← All roles

Staff Electrical Engineer - Sensor FPGA

Apptronik· Hardware
Apply on company site
Sunnyvale, CA$244k - $270kfull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Staff Electrical Engineer to architect the electronics and FPGA stack for Apollo’s sensor bridge, owning end-to-end development from requirements to production with a focus on FPGA hardware, high-speed interfaces, and sensor data integration.

Responsibilities

  • Electronics & FPGA Architect from Concept to Production: Define requirements, select parts, capture schematics, provide layout guidance, and develop RTL for a multi-Gbps mixed-signal PCBA powering camera sensor data and human-robot interfaces; manage design from architecture to prototype, validation, and manufacturing release; maintain design documentation.
  • High-Speed & Mixed-Signal Hardware Design: Design and validate high-speed digital interfaces (CSI-2, GMSL2/FPD-Link/PoC, 10GbE); impedance control, length-matching, power sequencing, EMC/ESD/thermal design.
  • FPGA Device Selection, Architecture, and RTL Development: Select FPGA devices, define architecture, develop RTL (VHDL/Verilog) for CSI-2 ingest, Ethernet packetization, timestamp/metadata insertion, and synchronization; manage timing closure and clock-domain crossing; integrate high-speed transceivers and external PHYs.
  • Validation, Bring-Up, and Debugging: Create validation plans for board and FPGA; build test fixtures and use lab equipment to validate latency, bandwidth, and synchronization; perform root-cause analysis across hardware/RTL boundaries.
  • Lifecycle Management & Vendor Alignment: Own component lifecycle via PLM, manage vendor/CM relationships for production scaling and DFM/DFA.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with technical leads, PMs, software, mechanical, thermal, systems, and manufacturing; mentor junior engineers on hardware design and troubleshooting.
  • Technical Leadership: Drive project execution, define component roadmaps, lead debugging and root cause analysis, align implementations with company goals, and resolve design and compliance decisions.

Qualifications

  • Strong, demonstrated depth in FPGA hardware design for time-sensitive, high-performance applications (image processing, high-speed data acquisition, real-time networking) including: FPGA device selection and architecture definition; RTL development in VHDL/Verilog; high-speed interfaces (CSI-2, GMSL/SerDes, Ethernet, PCIe); timing closure, clock-domain crossing, resource optimization; integration of high-speed transceivers and external PHYs; FPGA tool flows (Vivado, Quartus, or Lattice Radiant) and simulation.
  • Deep understanding of high-speed digital design fundamentals: signal integrity, impedance-controlled routing, differential pairs, stack-up, timing analysis across 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 preferred.
  • Experience with Ethernet-based sensor streaming and sensor bridges.
  • Excellent communication, problem-solving, and hardware debugging skills; hands-on prototyping and testing with lab equipment.
  • Drive Through Influence: ability to lead cross-functional initiatives without direct authority, using data to drive decisions.
  • Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environment; know when a design is robust enough for real-world use.
  • Travel up to 10% within US and internationally.

Skills

Required:FPGA device selection and architecture definitionRTL development in VHDL/VerilogHigh-speed interface design (CSI-2, GMSL/SerDes, Ethernet, PCIe)Timing closure and clock-domain crossingIntegration of high-speed transceivers and external PHYsFPGA tool flows and simulation

Benefits

  • Compensation: $244,000-270,000 annual base salary.
Last updated Oct 11, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Apptronik

One Platform for the Future of Work

Apptronik designs humanoid robotics platforms with mobility, manipulation, and human-centered interaction to support people in the workplace.

3PLApolloApollo for ManufacturingApollo for RetailApollo for WarehouseBuilt for the Real WorldForm That Fits the WorkGoods-to-Person
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Apptronik