Principal Hardware Engineer

Who We Are: 

Prime Robotics is a premier provider of end-to-end automation solutions tailored for distribution centers and warehouses. Prime’s suite of robot and execution software solutions transform fragmented workflows, empowering clients to unlock operational productivity and efficiency. Committed to revolutionizing warehouse, supply chain, and factory operations, Prime strives to elevate businesses through best-in-class automation solutions and services.

If you want to build hardware and software that physically changes how warehouses operate and see your work rolling across a live warehouse floor, Prime Robotics is the place to do it! 

About The Role: 

Prime Robotics is looking for an experienced Principal Hardware Engineer who works across three modes depending on where the urgency is: fix, build, and design. 

Fix:

• Our robots are in warehouses now, running real operations. We have reached the point where we are moving from reactive fixes to root cause engineering, and we need someone to lead that shift. 

• You will own reliability at the engineering level. That means working directly with field technicians to understand what is breaking, diagnosing why it is breaking, and driving changes that prevent it from happening again. 

• The problems are primarily electrical: wiring, grounding, PCB robustness, and power systems. There is real, meaningful work here for someone who wants to leave a clear mark on a hardware product. 

Build:

• We are actively building robots right now, including nearly 50-unit deployment in a freezer environment. Build quality and electrical integrity on robots coming out of Denver production is part of your scope.  

Design:

• You will work directly with our China engineering team to improve PCB and electrical system designs: grounding schemes, EMI resilience, connector selection, and environmental sealing. 

• The goal is a fleet that stays running in real warehouse conditions, not just hardware that passes a bench test. 

• This is a hands-on role where you’ll be expected to do engineering work. 

What You Will Own:  

Fleet Reliability: Fix Mode  

• Work alongside field technicians to understand what is failing, in what conditions, and how often, they are your primary source of signal.

• Diagnose complex electrical failures: wiring faults, grounding problems, PCB issues, power system failures, sensor degradation in harsh environments.  

• Prioritize which failures matter most to customer uptime and drive the engineering decisions that fix them at the root. 

• Establish diagnostic standards and repair methodology the field team can execute consistently. 

• Track bad-fix rates and first-visit resolution; use that data to drive design improvements.  

Production Quality: Build Mode  

• Own electrical quality on robots being built in Denver, wiring standards, grounding practices, inspection criteria. 

• Support the Arctic RackBot build for freezer deployment: ensure electrical systems are robust for -10°F continuous operation.  

• Work with assemblers to catch issues during build rather than after deployment.

Hardware Design for Reliability: Design Mode  

• Partner with our China R&D team to improve PCB designs for robustness, this is one of the highest-leverage things we can do for long-term fleet reliability. 

• Drive design improvements in wiring harnesses, connector choices, grounding architecture, and environmental protection. 

• Contribute to next-generation robot variants including RackBot 2.0 and MobilePallet improvements .

• Apply design-for-reliability thinking, reduce failure modes before robots ship rather than fixing them in the field.  

International Team Coordination: 

• Lead our international engineering team on hardware development, this requires regular evening availability to overlap with China time zones. 

• Bridge the gap between what the field is experiencing and what the China team is designing; you are the translation layer.  

• Review and provide feedback on designs coming from China with a reliability and field-serviceability lens.  

Requirements

About You: 

• Deep electrical systems fluency, wiring, grounding, PCB-level diagnosis, power systems, EMI. This is the core technical requirement for this role.  

• Experience with autonomous robots or complex electromechanical systems deployed in real-world environments, not just lab or prototype work . 

• Ability to sit down with a field technician, understand what they are seeing, and make good engineering judgments about root cause and priority.  

• Hands-on orientation, you are comfortable doing the work yourself, not just reviewing others' work. 

  Strong Preferences:

• Experience with robots operating in harsh environments: temperature extremes, dust, vibration, and wet conditions.  

• Background in designing for reliability, not just performance, connector selection, harness design, grounding schemes, environmental sealing.

• Familiarity with AMR or AGV systems: navigation, motor control, sensor integration. 

• Experience working with Chinese engineering and manufacturing teams, understanding the culture and how to drive results across time zones is a genuine advantage.  

• Design-for-manufacturing mindset: you think about how a design will be built and serviced, not just how it will perform. 

Honest Expectations: 

• Most robotics companies in the US do not have fleet sizes like ours — we are not expecting you to have done this exact job before. We are looking for transferable experience from adjacent fields: agricultural robotics, industrial automation, EV systems, defense robotics, or similar.  

• The first months will require wearing multiple hats. The scope will narrow as the team grows around you.  

• This position is based in Lakewood, CO and our lab located in Denver, CO. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will be onsite five days a week.  

• This position will report to the CEO. 

Prime Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

The expected base salary range for this role is $180K–$240K annually, plus equity, informed by external market data. Actual offers will depend on factors such as the candidate’s experience, education, training, key or critical skills, and current market and business conditions. 

Benefits

• Employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to support your health and wellbeing.

• Dedicated vacation and sick leave that allows you to recharge and take care of yourself when needed. 

• Invaluable hands-on experience with cutting-edge robotics technology that keeps your skills at the industry forefront.

• A collaborative culture where innovation thrives and your work has a real impact.

• The excitement of contributing to transformative technology in a fast-growing industry.