Apptronik
Firmware and Controls Engineer - Next-Gen Systems
Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better. We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.
You will join a team developing state-of-the-art general-purpose robots designed to operate in human spaces and with human tools. It is designed to work alongside humans, mobilize to human spaces, and manipulate the world around it.
Job Summary:
As a Firmware and Controls Engineer, you'll play a key role in developing software solutions for our next-gen robot product. You'll collaborate closely with senior engineers in hardware design, electrical engineering, machine learning, and advanced control theory, providing an exceptional environment to accelerate your professional growth.
You will design, develop, and deploy firmware and low-level software critical to robot operation. Responsibilities include writing reliable code for drivers and Board Support Packages (BSPs), integrating and testing sensors (encoders, IMUs, etc.), and implementing key safety features. You'll ensure seamless hardware integration and high reliability in our robotic systems.
Responsibilities:
- Develop firmware and embedded software for our next-gen robot product.
- Implement device drivers and BSPs to interface with hardware components.
- Integrate, test, and validate sensor hardware and software interfaces.
- Collaborate with experienced engineers in control theory, motion planning, machine learning, electrical, and hardware engineering teams.
- Support safety-critical software implementations to ensure compliance with relevant standards.
- Engage actively in testing, debugging, and validating robotic systems in both simulation and on real hardware.
- Contribute to maintaining and improving our software development practices through code reviews and automated testing.
Requirements:
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience in firmware/embedded software development.
- Proficiency in C and C++, with solid knowledge of software development in Linux environments (Ubuntu preferred).
- Experience with unit and integration testing.
- Experience developing drivers and BSPs, ideally interfacing directly with sensors such as encoders or IMUs.
- Familiarity with embedded computing platforms similar to Panda Latte or Jetson Orin boards.
- Strong problem-solving skills, comfortable debugging complex interactions between hardware and software.
Preferred Qualifications (nice to have):
- Familiarity or direct experience with robotic systems or industrial automation.
- Experience with ROS 2
- Experience with Python scripting.
- Knowledge of safety standards and experience in safety-critical software development (ISO 10218, IEC 61508, etc.).
Why Join Us?
- Work alongside a diverse, highly experienced engineering team from robotics, ML, electrical, and hardware domains.
- Unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge robotics technology.
- Competitive salary, stock options, flexible work schedule (hybrid work), and professional development opportunities.
*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.
Top Skills
Similar Jobs at Apptronik
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
