Senior Electrical Engineer

Senior Electrical Engineer

Location: Sunnyvale, CA - Onsite



Type: Contract

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to support robotics hardware development within an industrial robotics group. You will contribute to system-level electrical architecture across multi-board robotic platforms, execute board designs from schematic through bring-up, and provide technical review of external design partners' schematic and layout work. You will perform design trade-off analysis - MCU/SoC selection, interface topology, power architecture, and sensor integration - across multiple concurrent projects, working with minimal supervision alongside a small, fast-moving hardware team.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to system-level electrical architecture (block diagrams, interface definitions, voltage domains) for multi-board robotic platforms spanning compute, motor control, sensing, and communication subsystems
• Review schematics from external design partners (ODMs, contract engineering firms), validating component selection and design trade-offs and flagging architectural misalignment
• Execute electrical design for PCBAs supporting robotic actuator and manipulation systems - schematic capture, layout, component selection, subsystem architecture, and design for signal integrity, manufacturability, and testability (Altium)
• Perform MCU/SoC architecture trade studies and component selection analysis (ARM Cortex-R/M MCUs, EtherCAT port constraints, package options, peripheral availability) across motor control and sensor interface boards
• Design and review multi-layer PCB layouts with high-speed digital interfaces (Ethernet, GMSL, USB, MIPI CSI-2, CAN-FD), ensuring impedance control, power integrity, and EMC compliance; perform layout for simple-to-medium boards in Altium and coordinate with external layout houses on complex PCBs
• Design power distribution systems including DC-DC converters, LDOs, power sequencing, load switches, and protection circuits; debug PMIC behavior and root-cause power delivery issues
• Collaborate with PCB fabrication vendors on stackup selection, DFM review, material trade-offs, Gerber release coordination, and alternate vendor sourcing
• Perform board bring-up, functional verification, root cause analysis, and debug using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and rework tools
• Partner with firmware engineers on hardware-software co-development, peripheral interface definition, and BSP bring-up
• Manage design documentation: block diagrams, schematics, BOMs, design rationale, constraint files, test reports
• Support multiple boards simultaneously at different NPI stages

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years in PCBA-level circuit design for robotics, industrial, automotive, or consumer electronics
• Experience reviewing designs from external engineering teams or ODMs and providing technical feedback
• Proficiency with Altium Designer - schematic capture and PCB layout
• Subsystem architecture and high-level electrical design for multi-board embedded systems
• Hands-on board bring-up and debug with standard EE test equipment
• Strong experience with Ethernet (100Base-T1, 1000BASE-T), USB, MIPI CSI, SPI, I2C, CAN-FD
• EtherCAT hardware architecture - daisy-chain topology, PHY selection
• Power architecture design - switching regulators, LDOs, power sequencing, high-current distribution, PMIC integration
• Motor driver circuits, gate drivers, or power stage design for BLDC actuators
• Managing PCB fabrication vendors - stackup review, DFM, material availability, multi-vendor coordination
• Signal integrity fundamentals - constraint development, impedance control, timing budget analysis
• Ability to work independently across multiple concurrent board designs with minimal supervision

Preferred Qualifications

• Signal and power integrity analysis tools (HSpice, ADS, SIwave); package-level delay analysis using IBIS/S-parameter models
• IMU/inertial sensor integration and low-noise analog front-end design
• Tactile sensor interfaces
• Semiconductor vendor technical engagement for component evaluation and design support
• Working with contract manufacturers on DFM review and production test development
• Functional safety hardware mechanisms (watchdogs, voltage monitors, safe-state circuits, redundancy)