Drover Labs · 4 hours ago
Founding Engineer, Avionics
United States
Full-time
Remote
Entry, Mid Level
2+ years expDrover Labs is focused on creating robots for harsh industrial environments, and they are seeking a Founding Engineer to develop the embedded and electrical systems for these robots. The role involves designing electronics, writing firmware, and integrating various components into a reliable system for field deployment.
Robotics
Responsibilities
Design embedded systems for rugged robotic platforms operating in harsh, GPS-denied environments
Design schematics and multi-layer PCBs (including power, MCU, sensors, motor drivers, and comms)
Bring up new boards from scratch: flashing, probing, debugging, and validating hardware
Write low-level firmware and drivers for sensors, motors, encoders, and peripherals
Integrate embedded systems with higher-level robotics software (ROS, onboard compute, networking)
Own communication stacks and protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, RS-485, Ethernet)
Develop robust motor control, power management, and fault-handling systems
Design and execute electrical validation and stress testing for real-world environments
Support manufacturing bring-up, test fixtures, and production diagnostics
Collaborate closely with mechanical and software engineers to deliver complete robotic systems
Qualification
Required
2+ years of work experience and deep expertise in embedded systems and EECS
Strong experience with embedded C/C++ for microcontrollers
Experience bringing up new hardware (MCUs, power rails, clocks, peripherals)
Schematic capture and PCB layout experience (Altium, KiCad, or similar)
Experience with SMD components, soldering, rework, and board-level debugging
Designing and debugging power systems (DC-DCs, LDOs, battery interfaces)
Writing low-level drivers and HALs for sensors, actuators, and comms
Understanding of signal integrity, EMI/ESD, grounding, and robustness
Familiarity with embedded debugging tools (JTAG, SWD, logic analyzers, scopes)
Experience with robots, drones, or mechatronic systems
ROS1/ROS2 experience and Linux-based robotics stacks
Motor control experience (BLDCs, servos, encoders, ESCs)
Experience integrating IMUs, cameras, LiDAR, or other perception sensors
Understanding of real-time constraints, latency, and reliability
Basic understanding of RF systems and wireless limitations
Design-minded: You care about clean schematics, readable firmware, and intentional system architecture
Hands-on builder: You enjoy bringing hardware to life, not just simulating it
Systems thinker: You understand how electronics, firmware, mechanics, and software interact
Driven by Curiosity: You build complex things for fun in your free time and love to educate others on problems and solutions
Ownership mentality: You take responsibility from whiteboard to field deployment
Preferred
Experience designing for production and scale
Test fixture and manufacturing test development
Safety-critical or industrial systems experience
Power-constrained or battery-powered embedded design
Field debugging in harsh environments
Benefits
Competitive Compensation
Equity
Benefits
Company
Drover Labs
Autonomy for Industrial Interiors
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$3.1M2026-01-05Seed· $3.1M
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