Staff Firmware Engineer, Charger and Power Conversion
Humanoid robotics company building home robots, Bay Area; says its robot is shipping
| Employer | Humanoid robotics company building home robots, Bay Area; says its robot is shipping (not named) |
|---|---|
| Location | San Carlos, CA (Bay Area) · On-site |
| Type & level | Full-time · Staff |
| Pay | USD 200k–280k + equity Source: pay range stated in the source posting |
| Visa path | O-1A fit (senior candidates) |
| Role family | Humanoid Robotics Engineer |
About the role
The firmware team writes the embedded software behind every subsystem of a humanoid robot, from communication buses to power management and motor drives. This role covers the charger: firmware for AC-DC conversion and lithium-ion pack charging, working closely with the battery management system. The system is growing to 20+ distributed embedded nodes, so reliable, safe firmware is on the critical path.
What you'll do
- Develop and maintain charger firmware controlling AC-DC stages, including power factor correction and isolated DC-DC conversion.
- Implement multi-stage charge profiles (constant current, constant voltage, taper) with chemistry-appropriate limits.
- Architect the CAN-based interface between charger and battery management system for current requests, pack feedback, temperature limits and faults.
- Implement voltage and current regulation loops and soft-start sequencing that stay stable across line and load changes.
- Build fault detection and protection firmware with defined safe-state transitions, such as over/undervoltage, overcurrent, overtemperature and ground fault.
- Test, validate and verify initial firmware releases against reliability and performance requirements.
Requirements
- 5+ years of embedded C/C++ firmware on real hardware (7+ for staff level), including interrupts, DMA and timing-critical code.
- Working understanding of switched-mode power supplies, such as flyback, LLC and phase-shifted full bridge, plus PFC and isolation.
- Knowledge of lithium-ion charge protocols and how temperature and cell age affect termination.
- Hands-on CAN experience plus SPI, I²C and UART.
- Hardware debugging with oscilloscopes, current probes and power analyzers.
Nice to have
- Depth in distributed real-time bus firmware, power conversion or motor drive firmware.
- Safety-critical embedded experience; familiarity with IEC 61508 or ISO 26262.
- Experience with real-time operating systems such as FreeRTOS or SafeRTOS.
- Background in robotics or complex electromechanical products.
Pay & benefits
USD 200k–280k + equity. The posting lists medical, dental and vision coverage, paid time off and parental leave, and a 401(k) with company match. It also mentions equity, FSA/HSA options, commuter benefits, disability and life insurance, and onsite meals.
Pay source: pay range stated in the source posting. Market data, not an offer from O1DMatch.
Visa path
Staff-level embedded and power-electronics engineers often document O-1A evidence through patents, publications, critical roles on shipped products, expert letters, and compensation well above the field norm. The posting states no citizenship restriction. An employer like this, or a U.S. agent, can file a petition if the candidate's record qualifies; the outcome depends on the individual evidence.
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