Staff Firmware Engineer

We’re looking for a high-ownership Firmware Engineer to build the critical layer between hardware and software at a fast-growing robotics company developing autonomous robots for industrial automation. This is a foundational hardware hire in a very early-stage environment, and you’ll work directly with the founding hardware team to shape embedded architecture from the ground up.

What you’ll do

• Write low-level C/C++ firmware for motor driver boards and custom robot hardware.
• Implement and tune PID loops and real-time control for motors, actuators, and electromechanical systems.
• Build and maintain the hardware abstraction layer that connects leader arms, follower arms, cameras, and other embedded subsystems.
• Own PCB bring-up, peripheral integration, and hardware debugging across the stack.
• Optimize latency, synchronization, and reliability for real-time embedded systems.
• Collaborate closely with electrical, hardware, and ML teams to ensure clean data flow into downstream AI systems.
• Grow into ownership of embedded firmware for more complex motherboard projects as the company scales, including Nvidia-based systems.

What we’re looking for

• 4+ years of experience in embedded firmware engineering, ideally with a strong focus on motor control and C/C++.
• Experience in a high-ownership firmware role at a robotics or hardware startup, or senior tenure at companies like Tesla, Apple, Anduril, Zipline, or Neuralink.
• Hands-on experience with motor controllers, actuators, joint-level control loops, or similar real-world embedded control systems.
• Strong background in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other real-world embedded products.
• Degree in electrical engineering, embedded systems, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
• Strong theoretical foundation in controls, systems thinking, and first-principles engineering.
• Deep technical skills in motor control, PID tuning, RTOS, and bare-metal development.
• Experience with CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, USB, or EtherCAT.
• Ability to debug hardware at the board level using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and schematic review.
• High energy, fast execution, and comfort switching between short-horizon priorities in a startup environment.
• A portfolio or side projects that show hands-on building beyond day-to-day work.

What will stand out

• Clear end-to-end ownership of firmware systems.
• Experience diagnosing motor control issues from system behavior.
• Ability to work directly at the hardware-software boundary.
• Strong embedded judgment in low-latency, high-reliability systems.