Electrical Validation Engineer – Hand Subsystem

TLDR

Lead the validation and performance characterization of dexterous robotic hands, utilizing various testing methodologies and automation tools, to enhance robotic functionality and reliability.

Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. The goal of the company is to ship humanoid robots with human level intelligence. Its robots are engineered to perform a variety of tasks in the home and commercial markets. Figure is based in San Jose, CA and require 5 days/week in-office collaboration.

We are seeking an Electrical Validation Engineer – Hand Subsystem to lead the bring-up, validation, and performance characterization of Figure’s dexterous robotic hands. You will own validation from first-article prototypes through full-robot and production builds.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead electrical and mechatronic bring-up and system validation of the hand subsystem, including actuators, motor drives, PCBAs, sensors, harnessing, and power distribution.
  • Plan and execute subsystem and system-level validation of electrical system, actuation performance, power consumption and thermals.
  • Develop and automate validation workflows and test setups to stress full range of motion, load cases, duty cycles, and environmental conditions.
  • Debug complex cross-disciplinary issues across hardware, firmware, controls, and mechanics using telemetry, oscilloscopes, DAQs, power analyzers, and thermal instrumentation.
  • Lead root-cause analysis for reliability, performance, and durability issues; drive design, firmware, or process improvements in collaboration with partner teams.
  • Build and maintain Python-based data logging, visualization, and analysis tools to track subsystem performance and detect anomalies.
  • Define KPIs and validation metrics to track hand subsystem performance, reliability, and fleet health over time.
  • Document bring-up procedures, validation results, and integration learnings to support scaling to production, manufacturing test, and sustaining engineering.

Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical, Mechatronics, Controls, or Systems Engineering (or equivalent experience).
  • 5+ years of experience in electrical or mechatronic systems validation.
  • Strong understanding of power delivery, motor drives, actuator control, sensing, and grounding in electromechanical systems.
  • Proficiency in Python for automation, data acquisition, and analysis.
  • Skilled with lab instrumentation including oscilloscopes, power analyzers, DAQs, and thermal sensors.
  • Proven ability to debug hardware, firmware, and control-loop issues in tightly integrated systems.
  • Strong documentation and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Experience:

  • Experience with dexterous robotic hands, grippers, or multi-DOF actuation systems.
  • Familiarity with CAN, SPI, I2C, EtherCAT, or Ethernet-based communication protocols.
  • Experience with control-system tuning, system identification, and performance optimization.
  • Experience developing automated validation rigs or hardware-in-the-loop setups.
  • Comfort working in Linux and embedded development environments.
  • Familiarity with manufacturing bring-up, factory test development, or sustaining engineering.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is between $150,000 and $250,000 annually.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended. 

Figure is an AI robotics company creating autonomous humanoid robots tailored for a range of tasks in both commercial and home environments. By aiming to achieve human-level intelligence in its robots, Figure addresses pressing labor shortages and fills roles that are often considered undesirable or unsafe.

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Salary
$150,000 – $250,000 per year
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