Robotics - Electronics Engineer

Engineering Role in Autonomous Surface Robotics

Join a funded field-robotics project at ETH Zurich, within the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea. This position is a project employee (staff) role focused on delivering engineering work for the duration of the project. The team builds autonomous surface robots where electronics must coexist with batteries, water, EMI, and long days outdoors while remaining serviceable.

This role is designed for individuals with an electronics and embedded background who seek ownership rather than a closed schematic brief. You will shape the electrical and device layer, including boards, power, interfaces, bring-up, and the habits that ensure fleet electrical trustworthiness. The scope will expand as payloads, sensors, and production volumes evolve. Specialization provides a strong start, while curiosity across the stack facilitates growth into broader responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the electrical and embedded layer, from requirements and schematics to boards that boot, communicate with sensors and actuators, and withstand real-world use.
• Bring systems up, write necessary firmware or diagnostics to understand them, and establish tests that others can replicate.
• Collaborate at the seams with mechanical and software colleagues on mounting, connectors, grounding, timing, power budgets, and failure modes related to water or vibration.
• Partner with fabricators, assemblers, and technicians to ensure designs leave the bench as maintainable units rather than one-off prototypes.
• Investigate complex faults using instruments and logs, translating messy field symptoms into clear electrical or firmware fixes.

Qualifications and Experience

• Approximately 0–5 years of hands-on experience after degree completion, including internships, thesis projects, Focus projects, or paid project work.
• Background in electrical engineering, electronics, embedded systems, or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver boards or electronic systems independently, covering design, bring-up, debug, and handover.
• Hands-on proficiency in bringing up boards, probing faults, and shipping working electronics on the bench and in the field.
• Practical circuit judgment in analogue and digital domains, board-level power, and grounding, with comfort in common device interfaces.
• Ability to write embedded or test software (such as C/C++ and a scripting language) sufficient to own the bring-up process.
• Willingness to participate in outdoor and on-water testing, including field days at Lake Zürich and partner sites.
• An independent working style supported by documentation habits that enable a small team to scale.

Experience with battery systems, robotics, environmental testing, EMI/EMC, or small production runs is welcome. The focus is on practical delivery and debugging capabilities rather than a strict keyword match.

Growth and Team Environment

Starting with electronics and embedded ownership, the work naturally extends into system integration, production test, reliability under outdoor conditions, and closer collaboration with control software. While mechanical and control colleagues manage their specific layers, you will learn enough of their domains to design for the whole robot. This trajectory fosters broader robotics craft and ownership within a fixed-term project. There may be an opportunity to join a planned spin-off early if it aligns with mutual interests after or alongside project delivery.

You will work closely with established entrepreneurs, world-class scientists, and engineers who are artists. This team includes individuals who have built a billion-dollar company, sent hardware to the International Space Station, and created live performance-art installations at the Venice Biennale.

Compensation is competitive for a funded project role and depends on experience. The position is a 100% fixed-term project staff role at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, Research D'Andrea, lasting approximately 18 months.