Real job — pulled straight from RAI Institute’s careers page · Verified November 11, 2026 · No reposts.
Job description
RAI Institute is hiring a Hardware Engineer, Electrical — a full-time, based in Cambridge, MA role. Apply directly on RAI Institute's careers page below.
Hardware Engineer - Electrical
Team: Engineering
Location: Cambridge, MA
Commitment: Full Time
Workplace Type: onsite
Salary:
Employees who are new to the RAI Institute typically receive an offer that is between the minimum and the midpoint of the posted salary range to allow for growth within the range over time.
Base pay is part of a competitive total compensation package that may include an annual bonus, a long-term cash incentive, monthly cell phone cost reimbursement, commuter cost subsidy, medical benefits, and more.
Any final job offer will be determined based on our established compensation range for the role, the candidate’s experience and qualifications, internal parity, and market and business considerations. The advertised pay range is not a guarantee or promise of a specific wage.
At the Robotics and AI Institute, we blend the visionary thinking often reserved for academic settings with the disciplined teamwork and robust resources typical of top-tier industry teams, turning ambitious ideas into reality. We need people who are comfortable working between academia and industry and excited to build some hardware.
You will own electrical subsystems from concept through deployment, working alongside mechanical, embedded software, controls, and research teams. Your hardware won’t just enable research; it will be a research contribution in its own right. You’ll bring new ideas to life, learn from talented technologists, and play with cool robots.
What you'll do
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Own the design and delivery of robot electrical subsystems using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom components, from requirements and architecture through schematic capture, PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and deployment.
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Integrate power, sensing, actuation, computation, and communications hardware within the robot's electrical and mechanical constraints.
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Develop and debug microcontroller firmware for board bring-up, sensor interfaces, and hardware validation in collaboration with the embedded software team.
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Plan and execute bench and on-robot testing, validate high-risk design choices early, and troubleshoot failures across electronics, firmware, cabling, and connected systems.
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Work across teams to define interfaces, resolve integration issues, and make practical trade-offs between performance, complexity, reliability, and development time.
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Document designs, interfaces, test results, and bring-up procedures so others can build, operate, and maintain the hardware.
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Lead design reviews for your subsystems, coordinate technical work across disciplines, and share expertise with teammates and co-ops. Improve engineering practices that support rapid, reliable hardware development.
What you'll need
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BS in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
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5+ years of relevant professional experience developing electrical hardware.
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Strong electrical fundamentals and demonstrated ownership of custom electronics through design, schematic capture, layout, fabrication (ordering), bring-up, validation, system integration, and documentation.
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Proficiency with an electronic design tool such as Altium Designer, Cadence, or KiCad.
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Strong electromechanical debugging skills and hands-on use of oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, and other lab instrumentation; ability to inspect boards and identify necessary rework.
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Practical experience in at least one relevant area: analog or mixed-signal design, power electronics and motor drives, sensing, embedded systems, high-speed or wireless communications, or densely packaged robot electronics.
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Ability to collaborate across hardware and software disciplines, communicate technical trade-offs, and document designs and validation results.
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Comfort using AI tools to support technical research, documentation, and routine tasks, with sound judgment about verifying outputs and protecting confidential information.
Bonus
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Hands-on experience developing and debugging microcontroller firmware for board bring-up, sensor interfaces, or hardware validation.
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Experience with DC-DC converters, motor-drive electronics, or battery-powered systems, including grounding, power integrity, and EMI/EMC troubleshooting.
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Experience with Ethernet or Single Pair Ethernet (SPE), wireless networking, or time synchronization in distributed embedded systems.
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Experience with embedded Rust, particularly on STM32 or similar microcontrollers, and familiarity with real-time operating systems or communication/control protocols.
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Experience with sensor integration or analog front ends, including capacitive or tactile sensing.
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Scripting for test automation, hardware characterization, or data analysis.
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Experience with fine-pitch SMD rework, cable harness design and assembly, or rugged electronics for shock, vibration, and repeated cable flexing.
Experience in any of the following is a plus; none is required.
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