Nanotechnology, Manufacturing, Deep Tech, Hardware

Director, Electrical Engineering

Emeryville, CAOnsiteFull TimeDirector$200,000–$260,000 /yrPosted 3 days agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

Electrical Engineering
robotics
manufacturing systems
motion control
sensor/actuator interfaces
high-voltage hardware
electromechanical systems
interconnect strategy
harness design
harness procurement

Nice to have

autonomous machinery
advanced manufacturing
specialized electrical systems
precision power applications
AI-native
micro-machines

Role summary

Atomic Machines is seeking a Director of Electrical Engineering to lead the development of electronics and electrical architectures for their AI-native manufacturing systems. This role involves shaping electrical engineering strategy, building a cohesive architecture, and driving end-to-end delivery of complex electromechanical systems. The Director will provide deep technical leadership, establish engineering standards, and build/develop a strong engineering organization. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in electrical engineering, systems engineering, and engineering management, with a background in robotics, advanced manufacturing, or complex equipment. This is a hybrid role based in Emeryville, CA.

Atomic Machines is building the Matter Compiler™, the first in a new class of AI-native, all-digital manufacturing systems that build working machines directly from code. The Matter Compiler (MC) is aimed at micro-machines: motors and gears the size of a grain of sand, robots small enough to work inside the body, cooling built directly into the chips that run AI, and the many devices like them that have been waiting on a way to build them. Its first product is PrimeSwitch™, an electromechanical power relay the size of a button battery that carries 150 amps continuous current and opens in 50 microseconds, about a thousand times faster than a conventional contactor. Founded by Jeff Holden — serial entrepreneur, ex-Amazon SVP and Uber’s first Chief Product Officer — the company has raised $250 million to date.

Atomic Machines is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Emeryville and Santa Clara.

About The Role:

Atomic Machines is building autonomous manufacturing systems that combine a core robotics platform with a diverse set of manufacturing processes. As Director of Electrical Engineering, you’ll lead Electrical Engineering in developing electronics and electrical architectures spanning core motion control hardware, sensor/actuator interfaces, and specialized manufacturing systems. You will also lead an Electrical Integration team in defining interconnect strategy and driving interconnect diagrams (ICDs), harness design and procurement, system bring-up, and integration.

You’ll organize development across the core robotics platform and manufacturing process portfolio while building a cohesive, scalable electrical architecture. Working proactively with cross-functional partners, the CTO, and EE technical leaders, you’ll uncover needs, align priorities, and balance shared platforms with process-specific designs.

What You’ll Do:

Shape electrical engineering strategy across the core robotics platform and manufacturing process portfolio. Proactively uncover cross-functional needs and translate them into a roadmap, priorities, resource plans, and clear commitments.

Build a cohesive, scalable electrical architecture across robotics and process systems. Work with the CTO and technical leaders to establish shared platforms and interfaces, balancing reuse with specialized requirements.

Drive end-to-end delivery. Lead electronics development and electrical integration, including interconnect strategy, interconnect diagrams (ICDs), harness design and procurement, system bring-up, and verification; manage dependencies and adapt plans as requirements evolve.

Provide deep technical leadership. Lead rigorous design reviews, challenge assumptions, and guide engineers through consequential tradeoffs and difficult technical problems.

Set and enforce organization-wide EE standards. Establish consistent practices for design review, documentation, verification, and release, including work outside the core EE team.

Ensure robust electrical systems. Address safety, protection, reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability throughout development, including specialized and high-voltage hardware.

Build and develop the organization. Hire and coach strong engineers and leaders, delegate ownership, and establish clear expectations for quality and execution.

What You’ll Need:

Deep electrical engineering expertise, with the ability to reason from fundamentals, evaluate architecture and detailed designs, and provide credible technical guidance on complex problems.

Experience delivering complex electromechanical systems from design through bring-up, integration, validation, and operation.

A track record of organizing development across varied systems, balancing specialized requirements with shared architecture, reuse, and scalability.

Proactive cross-functional leadership: uncovering needs, shaping requirements, developing technical roadmaps, and securing alignment through execution.

Experience building and leading strong engineering organizations, including hiring, coaching, developing leaders, managing performance, and delegating ownership.

Experience establishing engineering standards across distributed teams and driving accountability beyond direct reporting lines.

A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Additional Experience We Value:

Electrical engineering leadership in autonomous machinery, robotics, advanced manufacturing, or similarly complex equipment.

Design and validation of specialized electrical systems for manufacturing or other physical processes, including high-voltage or precision power applications.

The compensation for this position also includes equity and benefits.

Salary Range$200,000—$260,000 USD

Atomic Machines is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and does not discriminate based on characteristics protected by applicable law. We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including for individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact rc@atomicmachines.com. To help our recruiting team manage application volume and respond to candidates more efficiently, Atomic Machines may use AI-assisted tools.

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