Hiring: Senior Electrical Engineer
At Cargo, we’re backed by some of the best robotics investors in the Valley to transform a massive legacy industry and we’re more than doubling our engineering team to satisfy overwhelming customer demand.
If you’re an exceptional electrical engineer with a passion for robotics, we want to talk to you. See the JD and instructions on how to get in touch with us below.
About us
Cargo Robotics is creating the logistics infrastructure of the next 100 years by automating the entire delivery chain with containerized physical AI, starting at the delivery van.
After taking jobs at UPS and FedEx, our founders realized that a new approach was needed. Delivery volumes have exploded 5x in the past decade, and the people and processes of parcel logistics are breaking under the load of trying to deliver this volume with a 1950’s network model. Today’s logistics has rampant injuries and attrition, nonstop errors and delays, and delivery drivers spending more time sorting packages than delivering.
Our first product is the X1 Robotic Cargo Bay which reimagines the guts of every delivery van you see on the road, and saves hours of labor per day for each vehicle. This is the first step in fully automating the delivery chain with radically more efficient networks that reduce carbon emissions and congestion to enable a more prosperous and healthy future.
We’re looking for an unstoppable and versatile electrical engineer to own the architecture and development of key robotic systems as we launch pilots for X1. You’ll rapidly iterate alongside our incredible founding team (alumni of Stanford, Georgia Tech, Caltech, Tesla, NASA JPL, Lockheed, Saildrone, Machina Labs, Roam Robotics and Stanford AI lab) and harden your designs to enable us to rapidly scale up and satisfy overwhelming demand from international carriers.
We’re a user and product-centric company, so expect to deliver some actual parcels in your first week at work!
Get ready, there’s lots to build :)
What you’ll do
Take ownership of the overall electrical system architecture and subsystems to enable success during pilots and at scale including communication and processing (PCBs, microcontrollers, communication protocols, sensors, cameras, cables) and the power system (batteries, motors, and drivers). This also includes designing for processes like assembly and maintenance, and goals like cost, reliability, and lifespan (accounting for high and low operating temps, vibration, and movement cycles).
Develop a cohesive architecture, development roadmap, and release schedule balancing short and and long term product goals
Audit and redesign significant portions of the existing electrical system to bring it to production-grade reliability and manufacturability
Effectively leverage junior teammates, technicians, and outside collaborators to rapidly implement and achieve overall objectives
Develop new subsystems like RFID label reading support, smart motors, etc.
Enable reliable system operation for demos, pilots, and production, anticipating and eliminating failure modes before they occur
Upgrade the rigor of our internal fabrication, qualification and test processes: tools and equipment, train engineers and technicians, lead creation and maintenance of R&D and production test fixtures.
Bring electrical documentation up to snuff for reliable assembly by manufacturing partners
Work with relevant certification organizations to identify and satisfy relevant electrical and safety standards
Help recruit, manage, and mentor new team members and contractors as we grow
Work hard and ship fast modeling ownership, integrity, hands-on building, and a production mindset
Directly support and debug our pilots and customer deployments in the US and abroad, and tackle any and all electrical and production issues on the way to 10’s, 100’s and 1000’s of units operating continuously
Personal characteristics: you are
Biased toward action: take initiative and get stuff done
Driven and gritty: can take punches and keep on going
A quick study: learn fast and teach those around you
Calm in chaos: keep your composure and work through the hurricane
Self-aware and low ego: take and give feedback with grace
You need to bring this:
BS or higher in EE, 8+ years experience, 4+ in production environments
At least one cycle owning a significant robotics, automation, or automotive electrical system from prototype to volume production, and in a support or sustaining engineering role for a mature product. This should have involved significant signal and power design (PCBs), and integration of actuators, sensors, cable harnesses (including for continuous motion), and environmental-rated enclosures and connectors
Expert with lab instruments such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DC loads, power supplies, spectrum analyzers, etc.
Experience designing test fixtures, defining acceptance criteria, and developing reliability validation plans
Excellent verbal communication and writing skills conveying technical information to technical and non-technical teammates and documenting technical work
Have diagnosed real-world failures in the field and designed / redesigned systems for increased reliability, serviceability, and long cycle life under heat/cold, vibration, and shock loads that held up in production (EMI/EMC mitigation, power domains and grounding strategies, shielding, noise in mixed-signal systems, intermittent faults, ruggedization & shock isolation / potting, continuous cable design, airflow optimization, etc.)
Experience designing power system architecture: distribution, high current buck / boost converters, LFP and NMC battery chemistries and BMS systems, motors and drivers (BLDC, industrial servo, stepper), safety and fusing, etc.
Experience selecting and implementing processing and communications architecture including microcontrollers (ESP32, STM, etc.) and relevant communication protocols (CAN bus, RS485, Ethercat, GMSL, I2C, SPI, etc.)
Fluent in embedded systems concepts and can collaborate deeply with firmware engineers. Ideally has significant firmware / C++ / etc. experience, or other programming knowledge
Experience breaking executive product goals down into detailed subsystem engineering plans, and owning the performance goals and deadlines from prototype to customer deployment
You thrive in startup environments, and can multi-task and manage conflicting priorities
We’d love if you also have this:
Standards and safety: Experience with designing safety certified systems (such as ISO / ANSI / RIA / IEC / UL etc.). Ideally including safety certified e-stop architecture such as cat 3 relays, PLCs, and light curtains.
Strong electronics and programming fundamentals including ROS or Python
What’s in it for you?
Be one of the first 10 employees in a trailblazing startup transforming the delivery industry
Team culture driven by passion, ambition, empowerment, inclusion, curiosity, and fun! (One engineering offsite involved exploring temples and meeting with Softbank in Japan)
Grow together – your professional growth and ours is critical to our company’s success
Help us build a culture that empowers individuals, emboldens teams, and rewards achievement
Early stage equity in a company backed by top founders and investors with multiple successful robotics exits
Working late? Dinner is on us.
Competitive pay + equity plan, 401k with generous company match, company-sponsored health and dental insurance, unlimited vacation
Benefits and Workplace
Salary: $130k-$190k
Equity: 0.08- 0.20%
Benefits: Healthcare plan, 401k, PTO, parental leave, and much more!
On-site 5 days a week (Menlo Park)
We’re a small team with a big mission, and are passionate about building the future. This takes a lot of time and focus, but we believe it’s also important to invest in the other parts of your life as well to maintain a fast pace long term.
We work in person 5(+) days per week from our office in Menlo Park (industrial loft feel with high ceilings and tons of natural light). We believe this is important to enable tight collaboration and fast iteration.
Does this sound like you?
Does this sound like you? If you’re excited about Cargo’s mission and think you can rock this role, then we’d love to meet you! We also value generalists with the motivation to learn and solve important problems, so please reach out even if you don’t have every qualification.
Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and why you are interested in joining Cargo over email here: jobs@withcargo.com.
Cargo is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply. We’re excited about the future Cargo is building and look forward to meeting you!
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