Electrical Design Engineer, Power Electronics at Mind Robotics (Palo Alto, CA)
Mind Robotics· Palo Alto, CA·
Role details
Job description
About Mind: Mind Robotics is building Physical AI for real-world industrial deployment, starting with the factory floor. We believe the hardest problems in AI are solved when researchers and engineers are hands-on with the physical world every day - and we're looking for people who are passionate about robotics, value ownership, and are excited to tackle difficult problems.
About the role: As our Power Electronics Engineer, you’ll own the robot’s power architecture end to end, from how power reaches every compute, sensing and actuation load to the motor inverters that drive each joint. The compute, actuation and controls teams build against the specs you set, so your decisions shape the whole robot program, not just your own boards. You’ll make the key calls on topology, device technology and suppliers, and set the design standards other hardware teams follow. You’ll also stay hands-on, taking designs from schematic through bring-up and validation.
Responsibilities
- Own the robot’s power architecture end to end, from distribution across compute, actuation, sensing and peripherals to the motor inverters. Compute, actuation, controls and systems teams build against your rail budgets and interfaces, and their schedules depend on them.
- Decide what the power system solves next and what it won’t. Set priorities against power density, thermal, cost and reliability targets, and defend the tradeoffs to program leads.
- Make the domain’s strategic calls on topology, Si/GaN/SiC, make vs. buy and supplier strategy, and commit power specs and dates to the program.
- Set power design standards other hardware teams adopt, covering derating, layout, EMI, protection and validation. Lead cross-team design reviews and mentor engineers.
- Stay hands-on with distribution networks, inverter stages with discrete gate drivers, DC-DC conversion, current sensing and protection.
- Deliver high power density within tight thermal limits, from PCB design through bring-up, validation and fault injection.
- Own the power side of firmware and telemetry interfaces (EtherCAT, PMBus, I2C, SPI), connectors and pinouts.
- Manage fabricators and suppliers for delivery, DFM and second sourcing.
Qualifications
- Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience.
- Has owned a product’s power architecture, not just individual boards, that other teams built against.
- Deep expertise in either power distribution or inverter power stages, with architecture decisions spanning both.
- Strong DC-DC design skills, including topology, magnetics and loop compensation, plus current sensing and protection circuits.
- Strong high-current layout, EMI/EMC, bring-up and measurement skills, including double-pulse testing and gate-drive characterization.
- Experience with harnesses, connectors, volume manufacturing and contract manufacturers.
- Has set design standards adopted beyond their own team.
- Strong pluses: EtherCAT and GaN/SiC experience.
Why work at Mind Robotics
- Massive impact per person: The company explicitly states it is "building a lean, collaborative team where every individual has a massive impact" — a rare promise for a company with over half a billion in funding.
- Hardware-in-the-loop culture: Engineers and researchers work directly with physical hardware daily, solving real-world problems rather than just simulation.
- Top-tier team: Colleagues include alumni from Tesla, Rivian, Databricks, and Physical Intelligence, creating a high-caliber peer group.
- Work policy: Hybrid workspace (combination of remote and on-site work) with a strong in-office presence in Palo Alto, CA. Most roles appear to be on-site or hybrid.
- Open roles: 22 active positions across hardware engineering (actuation, motor design, electrical design, tactile sensing), software engineering (robotics, firmware, controls, ML infrastructure), and data platform roles.
- Culture highlights: The company looks for "builders who are passionate about robotics and live for the challenge of making systems work in messy, complex environments." They emphasize a lean, collaborative team where every individual has massive impact.