Senior Manager, Hardware Connectivity

Apptronik Apptronik · Robotics · HQ · Hardware

Apptronik is seeking a Senior Manager of Hardware Connectivity to lead a team designing and implementing the communication systems for their humanoid robot, Apollo. This role involves managing engineers focused on signal integrity, internal networks, wireless data, and EMI/EMC, ensuring robust data transmission across the robot's complex hardware.

What you'd actually do

  1. Manage, mentor, and grow a team of electrical, RF, and interconnect engineers. Empower Tech Leads, conduct design reviews, and allocate resources effectively across rapid hardware development cycles.
  2. Oversee the physical layer design and routing rules for all internal communication buses distributed throughout the robot's body.
  3. Lead the integration and antenna design strategies for wireless data links, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular (5G/LTE), enabling robust telemetry, OTA updates, and teleoperation.
  4. Own the physical design, shielding, and dynamic routing of wire harnesses and custom flex-PCBs across Apollo’s articulating joints, minimizing wear and ensuring maximum lifecycle reliability.
  5. Define the grounding architectures, shielding strategies, and spectrum management plans required to isolate sensitive data and RF signals from the massive electromagnetic noise generated by the robot's high-power mechatronics.

Skills

Required

  • BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
  • 10+ years of professional engineering experience in hardware design
  • 4+ years of direct people management experience
  • High/low-speed signal integrity
  • Internal networks
  • Wire harnessing
  • Wireless data links (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular)
  • EMI/EMC
  • System-level thinking
  • Managing competing physical constraints (thermal, mechanical packaging, electrical noise)

Nice to have

  • Humanoid robotics
  • Complex industrial automation
  • Electric vehicles (EV)
  • Aerospace
  • Taking a complex, mixed-signal hardware product from prototype through high-volume manufacturing
  • Anechoic chamber experience
  • Formal EMC certification experience

What the JD emphasized

  • 10+ years of professional engineering experience in hardware design
  • at least 4+ years of direct people management experience
  • Deep technical background in at least two of the following areas: high/low-speed signal integrity, internal networks, wire harnessing, wireless data links (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular), and EMI/EMC
  • Proven ability to manage the competing physical constraints (thermal, mechanical packaging, electrical noise) found in tightly integrated hardware.