Dexmate

Senior Electrical Engineer, Robot Controller Hardware at Dexmate (Fremont, CA)

Dexmate· Fremont, CA·

Role details

Work type
Onsite
Employment
Full-Time
Level
Senior

Job description

About Dexmate

Dexmate is building robot platforms and a universal Physical AI OS to make robots easier to build and deploy. We combine hardware and software into a plug-and-play platform for developers, researchers and enterprises, with an open ecosystem that supports the development of physical AI.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to design the onboard controller hardware for Dexmate’s robot platforms. You will own multi-processor architectures integrating NVIDIA Jetson modules, x86 hosts, and supporting MCUs, along with the sensor interfaces, networking, synchronization, and power systems that connect them. This is a hands-on board design role spanning architecture, schematics, PCB development, bring-up, validation, and production release. You will work closely with software, systems, mechanical, thermal, and manufacturing engineers to turn robot requirements into reliable controller hardware.

Responsibilities

  • Define controller hardware requirements with software and systems teams, including processing needs, sensor connectivity, interface bandwidth, synchronization, power budgets, and environmental constraints.
  • Architect multi-processor controller platforms integrating Jetson modules, x86 hosts, and MCUs. Define processing boundaries, inter-processor communication, peripheral connections, and dependencies across power, clock, reset, and boot domains.
  • Design custom carrier boards for NVIDIA Jetson modules, including AGX Thor, following platform design requirements and validating implementation on physical hardware.
  • Evaluate compute platform options, including NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm robotics platforms, and x86 processors, against robot performance, power, thermal, packaging, and lifecycle requirements.
  • Own schematic design, component selection, and PCB development for controller motherboards, carrier boards, and associated interface electronics. Execute layout or provide detailed technical direction and review.
  • Design and validate high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, multi-gigabit Ethernet, USB, MIPI CSI-2, and camera SerDes links. Define stackups, impedance targets, routing constraints, grounding, and return paths.
  • Design onboard networking and hardware time synchronization between processors, cameras, and sensors, working with software engineers to verify system behavior.
  • Develop board-level power architectures, including DC-DC conversion, sequencing, transient response, protection, monitoring, and fault reporting.
  • Analyze signal and power integrity risks, correlate assumptions with bench measurements, and resolve interface instability and power-related failures.
  • Lead board bring-up with embedded software engineers, debugging boot, reset, clocking, processor communication, peripheral enumeration, and sensor connectivity.
  • Define and execute validation plans covering interface performance, sustained workloads, power cycling, temperature, supply variation, and fault recovery.
  • Partner with mechanical and thermal engineers on connectors, cables, cooling, and packaging; support EMI/EMC testing and corrective actions.
  • Work with manufacturing and test teams on DFM/DFT reviews, prototype builds, production test coverage, component substitutions, and production release.

Minimum Qualifications

  • 5+ years of electrical hardware design experience with embedded processor systems, high-speed digital electronics, or similarly complex products, including at least one board taken through bring-up and production release.
  • Hands-on design of at least one custom NVIDIA Jetson carrier board, taken through board bring-up.
  • Demonstrated ownership of processor-based motherboards, system-on-module carrier boards, or comparable complex multilayer PCBAs, from schematic design through validation.
  • Experience designing hardware interfaces between processors, compute modules, MCUs, and peripherals, including power, reset, clocking, and boot dependencies.
  • Strong schematic design skills and proficiency with Altium, Cadence, or equivalent tools, with experience defining and reviewing high-speed PCB layouts.
  • Practical experience designing and debugging multiple high-speed interfaces, such as PCIe, Ethernet, USB, MIPI, or camera SerDes.
  • Strong understanding of signal and power integrity, including transmission lines, impedance discontinuities, return paths, decoupling, and power distribution networks.
  • Experience designing processor or compute-module power supplies, including regulator selection, load transients, sequencing, and protection.
  • Strong bench debugging skills using oscilloscopes, appropriate probing techniques, logic or protocol analyzers, and programmable power supplies.
  • Experience working with embedded software engineers to diagnose hardware/software interface issues and verify fixes on physical hardware.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with NVIDIA Jetson AGX Thor or AGX Orin, including carrier-board implementation, platform bring-up, and power and thermal integration.
  • Experience integrating multiple processor families within one controller platform, such as ARM with x86, or application processors with real-time MCUs.
  • Experience with Qualcomm robotics platforms or chip-down designs using Qualcomm SoCs, PMICs, and LPDDR.
  • Experience designing controller hardware for robots, autonomous vehicles, drones, or other systems constrained by power, space, and operating environment.
  • Experience with discrete processor and DDR memory integration, including layout constraints and timing validation.
  • Experience integrating multiple cameras and sensors over GMSL, FPD-Link, or multi-gigabit Ethernet.
  • Experience implementing hardware time synchronization using IEEE 1588/PTP or gPTP.
  • Experience with HDI PCB design, dense BGA fanout, and signal or power integrity simulation using tools such as HyperLynx, Sigrity, or Ansys.
  • Familiarity with embedded Linux, JetPack, pinmux and device tree configuration, boot diagnostics, and scripting for hardware validation.
  • Experience with EMC pre-compliance testing, environmental qualification, production test development, and manufacturing ramp.

Why work at Dexmate

  • Mission-Driven: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge general-purpose robotics and Physical AI, moving technology from labs to real-world impact.
  • Engineering-Heavy Culture: 60% of employees are in technical roles (AI, robotics, software, hardware), with a strong emphasis on hands-on building.
  • Fast-Growing Startup: ~328% headcount growth in one year, indicating high trajectory and opportunity for early employees to have outsized impact.
  • Location: HQ in Santa Clara, CA (Silicon Valley), with an in-office work policy (on-site workspace).
  • Compensation: Engineering roles list salary ranges like $100K–$300K, competitive for the robotics/AI space.
  • Notable Culture Signals: "Build with us" hiring language, active LinkedIn community (4,273 followers), and a focus on "smile, reach out, and instantly connect" suggests a collaborative, builder-oriented environment.

Application questions