Founding Engineer, Avionics

As a Founding Engineer , you will be a core part of the team creating a robot that must survive operating for long durations in some of the most cramped, dark, dirty, and hazardous industrial environments and eventually, making thousands of them. In this role, you will develop the embedded and electrical nervous system of the robot. You will design the electronics, write the firmware, bring up hardware from blank PCBs, and integrate sensors, motors, and compute into a reliable, field-deployable system. We value engineers who understand that clean schematics, clean firmware, and clean interfaces are just as important as raw performance. The work: 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 Skills and experiences we look for (the more the better) We’re looking for founding generalist engineers with 2+ years of work experience and deep expertise in embedded systems and EECS. If you’re a recent college graduate, we’d still encourage you to apply and would love it if you could highlight interesting STEM projects outside of work or school. Core EE / Embedded Focus 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) Robotics & Systems Experience 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 Nice to Have 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 About You We are looking for a Generalist at heart, specialist by training: Deep EECS / embedded expertise, but comfortable diving into adjacent domains. We want someone who can dive deep into low-level technical problems and emerge with a solution, regardless of the discipline. You will not be confined to a single subsystem; you will own issues from the whiteboard to the field. 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 About The Hiring Process Drover Labs cares deeply about your time, and while we will want to spend time getting to know you during the interview process, project work or on-site interviews are compensated on a paid hourly basis. We believe investing in people starts before day one. Competitive Compensation + Equity + Benefits