Field Application Engineer – Robotics Networking

Description

The company builds AI for vehicles, factories, hospitals, homes and everyday devices, and its global sales team turns that edge technology into customer designs and revenue.

The robotics group you would join covers autonomous mobile robots, drones and humanoid platforms, and it is growing quickly.

This field application engineer role focuses on networking for robots, where deterministic, low-latency communication matters for perception, motion and motor control.

Responsibilities

• Act as the go-to technical expert for the company's robotics networking products, helping customers choose Ethernet switches, PHYs and SerDes, then bring them up and integrate the software.
• Keep the whole robot architecture in view, including how networking connects compute, perception, motor control and power.
• Help customers design in-robot networks, such as zonal and microzonal layouts, single-pair Ethernet backbones, 10BASE-T1S sensor segments and combined power and data delivery over PoDL.
• Support design work and performance checks: review schematics, bring up boards, debug in the lab, and tune Ethernet and real-time protocol interfaces for deterministic latency.
• Build proof-of-concept systems on site or remotely using the company's evaluation kits and reference designs, showing end-to-end networking for AMR, drone and humanoid applications.
• Teach webinars, workshops and deep-dive sessions on the robotics networking portfolio.

Requirements

• Hold a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science or an equivalent field.
• Have 10+ years in embedded development or application support on networking, switch or SoC platforms, with a record of technical leadership.
• Understand robotics systems (humanoids, AMRs, drones) well enough to see how networking coordinates compute, perception, motor control and power in real time.
• Write and debug C/C++ firmware for ARM microcontrollers.
• Have hands-on experience with Ethernet controllers, switches and PHYs, including MAC, PHY and DMA, switch configuration and Single-Pair Ethernet (BASE-T1, 10BASE-T1S).
• Know deterministic real-time Ethernet, including TSN and EtherCAT, and be familiar with PoDL for combined power and data distribution in robotics.
• Troubleshoot effectively using schematic review, signal analysis and lab tools.
• Communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences, and work independently.
• Bonus: knowledge of CAN networking, including CAN FD, CAN SIC and the emerging CAN XL, for joint modules, battery management systems and zonal nodes.
• Bonus: familiarity with RTOS platforms (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, NuttX), embedded Linux (Ethernet driver and switchdev) and robotics middleware (ROS 2, DDS, PREEMPTRT).
• Bonus: familiarity with SerDes interfaces, PCIe Gen3 and Gen4, and high-speed signal integrity.
• Bonus: knowledge of functional safety (IEC 61508, ISO 13849) and cybersecurity (IEC 62443), including Ethernet segmentation with VLANs, MACsec and IEEE 802.1X.

Conditions

Home-office role based in the US. The company prefers candidates in the California Bay Area, Boston metro, Detroit metro or Austin, but will consider all US locations.

You must be willing to travel, mainly within the US.

Base salary range: $166,200 to $228,500 per year. This range applies to California only, is an estimate as of the posting date, and is a guideline; actual total pay depends on qualifications, skill level, location and business needs.

Applicants are considered regardless of protected characteristics, and reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified disabled individuals.

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan and paid leave.
• Competitive benefits, plus incentive compensation and/or equity for certain roles.