Senior Wireless Hardware Engineer
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 embodied 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.
As a Senior Wireless Hardware Engineer within the EE team, you will own the physical integration, software configuration, and validation of pre-certified, off-the-shelf wireless modules (5G/LTE, Wi-Fi 6E/7, Bluetooth) into the Apollo platform. You will not only ensure that the radios are electrically and thermally stable inside a noisy metal chassis, but you will also collaborate with the firmware team to optimize drivers and network roaming protocols, and author the test plans required to validate fleet connectivity. When dozens of Apollos operate simultaneously in a single facility, you will ensure our hardware and network configurations prevent packet loss and maintain a bulletproof connection.
- Own the hardware selection, validation, and integration for off-the-shelf wireless modules and antennas onto Apollo's carrier boards.
- Drive requirement to ensure the power delivery networks (PDN) can handle massive transient current spikes required by 5G/Wi-Fi power amplifiers during peak transmission without sagging the main compute rail.
- Inform the physical routing of delicate RF cables through the chassis
- Systematically hunt down and eliminate system-level noise aggressors to ensure reliable performance of transmitters and receivers.
- Diagnose and resolve real-world deployment connectivity issues at customer sites, analyzing packet captures (Wireshark) and RF spectrum traces to isolate infrastructure faults from robot hardware faults.
- Analysis and recommend optimal wireless infrastructure (5G/WiFi) design and configuration (channel mapping, traffic routing rules) to support fleet deployment and operation
- Hardware Validation Test Plans: Author detailed test procedures to validate power supply ripple, signal integrity of host interfaces (USB 3.0/PCIe), and receiver desense caused by motor inverters.
- RF Performance Test Plans: Define and execute test plans for antenna passive efficiency, return loss ($S_{11}$), and radiated performance (TRP/TIS) inside the fully assembled robot.
- Fleet & Roaming Test Plans: Standardize automated test plans to replicate enterprise warehouse environments. Design stress tests to evaluate Wi-Fi roaming (802.11r/k/v), throughput degradation, and packet latency when multiple robots saturate the same local access points.
- Low-Level Driver Management: Collaborate with the firmware team around the integration, patching, and configuration of wireless drivers within Apollo’s environment.
- Network Stack Optimization: Collaborate with the platform team to configure OS-level wireless utilities to optimize background scanning thresholds, RSSI triggers, and roaming aggressiveness.
- Education: BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Network Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Experience: 6+ years of professional engineering experience integrating off-the-shelf cellular and Wi-Fi modules into complex, mobile platforms (e.g., AMRs, autonomous vehicles, drones, or industrial IoT).
- Software/Firmware Skills:
- Experience working on and tuning wireless module firmware
- Experience writing scripts (Python, Bash) for automated hardware testing and module configuration via AT commands.
- Hardware & Network Skills:
- Deep understanding of Wi-Fi protocols (802.11ax/be) and roaming standards (802.11r/k/v).
- Strong schematic capture and layout review skills (Altium preferred) for controlled impedance RF traces.
- Hands-on mastery of Spectrum Analyzers, VNAs, and packet sniffer tools (Wireshark).
As a Senior Wireless Hardware Engineer within the EE team, you will own the physical integration, software configuration, and validation of pre-certified, off-the-shelf wireless modules (5G/LTE, Wi-Fi 6E/7, Bluetooth) into the Apollo platform. You will not only ensure that the radios are electrically and thermally stable inside a noisy metal chassis, but you will also collaborate with the firmware team to optimize drivers and network roaming protocols, and author the test plans required to validate fleet connectivity. When dozens of Apollos operate simultaneously in a single facility, you will ensure our hardware and network configurations prevent packet loss and maintain a bulletproof connection.
- Own the hardware selection, validation, and integration for off-the-shelf wireless modules and antennas onto Apollo's carrier boards.
- Drive requirement to ensure the power delivery networks (PDN) can handle massive transient current spikes required by 5G/Wi-Fi power amplifiers during peak transmission without sagging the main compute rail.
- Inform the physical routing of delicate RF cables through the chassis
- Systematically hunt down and eliminate system-level noise aggressors to ensure reliable performance of transmitters and receivers.
- Diagnose and resolve real-world deployment connectivity issues at customer sites, analyzing packet captures (Wireshark) and RF spectrum traces to isolate infrastructure faults from robot hardware faults.
- Analysis and recommend optimal wireless infrastructure (5G/WiFi) design and configuration (channel mapping, traffic routing rules) to support fleet deployment and operation
- Hardware Validation Test Plans: Author detailed test procedures to validate power supply ripple, signal integrity of host interfaces (USB 3.0/PCIe), and receiver desense caused by motor inverters.
- RF Performance Test Plans: Define and execute test plans for antenna passive efficiency, return loss ($S_{11}$), and radiated performance (TRP/TIS) inside the fully assembled robot.
- Fleet & Roaming Test Plans: Standardize automated test plans to replicate enterprise warehouse environments. Design stress tests to evaluate Wi-Fi roaming (802.11r/k/v), throughput degradation, and packet latency when multiple robots saturate the same local access points.
- Low-Level Driver Management: Collaborate with the firmware team around the integration, patching, and configuration of wireless drivers within Apollo’s environment.
- Network Stack Optimization: Collaborate with the platform team to configure OS-level wireless utilities to optimize background scanning thresholds, RSSI triggers, and roaming aggressiveness.
- 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
*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.
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