Want to know if this job is worth applying to?
Redwood City, California, United States
Onsite
WindBorne Systems is supercharging weather models with a unique proprietary data source: a global constellation of next-generation smart weather balloons targeting the most critical atmospheric data. We design, manufacture, and operate our own balloons, using the data they collect to generate otherwise unattainable weather intelligence.
Our mission is to eliminate weather uncertainty, and in the process help humanity adapt to climate change, be that predicting hurricanes or speeding the adoption of renewables. We are building a future in which the planet is instrumented by thousands of our microballoons, eliminating gaps in our understanding of the planet and giving people and businesses the information they need to make critical decisions. The founding team of Stanford engineers was named Forbes 2019 30 under 30 and is backed by top investors including Khosla Ventures.
WindBorne is looking for an Embedded Electrical Engineer to run hardware design, initial bringup, hardware debug, and manufacturing support of a number of key elements of our flight hardware and ground support systems. We're seeking someone who can jump between PCB design in the morning, debugging firmware in the afternoon, and searching DigiKey at night; someone who finds satisfaction in making things work in theory, in practice, and at scale, and in running through those stages as quickly as PCBA turnaround times permit.
This role is for someone who would be unfulfilled designing predictable power supplies or standard microcontroller boards. Instead, you’ll be creating systems that can reliably operate from -70°C to +40°C using components that are entirely unrated for such a task, while counting every gram and milliwatt.
We aren't looking for someone who wants to spend weeks designing the theoretically perfect circuit. Rather, we need someone who can quickly ship a design that doesn’t appear to be broken, and who genuinely enjoys spending a day at the bench playing electrical whac-a-mole when something inevitably is. The ideal candidate will understand and contribute to the big picture to ensure effort is directed only where it is most useful, while spending most of the day on the messy details of building the world’s largest balloon constellation.
Design, prototype, and test PCBs for critical new flight and ground systems
Develop firmware for initial bringup of new boards and custom testing of existing boards
Troubleshoot and resolve (only the most pressing) issues on existing hardware
Conduct comprehensive bench and environmental testing to validate electrical systems under extreme conditions
Work closely with mechanical engineers to ensure proper integration on a vehicle with about as many structural PCBs as custom 3D parts
Support flight operations with troubleshooting of deployed hardware via realtime telemetry
Coordinate PCBA manufacturing for both R&D and production
Required
Strong fundamentals in embedded circuit and system design
Hands-on experience troubleshooting circuit boards and electronic assemblies
Proficiency with reading schematics and datasheets
Familiarity with embedded firmware development (C/C++)
Familiarity with common communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART)
Experience with PCB layout and design tools (we use Altium)
Comfort with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, multimeters, and logic analyzers
Interest in the underlying physics
Being the type of person who enjoys applying increasingly cursed out of the box solutions in order to reduce part count and complexity
Nice to have
Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering or related field
Interest in RF system development and antenna design
Deep knowledge of power management circuit design
Ability to solder 0402 components by hand without wanting to cry
Salary
$33/hr
1600 Bridge Pwky, Redwood City, CA. In person required.