Electrical Engineer (Robotics)

Location: San Francisco, CA; hybrid with in-person presence 4 days per week. Travel to contract-manufacturer sites is required according to build and deployment needs.

Salary: $318,000–$485,000 base pay annually, plus equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and benefits.

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company developing general-purpose artificial intelligence and robotics systems with a focus on safe deployment and broad human benefit.

What you will do

• Own PCBA test-station architecture, including device-under-test interfaces, programmable power, electronic loads, signal routing, instrumentation, and protection.
• Translate board requirements and failure modes into test coverage, measurement methods, pass/fail criteria, diagnostics, and design-for-test requirements.
• Design and bring up fixture interface boards, switching circuits, harnesses, connectors, schematics, PCB layouts, wiring diagrams, bills of materials, and interface definitions.
• Integrate and validate oscilloscopes, meters, power supplies, loads, data-acquisition hardware, programming interfaces, and communications such as JTAG/SWD, UART, SPI, I²C, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Develop and maintain test code for instrument control, board programming, automated sequences, diagnostics, error handling, and structured result logging.
• Commission, calibrate, deploy, and support stations at contract manufacturers; manage station correlation, operator training, troubleshooting, configuration control, and consistency between lab and factory results.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to independently deliver significant electronics test-system projects from ambiguous requirements through working hardware, validation, and sustained use.
• Hands-on experience with circuit and fixture-interface design, schematic interpretation, board bring-up, power delivery, signal switching, and instrument integration.
• Ability to debug PCBAs and test hardware using oscilloscopes, meters, logic analyzers, and systematic root-cause investigation.
• Ability to write, debug, and maintain hardware-interface code in Python or a comparable language, including instrument control, sequencing, error handling, and structured result logging.
• Practical understanding of grounding, signal integrity, calibration, measurement uncertainty, ESD controls, power sequencing, and electrical protection.
• Strong intuition for analog and digital circuits, power delivery, electronics debugging, and reliable measurement; ability to move from architecture and circuit design to soldering, probing, scripting, and lab troubleshooting.
• Ability to release clear test and hardware documentation, coordinate across engineering disciplines, and support hands-on deployment and troubleshooting at contract manufacturers.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Prior PCBA functional-test or automated-test-equipment experience, including design for test, test coverage, fixture correlation, and new-product builds at contract manufacturers.
• Experience with embedded programming, diagnostic firmware, and board interfaces such as JTAG/SWD, UART, SPI, I²C, CAN, or Ethernet.

Nice to have

• Experience with PCB design tools, shared test-automation frameworks, production data systems, or robotics hardware.

Culture & Benefits

• Work across electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, manufacturing, and reliability disciplines in a robotics research and deployment environment.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts; Health FSA, dependent-care FSA, and commuter accounts.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, paid parental and medical/caregiver leave, paid time off, paid holidays, office closures, and paid sick or safe time.
• Mental health and wellness support, employer-paid basic life and disability coverage, annual learning and development stipend, daily office meals, and eligible meal-delivery credits.
• Relocation support is available for eligible employees; additional benefits may include charitable donation matching and wellness stipends.