Electrical Engineer, Robotics Hardware

Hardware Team:

The Hardware Team at Field AI develops perception and compute payloads that power autonomous robotics systems in complex real world environments. Our work spans the full hardware stack designing and integrating sensing systems (LiDAR, camera, TOF, IMU, GPS), embedded compute (CPUs, GPUs, microcontrollers, Linux, ROS), electrical systems (power distribution, communication), and mechanical components (structures, thermal regulation, ingress protection). The team focuses on both development (research, design, prototyping, testing) and operations (production, testing, QA, debugging). We're a small, fast-moving team, and we care deeply about improving: 1) core capabilities, 2) system reliability, 3) system scalability. As a growing team we are also building operational systems and procedures from the ground up.

Electrical Systems Role:

As an Electrical Engineer on the Hardware Team at Field AI, you will contribute to the design and implementation of electrical systems that enable power and communications across the sense and compute packages. Your work will span across power systems, wire harnesses, PCB design, and communications networks with the goal of ensuring our systems are electrically robust, safe, and scalable. Responsibilities may span the full lifecycle from electrical CAD through production to field support. You will collaborate closely with the mechanical, sensor, and compute teams to build tightly integrated solutions ready for deployment in challenging field environments. Additionally, while your focus will be on electrical systems you will likely contribute across all hardware domains.

What You Will Get To Do

1. Electrical System Design

• Power Architecture: Design regulated power systems including voltage rails, DC/DC converters, switches, fuses, and grounding schemes.
• Wire Harness Design: Design and document robust wire harnesses for power and data lines, including shielding, strain relief, and standard connectors.
• PCB Design: Create PCBs for power distribution, protocol bridging, and embedded control.
• Networking & Communication: Architect wired and wireless communication systems (Ethernet, USB, CAN, I2C, WiFi, 5G).
• Budgets & Tolerances: Maintain system-level power and bandwidth budgets. Ensure electrical tolerance to noise, EMI, and vibration.

2. Electrical System Implementation

• CAD & Schematics: Create PCB schematics, harness diagrams, pinouts, and complete PCB BOMs using tools like KiCAD or Altium.
• Calculations: Conduct electrical calculations including current draw, peak power, signal integrity, and fault analysis.
• Design for Field Conditions: Engineer for EMI/EMC robustness, thermal resilience, and fault isolation under field operating conditions.
• Testing: Conduct power validation (noise, load, transients), communication tests (bandwidth, latency), and EMI evaluation.
• Integration: Collaborate with sensor, compute, and mechanical teams to ensure end-to-end system compatibility and robustness.
• Documentation & Budgets: Maintain PCB schematics and systems level wiring diagrams. Manage system-level power and data bandwidth budgets.

3. Electrical System Production & Servicing

• Build: Work with vendors and contract manufacturers to procure PCBs and harnesses. Develop QA checks for incoming units.
• Debug: Investigate system faults using logs, oscilloscopes, analyzers, and power monitors.
• Support: Provide hands-on support during integration, deployment, and servicing in the field.

What You Have

• Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• Experience Level: We are recruiting across a wide range of experience levels from entry level engineers to senior and staff engineers.
• Power Systems: Experience designing and testing low-voltage regulated power systems.
• Harnessing: Hands-on design and integration of custom wire harnesses for robotics or automotive-style systems.
• PCB Design: Proficiency in PCB schematic and layout using KiCAD, Altium, or equivalent tools.
• Communication Protocols: Familiarity with USB, Ethernet, CAN, I2C, GMSL, and wireless technologies.
• Testing & Debugging: Skills using electrical test tools including oscilloscopes, power analyzers, and EMI/EMC setups.
• Documentation: Ability to produce detailed electrical documentation for design, manufacturing, and servicing.
• Systems Thinking: Experience working across mechanical, compute, and autonomy teams to deliver robust integrated systems.
• Cross Functional Robotic Skills: Ability to contribute electrical, sensing, and embedded computing work to deliver robust integrated systems.

What Will Set You Apart

• Scaling: Experience taking systems from prototype to large scale production.
• Field Environments: Experience developing systems for harsh field environments.
• Deployed Robotics: Experience working on robotics deployed in real world settings such as autonomous vehicles, drones, or ruggedized robots.
• Systems Level Robotics: Fluency across electrical, mechanical, and software systems.
• Reliability Engineering: Background in fault protection, EMI/EMC compliance, and safety-critical design.

$70,000 - $300,000 a year

Compensation and Benefits

Our salary range is between ($70,000 - $300,000 annual), but we take into consideration an individual's background and experience in determining final salary; base pay offered may vary considerably depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Also, while we enjoy being together on-site, we are open to exploring a hybrid or remote option.

We are headquartered in always-sunny Irvine, Southern California and have US based and global teammates.

Join us, shape the future, and be part of a fun, close-knit team on an exciting journey!