Staff Vehicle Integration Engineer, Electrical & Compute

Who we are 

Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress.

Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that.

Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive.

This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale.

We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life.

If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us.

About the role

We are seeking a Staff Vehicle Integration Engineer to harden the drive-by-wire, compute, and electrical systems that sit underneath our autonomy stack on next-generation vehicle platforms. In this role, you will own how those systems come together at the vehicle level from the first prototype bring-up in the shop, through validation, to a fleet that starts every morning and fails safely when something goes wrong. This is a deeply hands-on role: you will be the engineer who isolates the failures nobody else can reproduce, defines the testing that proves a platform is ready, and leaves behind documentation the next person can actually work from.

What you’ll do

• Vehicle-Level Integration: Take end-to-end ownership of how drive-by-wire, onboard compute, power distribution, and vehicle networks integrate on our vehicle platforms, from prototype bring-up through fleet deployment.
• System-Level Debugging & Hardening: Own triage and root-cause analysis across harnesses, connectors, power distribution, actuation interfaces, and compute, including physical failure analysis where root cause demands it. Convert findings into design changes, containment actions, and documented corrective actions that measurably raise fleet reliability and uptime.
• Platform Bring-Up & Calibration: Lead the electrical and compute bring-up of new vehicle platforms, including interface analysis of the base vehicle (CAN, CAN FD, Automotive Ethernet, power states, high- and low-voltage architecture), gap analysis against L4 requirements, and clear requirements back to our drive-by-wire, board, and firmware teams.
• Validation & Test Infrastructure: Define and execute vehicle-level validation covering power states, fault injection, degraded-mode and fail-operational behavior, thermal, signal integrity, and connector durability. Design and build the breakout boxes, test harnesses, vehicle breadboards, and HIL benches that give software and autonomy teams a safe, instrumented platform to develop against.
• High-Voltage & Energy Systems: Own the high- and low-voltage boundaries, redundant low-voltage power distribution and budgets, and battery and charging integration across the fleet, including depot charging and the high-voltage safety practices our engineers and technicians work under every day.
• Deployment & Fleet Execution: Serve as the primary technical anchor at test and deployment sites during critical rollouts, with some travel.
• Engineering Standards & Documentation: Establish automotive-grade conventions for schematics, circuit naming, labeling, harness documentation, and change control, and hold internal teams and suppliers to them. Lead design reviews, DFMEA, and 8D, and bring engineers and technicians up to speed on the platform and how to troubleshoot it.

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience is required.
• 8+ years integrating, validating, and debugging electrical and electromechanical systems on prototype and production vehicles in autonomous vehicles, EVs, or at an automotive OEM or supplier, with a proven track record of technical ownership.
• Deep hands-on expertise in vehicle E/E architecture: low-voltage power distribution and redundancy, wire harness and connector systems for both low and high voltage, and the failure modes that come with them.
• Fluency with automotive networks and diagnostics (CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet (100/1000BASE-T1), and DTCs) and the tooling that goes with them, including Vector CANalyzer/CANoe, Vehicle Spy, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
• Experience integrating and debugging vehicle actuation interfaces: steering, braking, and propulsion, or comparable motor-control and powertrain systems, including redundant, degraded, and fail-operational behavior.
• Experience integrating compute into vehicles: carrier boards, high-speed differential signaling, power sequencing, and thermal management.
• Working knowledge of high-voltage EV systems: battery packs, battery management, contactors and precharge, isolation, and of EV charging standards.
• Disciplined root-cause methodology (8D, DFMEA, fault tree analysis), and the technical writing ability to turn findings into schematics, test reports, and procedures colleagues can follow.
• Proven ability to navigate highly ambiguous environments, self-direct technical problem-solving, and clearly communicate technical trade-offs to cross-functional partners.
• Ability to work onsite five days a week in San Francisco, travel to test and deployment sites, and hold a valid driver's license with a clean driving record.

Why join us

At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow.

What else you need to know

This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base salary range for this role is $238,000 - $301,000 per year.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options
• 401(k)
• Equity
• Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave 
• Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan
• Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.
Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis.

Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others? 

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