Electrical Systems & Automation Design Engineer

We are looking for an Electrical Systems & Automation Design Engineer who bridges the gap between custom hardware design, sensor electronics, and automated manufacturing equipment. This role is built for a physical-world generalist who thrives on both designing custom circuit boards and building, deploying, and debugging custom automation systems on the factory floor.

You will own the board-level hardware from schematic capture, component sourcing, and layout, while simultaneously building custom automated test fixtures, integrating sensors and actuators, and debugging complex edge-case failures directly on the production line.

To apply for this role, please email [email protected] with a note on what project you are most proud to have worked on and apply through the posting here.

Key Responsibilities

Professional Electrical Design & PCB Layout

• Production Schematic & PCB Layout: Own multi-layer PCB layout (2 to 6+ layers) using Altium Designer or KiCad for both product hardware and internal factory automation tooling.

• Signal & Power Integrity: Design low-noise analog front-ends, high-speed digital routing, motor drive circuits, power conversion (DC-DC, LDOs), and power management.

• EMC/EMI Compliance: Design schematics and board layouts for noise immunity in high-noise factory environments, incorporating ESD protection, isolation, shielding, and filtering from day one.

Component Sourcing & Supply Chain Architecture

• Vendor Ecosystem Mastery: Evaluate components across major vendors (TI, STMicroelectronics, Analog Devices, Microchip, etc.) balancing performance, cost, footprint, and lead times.

• Datasheet Deep Dives: Analyze complex IC datasheets, register maps, pin constraints, thermal limits, and application circuits before committing to a design.

• BOM Optimization: Select components with long-term availability and design for second-source equivalents to protect both product delivery and factory uptime.

Custom Factory Automation & Line Integration

• Automated Equipment & Fixtures: Architect, build, and deploy custom factory automation rigs, automated test equipment (ATE), and smart assembly fixtures to optimize production yield and throughput.

• Actuation & Motion Control: Integrate motor drives, pneumatics, linear actuators, optical sensors, safety interlocks, and industrial communications into unified, rugged automation equipment.

• Manufacturing Diagnostics: Write firmware (C/C++) and automation scripts (Python) to drive test fixtures, interface with line sensors, log metric data, and automate line diagnostics.

Hardware Debugging & Line Troubleshooting

• Production Line Debugging: Serve as the primary technical responder for complex hardware bugs on the shop floor, isolating root causes ranging from electrical issues to systems-level bugs

• Bench & Shop Floor Mastery: Utilize oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, bus sniffers, and precision multimeters to diagnose live physical signals on boards and automated rigs.

• Fault-Path & Stress Testing: Inject deliberate faults (brownouts, reversed polarity, shorted sensors, stalled buses, ESD strikes) to ensure production equipment fails safely and recovers gracefully.

Rapid Prototyping & Skunkworks

• Passionate about ideating, architecting, and prototyping electrical systems without a documented playbook (datasheets, design notes, etc)

• Can make proof-of-concept designs that help the team make decisions about the utility as well as viability of the solution

Qualifications

• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or equivalent practical experience.
• Portfolio: A portfolio highlighting hardware projects you led from concept to completion, with an emphasis on custom electronics.
• EDA Tool Proficiency: Expert-level capability in Altium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent professional EDA software.
• Automation & Mechatronics Experience: Hands-on experience developing custom automation systems, automated test fixtures, motor controls, or sensor networks for hardware assembly/testing.
• Component Sourcing Track Record: Demonstrated experience reviewing IC availability, building production BOMs, and sourcing equivalent multi-source components.
• Lab & Field Debugging: High comfort level working with bench top instruments (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) and diagnosing live hardware on a manufacturing line.
• Embedded & Automation Software: Proficiency in C/C++ for hardware bring-up and microcontrollers (STM32, ESP32, etc.), and Python for test automation and data logging.
• The Maker Mindset: A track record of hands-on builds custom CNCs, 3D printers, DIY robotics, or automated lab setups demonstrating deep technical curiosity