---
title: 'Senior Electrical Engineer - Sensor FPGA and PCB (Aggregator) at Apptronik'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-sensor-fpga-and-pcb-aggregator-apptronik-sunnyvale-5ja9pfdyh4fa'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Senior Electrical Engineer - Sensor FPGA and PCB (Aggregator) at Apptronik

- **Company:** Apptronik
- **Location:** Sunnyvale, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-08-17
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/6145685004?gh_jid=6145685004

## Job description

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 a Senior Electrical Engineer to help design and build the electronics for Apollo's sensor bridge. Strong candidates will have experience with FPGA hardware for both PCBA design and RTL development. This role works closely with the perception team to give Apollo sight and enable critical safety functions. You'll take direct, hands-on ownership of defined subsystems within the board — schematic capture, layout guidance, and RTL blocks — executing against an architecture defined in partnership with the team's Staff and/or Principal engineers.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

- Electronics & FPGA Design Execution: Contribute to requirements definition and own part selection, schematic capture, layout guidance, and RTL implementation for assigned subsystems of a multi-Gbps, mixed-signal PCBA that aggregates camera sensor data and human-robot interface functions into an efficient cable interface routed across dynamic joints. Carry the design through prototype, validation, and manufacturing release, in coordination with the engineer(s) owning overall board architecture. Generate and maintain design documentation including: schematics, RTL documentation, test plans, and fab/assembly drawings.
- High-Speed & Mixed-Signal Hardware Design: Design and validate high-speed digital interfaces (CSI-2, GMSL2/FPD-Link/PoC, 10GbE) including signal integrity, impedance control, and length-matching. Contribute to the board's power tree design for proper power sequencing and low-power consumption. Design for EMC, ESD, and thermal constraints.
- FPGA RTL Development: Develop RTL (VHDL/Verilog) for CSI-2 ingest, Ethernet packetization, timestamp/metadata insertion, and camera synchronization logic for deterministic multi-camera and multi-IMU synchronization, working within an FPGA architecture defined collaboratively with senior technical staff. Support timing closure, clock-domain crossing, and resource/power budgeting for your RTL blocks. Assist with integration of high-speed transceivers and external PHYs.
- Validation, Bring-Up, and Debugging: Develop and execute validation plans for your assigned subsystems, spanning board-level and FPGA-level testing. Build test fixtures and use lab equipment (high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, logic analyzers) to validate latency, bandwidth, and synchronization requirements. Debug across the hardware/RTL boundary — link training failures, timing violations, ISP misconfiguration, power sequencing faults — using rigorous, first-principles root-cause analysis, escalating and collaborating with technical leads on cross-subsystem issues.
- Lifecycle Management & Vendor Alignment: Support 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. Act as a mentor within the electrical engineering team, guiding junior engineers on best practices for hardware design, documentation, and troubleshooting.
- Technical Execution: Execute assigned work streams reliably and communicate progress clearly to technical leads and program management. Contribute to design reviews and root-cause analysis for hardware and software defect resolution within your scope. Provide work breakdowns and time estimates for your own work to inform project execution, and raise design or schedule risks proactively.

## SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

- Experience in FPGA hardware design for time-sensitive, high-performance applications (image processing, high-speed data acquisition, real-time networking, or similar), including:
- FPGA device selection and architecture definition
- RTL development in VHDL and/or Verilog
- High-speed interface design (CSI-2, GMSL/SerDes, Ethernet, PCIe, or comparable)
- Timing closure, clock-domain crossing, and resource optimization
- Integration of high-speed transceivers and external PHY devices
- FPGA tool flows (Vivado, Quartus, or Lattice Radiant) and simulation (ModelSim/Questa or equivalent)
- Understanding of high-speed digital design fundamentals: signal integrity, impedance-controlled routing, differential pairs, stack-up, and timing analysis across the board-to-FPGA boundary.
- Experience with camera/image sensor hardware: SerDes (GMSL, FPD-Link, or similar), MIPI CSI-2, and ISP integration — automotive or robotics vision systems strongly preferred.
- Experience with Ethernet-based sensor streaming and sensor bridges.
- 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 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

Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is $170,000-$195,000.

*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.

## About Apptronik

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations
- Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain.

## Products & Services
- **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated)
- **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators.
- **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot.
- **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them.
- **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market).
- Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home.
- Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo).
- Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life.
- **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential.
- **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values.
- **Perks & Benefits**:
  - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited)
  - 401k retirement plan
  - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
  - Parental leave
  - Flexible work hours
  - Collaborative and innovative work environment
- **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment.
- **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin).
- **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7).

## Sources
1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage
2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission
3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture
4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings
5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown)

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