Robotics & Autonomy Systems Architect

The OpportunityThis is a critical, founding robotics hire for a well-funded startup developing customsilicon designed specifically for the next wave of embodied AI. The team has alreadysuccessfully delivered over 33 million chips and is backed by a stellar board of industryleaders.As the first Robotics Systems Architect, you will report directly to the ChiefDevelopment Officer (CDO). You will have massive influence in bridging the gapbetween real-world robotic systems and next-generation compute platforms, shapinghow hardware and system architectures support the future of intelligent machines.Key Responsibilities• System Analysis: Analyse modern robotics and drone architectures, coveringsensing, perception, planning, control, and onboard compute.• Workload Mapping: Map robotics and autonomy workloads onto computeplatforms, identifying critical performance, latency, and power constraints.• Architectural Collaboration: Work alongside hardware architects and silicondesigners to define compute architectures optimised for embodied AI.• Requirement Translation: Translate the requirements of autonomy stacks andsensor data processing into specific system-level compute needs.• Deployment Evaluation: Evaluate real-world requirements for reliability, realtime performance, safety, and energy efficiency.• Product Guidance: Identify emerging requirements across AMRs, drones, androbotics to help guide the long-term product direction.Candidate ProfileWe are seeking a veteran robotics engineer with a founding-member mindset who iscomfortable shaping technical direction in a high-visibility, autonomous role. Youshould possess deep technical expertise in either hardware or software, whilemaintaining a broad understanding of the entire robotics stack.• Experience: Minimum 5–7 years of direct experience in robotics systemsarchitecture and development.• Industry Background: Proven track record at companies building physicalrobots or drones; candidates must have industry/production experience ratherthan a purely academic background.• Technical Breadth: Comprehensive understanding of the full robotics stack,including boards, chips, sensors, and software frameworks.• Hard Skills: * Expertise in ROS, Isaac, or equivalent robotics frameworks.o Experience integrating hardware (board/chip design) and/or softwarestacks.o Familiarity with sensor modalities, including cameras, LiDAR, radar, andIMUs.o Strong background in computer vision or 3D perception.• Systems Thinking: Ability to reason about end-to-end system performance andreal-time control loops.Logistics & Compensation• Salary: $300,000 – $325,000.• Equity: Generous founding-team equity package.• Location: Santa Clara, CA. This is an onsite role, though hybrid arrangementsare available for exceptionally strong candidates.• Sponsorship: Visa sponsorship and H1B transfers are available.