Staff Firmware Engineer
On-siteSanta Clara, California, United States
Job Summary
Write low-level C/C++ firmware for motor driver boards and custom robot hardware, implementing and tuning PID loops for actuators and electromechanical systems. Build and maintain the hardware abstraction layer connecting leader arms, follower arms, cameras, and embedded subsystems while owning PCB bring-up, peripheral integration, and hardware debugging across the stack. Optimize latency, synchronization, and reliability for real-time embedded systems, collaborating 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.
Required Qualifications
- 4+ years of experience in embedded firmware engineering
- Experience in a high-ownership firmware role at a robotics or hardware startup
- 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
Desired Qualifications
- ideally with a strong focus on motor control and C/C++
- 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
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