Firmware Lead, Robotics

Responsibilities

• Lead firmware architecture for embedded systems, including boot, RTOS behavior, peripheral control, and power management
• Rapidly bring up new hardware and set the execution pace for the robotics team
• Define engineering standards for reliability, fault tolerance, and observability across the firmware stack
• Design safety-critical mechanisms such as fault detection, recovery paths, and watchdog strategies
• Build quick prototypes to accelerate learning, then harden them into production-quality systems
• Partner with hardware, software, and AI research engineers from early prototype through production
• Establish testing strategies including unit, hardware-in-the-loop, and failure-injection testing
• Mentor firmware engineers and shape a culture of technical rigor and high-quality execution

Requirements

• Extensive experience developing firmware in an iterative, high-consequence environment
• Deep proficiency in low-level languages, specifically Rust
• Expertise in embedded systems, including interrupts, scheduling, memory layout, and DMA
• Proven experience with hardware bring-up and end-to-end ownership of embedded products
• Ability to work under strict real-time constraints and reason about complex failure modes
• Strong communication skills to turn ambiguity into sound technical direction

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Embassy or other async embedded Rust frameworks
• Familiarity with mixed-language architectures (integrating Rust into C/C++ systems)
• Experience with ARM Cortex-M or Cortex-R platforms and low-power designs
• Experience building firmware for sensor-rich or tightly integrated electromechanical products

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible PTO and paid parental leave
• Annual learning and development stipend
• Daily meals in the office and relocation support for eligible employees
• Generous equity and performance-related bonuses

About the Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We are building general-purpose robotics to support skilled workers and, eventually, provide personal robots for everyone.