Senior Electrical Engineer - Power
Apptronik · Austin, United States · 1mo ago
Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.
We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.
JOB SUMMARY
We're looking for an experienced senior electrical engineer to drive our electronics developments for the power electronics and power distribution subsystems of the Apollo humanoid robot. This role owns PCBA designs and vendor relationships related to Apollo’s power distribution and battery. We are looking for strong candidates with a background in power electronics, batteries, battery chargers, and PCBA design.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Electronics Owner from Concept to Production: Design, simulate, implement, and test multi-layer mixed signal PCBAs. Rapid prototyping of electrical systems at both system and board levels. Generate design documentation such as schematics, block diagrams, test plans and procedures, fabrication and assembly drawings. Execute design work under the supervision of program management, systems engineers, and technical leads. Align technical implementation and execution with company goals.
- Battery Module Owner: Drive execution of Apptronik’s battery strategy with internal engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, and firmware), supply chain, and external vendors with the oversight of a technical lead.
- Validation & Evaluation Criteria: Develop and execute comprehensive validation and test plans (DVT/PVT). Design necessary test fixtures and utilize advanced laboratory equipment (high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) to rigorously evaluate prototypes and ensure strict compliance with performance, safety, and reliability specifications.
- Root-Cause Analysis & Debugging: Assess unusual circumstances, creative failure modes, and hardware/firmware defects. Use sophisticated debugging techniques to identify root causes and implement robust corrective actions.
- Lifecycle Management & Vendor Alignment: Own the entire component lifecycle through PLM systems, managing third-party relationships with hardware vendors and contract manufacturers (CMs) to ensure successful production scaling and design-for-manufacturability (DFM/DFA).
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including technical lead, project managers, software, mechanical, thermal, systems engineers, and manufacturing. Manage 3rd party relationships with vendors, contract manufacturers, and external design services. Act as a mentor within the electrical engineering team, guiding junior engineers on best practices for hardware design, documentation, and troubleshooting.
SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS
- Experience with power electronics, including: DC/DC converters (nonisolated and isolated), three-phase PMSM/BLDC motor controls, advanced switching topologies (FET/GaN), thermal analysis and design, and power protection schemes (efuses, bus sizing).
- Experience with battery modules, battery management systems (BMS), and battery chargers.
- Competent in CAD tools including Altium, or similar tools.
- Experience with developing and maintaining CAD design rules.
- Experience with product lifecycle management and PLM systems such as Arena.
- Proven experience designing, prototyping, and debugging PCB/PCBAs as well as interfacing with manufacturing groups during release/build.
- Experience with electronics lab tools and simulation tools (ex: LTSpice, PSpice).
- Excellent communication (verbal & written); will be expected to develop detailed build assembly instructions and diagrams.
- Excellent problem-solving and hardware debugging skills.
- Hands-on experience with prototyping and testing, including the use of lab equipment.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where "perfect" is the enemy of "shipped," knowing exactly when a design is robust enough for the real world.
- Travel up to 10% within the US and internationally.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
- Bachelors, Masters, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
- At least 5 years of experience in Electrical Engineering.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
- Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
- Hearing and speech to communicate
*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.