Staff Systems Integration Engineer, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

Who we are Atoms is building the machines that power the next era of progress. Over the last decade, software has transformed the digital world. But the physical world, where food is made, minerals are mined, goods are moved, and industries are run, remains far less intelligent, far less efficient, and far more constrained. We’re changing that. Atoms builds Physical AI— real-world robots for the industries that move civilization forward, starting with food, mining, and transport. Our systems are designed to understand, predict, and control the real world with precision, turning complex physical operations into something more reliable, more scalable, and more productive. This work requires more than robotics. It requires deep integration across hardware, software, AI, operations, manufacturing, and real estate. We don’t just build machines in a lab. We deploy them into real environments, operate them, learn from them, and improve them until they work at scale. We are roboticists, engineers, operators, and builders. We believe the next great technology companies will not only transform information, but the physical systems that shape everyday life. If you want to work on hard problems with real-world impact, join us. About the role We are seeking a Staff Systems Integration Engineer to build and own the hardware-in-the-loop system benches that validate our autonomy stack off-vehicle. In this role, you will own the full system bench end to end, from initial architecture and physical build, through commissioning and automation, to daily use by our software and autonomy teams. This is a deeply hands-on role: you will define the bench architecture, build and instrument the hardware, write the automation that runs it, and leave behind strong documentation What you’ll do • System Bench Architecture & Build: Own the design and construction of our system benches, including bench topology, electrical architecture, schematic capture, component selection and sourcing, harness design and fabrication, physical build, and commissioning. Establish and document the correlation between bench behavior and vehicle behavior, including where the bench diverges and what that means for test validity. • Vehicle & Network Simulation: Simulate the vehicle systems that are not physically present on the bench, so that the autonomy compute operates against a complete simulated vehicle system. This includes generating the network traffic the absent controllers would produce, along with power and ignition states, drive-by-wire actuation, and body and charging behavior across CAN, CAN FD, and Automotive Ethernet. Implement the gateway and signal-override paths that allow an engineer to command any vehicle state, including states the base vehicle cannot readily produce. • Sensor Data Replay: Implement replay of recorded sensor and vehicle data into the autonomy compute, time-synchronized to original timestamps and at full rate, so that on-road events become repeatable bench tests. Own the interfaces, data flows, and synchronization across subsystems, beginning with open-loop replay and architecting for closed-loop replay as a follow-on capability. • Test Automation & Continuous Integration: Design and maintain the automated test frameworks that allow bench execution to be triggered by a code change, gate software releases, run unattended, and report results in a form that engineers outside the hardware team can interpret without assistance. • Fault Injection & Off-Nominal Validation: Define and execute validation covering fault injection, degraded-mode and fail-operational behavior, redundant compute and power paths, and loss-of-communication conditions, in support of L4 requirements and the evidence a system safety case requires. • Tooling Strategy & Sourcing: Own build-versus-buy decisions for bench hardware and software, and be accountable for the cost, lead time, and long-term maintenance burden of those decisions. Manage suppliers and vendor toolchains where commercial platforms are selected. • Cross-Functional Support & Debugging: Support the autonomy, embedded, hardware, and vehicle integration teams as the primary users of the bench, including access, uptime, and monitoring. Lead root-cause analysis of system-level failures across sensor timing, drivers, harnessing, and compute, and convert findings into design changes and documented corrective actions upstream. • Engineering Standards & Documentation: Establish automotive-grade conventions for bench schematics, circuit naming, labeling, harness documentation, and configuration control, and hold internal teams and suppliers to them. Lead design reviews and bring engineers and technicians up to speed on the bench and how to troubleshoot it. What we’re looking for • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field is required, with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a master's degree with 6+ years. Equivalent hands-on experience will be considered in place of the degree. • Demonstrated experience designing and building hardware-in-the-loop or system-level test benches from initial architecture through commissioning, including bench topology, schematic capture, component selection, harness design, and bring-up. • Hands-on experience with vehicle networks (CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet), including restbus simulation, network database authoring (DBC, LDF), and bus analysis tooling. • Experience developing real-time plant, actuator, sensor, and power models and deploying them to real-time target hardware, whether model-based or hand-written. • Proficiency in Python and a systems language (C, C++, or equivalent), with demonstrated experience building test automation frameworks and integrating them into continuous integration pipelines. • Working experience with a robotics middleware and its logging and replay tooling, such as ROS (node development, rosbag, visualization) or an equivalent. • Working knowledge of sensor and compute interfaces, including camera serialization (GMSL, FPD-Link), lidar and radar interfaces, and precision time synchronization (PTP/gPTP). • Experience with fault injection and off-nominal testing, including forced faults, dropped frames, degraded sensor conditions, and loss-of-communication scenarios. • Solid understanding of autonomous driving systems, including sensors, perception, sensor fusion, planning, controls, and vehicle dynamics. • Experience delivering first-of-kind work in environments where requirements, vehicle platforms, and software are concurrently in development. • Strong written documentation practice covering bench topology, test procedures, and failure analysis, sufficient for engineers who did not build the bench. Why join us At Atoms, you’ll work on one of the defining challenges of our time—bringing automation into the physical world to drive real, lasting impact. We exist to uncover valuable unknown truths and turn them into progress, which means constantly pushing beyond what’s known and building what doesn’t yet exist. The work is ambitious and often challenging, but it’s grounded in a shared sense of purpose and a team committed to seeing it through together. Our work only matters if it serves others, and we know that meaningful progress depends on the trust of the people we serve and the strength of our team—so we invest in both, creating an environment where you can do your best work and grow. What else you need to know This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week. The base salary range for this role is $220,000-$280,00 per year. Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications. Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance-based bonus. Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees): • Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance • Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options • 401(k) • Equity • Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays • Paid Parental Leave • Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan • Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion. Atoms accepts applications on an ongoing basis. Ready to join us as we serve those who serve others? #LI-Onsite