GPT-3, a language processing system that can generate human-like text. OpenAI has received funding from a number of high-profile investors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Learn more about OpenAI
Size
100 employees
Industry
Founded
2015

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