Hardware Design Engineer

About Origin

Origin (previously 10xConstruction) is building general-purpose autonomous robots for US construction to tackle rising costs, safety risks, and labour shortages. Our modular, multi-trade platform combines purpose-built hardware with real-time site intelligence to navigate complex environments and execute tasks with precision. Trained in high-fidelity simulation and already deployed on live sites, our robots deliver 5x faster execution, 250%+ margin expansion, and significant cost savings. Join India's most talent-dense robotics team consisting of individuals from IITs, Stanford, UCLA, etc.

About the Role

You will own the electrical hardware that runs through the entire robot: custom PCBs and wire harnesses from power distribution through compute and networking down to microcontroller- based tool controllers. Your designs will span high-power boards (inverters, motor drives, power conversion), compute and camera interface boards with multi-sensor networking, and embedded microcontroller boards for end-effector tool systems. You will also own the wire harness architecture that ties it all together inside a mobile robot operating on dusty, vibration- heavy construction sites.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, and bring up custom PCBs across the full range: high-power (DC-DC conversion, inverter stages, motor drive interfaces), compute/networking (multi-camera interfaces, Ethernet/serial backplanes), and microcontroller-based tool control boards.
• Own schematic capture, component selection, layout, and design-for-manufacturability through prototype, validation, and production release.
• Architect and document the robot's wire harness system: connector selection, routing, strain relief, shielding, and serviceability, designed for the mechanical and environmental constraints of a mobile platform on active construction sites.
• Conduct design verification and validation: power integrity analysis, thermal management, signal integrity for high-speed interfaces, and EMC pre-compliance testing.
• Manage the PCB fabrication and assembly pipeline: vendor coordination, BOM management, incoming inspection, and revision control.
• Collaborate with embedded software, mechanical design, and systems integration teams to ensure board designs meet packaging constraints, thermal envelopes, and firmware interface requirements.
• Maintain design documentation (schematics, layout files, harness drawings, test reports) to a standard that supports independent review, manufacturing handoff, and regulatory traceability.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• 4+ years of hands-on PCB design experience spanning at least two of: high-power systems, compute/networking boards, or microcontroller-based embedded designs. Not just layout, but full ownership from schematic through bring-up and validation.
• Proficiency in a professional PCB design tool (Altium, KiCad, or OrCAD) with demonstrated multi-layer, mixed-signal design capability.
• Solid grounding in power electronics fundamentals: DC-DC topologies, thermal derating, current sensing, protection circuits, and grounding architectures.
• Experience designing wire harnesses for electromechanical systems: connector specification, wire gauge and routing decisions, labelling standards, and documentation of harness drawings.
• Working knowledge of common interfaces and protocols: Ethernet, USB, CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, CSI/MIPI, and their PCB-level design implications.
• Ability to read and contribute to embedded C/Python at the board bring-up and test level; comfortable writing scripts to validate hardware behaviour.

Preferred Experiences

• Experience designing hardware for mobile robots, vehicles, or ruggedized equipment where vibration, dust ingress, and thermal cycling are real constraints.
• Familiarity with EMC and electrical safety standards (CE, FCC, IEC 61010, or similar) and what compliance means at the board and system level.
• Prior work with camera interface hardware (GMSL, CSI-2, GigE Vision) or high-speed serial links on custom boards.
• Track record of taking a design from first prototype through at least one manufacturing run, including yield issues, field failures, and iterative improvement.