Staff Embedded Software Engineer

Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona’s founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims.

We're looking for exceptional people who dream big, thrive on challenges, and love seeing their designs come to life. We are primarily interested in candidates who have shipped products in the fields of autonomy, robotics, consumer products, medical devices, automotive, or aerospace. We also value advanced degrees and deep expertise.

As an inaugural engineer at Persona, you will have an incredible opportunity to shape the design of Persona’s humanoid robots, while also helping set the culture of the company. If you're passionate about cutting-edge technology and want to be part of a world-class team we'd love to hear from you.

Your Role:

• Collaborate closely with a diverse team of engineers, including electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers, to develop and optimize the embedded software that bridges the gap between the robot's hardware and its high-level control systems.

• Design, implement, and test embedded software solutions that enable real-time control, sensor data acquisition and processing, actuator management, and communication protocols.

• Join a team developing cutting-edge technology to improve the safety of humanoid robots in manufacturing.

• Provide and maintain clear documentation of software design and interfaces to ensure efficient development and future upgrades.

We’re Looking For:

• BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

• 7+ years of experience (5+ with advanced degree) creating highly reliable and maintainable production code.

• Proven experience integrating control software with hardware, including the design and implementation of hardware abstraction layers (HALs) for sensors and actuators.

• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and embedded Linux development.

• Solid understanding of industrial communication protocols and buses (e.g. EtherCAT, CAN, I2C).

• Proficient in common microcontroller architectures (e.g. ARM, Cortex-M).

• Familiarity with software testing methodologies and version control (e.g. TDD, Git).

Preferred or Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience leveraging GPU for real-time performance for robotics applications.

• Experience developing and optimizing systems for minimal latency (e.g., robotics, real-time control systems, high-frequency trading, high-performance gaming engines).

• Experience with common robot sensors (IMUs, cameras, etc.) is a welcome addition.

• Familiarity with ROS, LCM, or other IPC middleware.

• Skills in data processing, logging, and visualization are appreciated.

• Experience with complex system failure analysis in cross-functional teams.

Why join Persona AI?

• You'll shape technology that's redefining the possibilities of robotics and human interaction.

• Work alongside passionate teammates who value diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

• Enjoy full access to advanced prototyping tools, labs, and the freedom to experiment and innovate.

• We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work environment, and equity opportunities.