Lead IC Design Engineer - San Francisco - Foundation Robotics

    Foundation Robotics
    Foundation Robotics San Francisco

    1 week ago

    Description
    About Us
    Foundation is developing the future of general purpose robotics with the goal to address the labor shortage.
    Our mission is to create advanced robots that can operate in complex environments, reducing human risk in conflict zones and enhancing efficiency in labor-intensive industries.
    We are on the lookout for extraordinary engineers and scientists to join our team.
    Your previous experience in robotics isn't a prerequisite - it's your talent and determination that truly count.
    We expect that many of our team members will bring diverse perspectives from various industries and fields. We are looking for individuals with a proven record of exceptional ability and a history of creating things that work.
    Our Culture
    We like to be frank and honest about who we are, so that people can decide for themselves if this is a culture they resonate with. Please read more about our culture here
    Who should join:
    • You like working in person with a team in San Francisco.
    • You deeply believe that this is the most important mission for humanity and needs to happen yesterday.
    • You are highly technical - regardless of the role you are in. We are building technology; you need to understand technology well.
    • You care about aesthetics and design inside out. If it's not the best product ever, it bothers you, and you need to "fix" it.
    • You don't need someone to motivate you; you get things done.
    Why are We Hiring for this Role:
    • Leading a structured evaluation of technical and business feasibility for a custom inference chip tailored to robotic workloads.
    • Analyzing current bottlenecks in robotic inference pipelines and comparing off-the-shelf vs. custom alternatives.
    • Developing models for performance, cost, scalability, power, and area to inform build-vs-buy decisions.
    • Defining high-level chip architecture optimized for low-latency, real-time systems (e.g., CNNs, transformers, sensor fusion).
    • Evaluating tradeoffs in dataflow, memory hierarchy, interconnects, and hardware/software interfaces.
    • Guiding RTL prototyping, simulation, and early design exploration.
    • Coordinating with external vendors, foundries, or design houses as needed.
    • Delivering a comprehensive report with recommendations, including technical/financial analysis and risk/benefit tradeoffs.
    • Presenting findings to leadership and, if approved, leading early custom IC design and project planning.
    What Kind of Person We Are Looking For:
    • Proven track record in designing or evaluating AI accelerators, neural network inference engines, or signal processing hardware, with a history of delivering end-to-end projects.
    • Deep expertise in hardware/software co-design, embedded compute tradeoffs, and optimizing for real-time, low-power systems.
    • Hands-on experience with RTL design (Verilog/VHDL/SystemVerilog), simulation, synthesis tools, and ASIC/FPGA development.
    • Ability to model and evaluate AI inference workloads, including performance bottlenecks and architectural tradeoffs.
    • Strong leadership and communication skills to translate complex technical insights into actionable executive recommendations.
    • Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, edge computing, or similar high-stakes environments where scrappiness was key to success.
    • Familiarity with low-power design, mixed-signal integration, hardware security, chip bring-up, verification, and validation.
    • Prior collaboration with foundries, ASIC vendors, or design houses in resource-constrained settings.
    • M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
    • 8+ years of experience in digital IC design, SoC architecture, or ASIC/FPGA development, with demonstrated ability to own projects autonomously.
    Benefits
    We provide market standard benefits (health, vision, dental, 401k, etc.). Join us for the culture and the mission, not for the benefits.
    Salary

  • Design Engineer

    3 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco $165,000 - $200,000 (USD)

    Build the data infrastructure for robots operating in the real world. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 day ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    We're looking for a Design Engineer to set the bar for design and craft across our product. · Own the product design process from exploration to production. · Translate design into production-ready code and deliver features end-to-end. · Establish our design system and visual lan ...

  • Design Engineer

    4 days ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, California, US

    Weave is building the definitive platform for understanding and improving how engineering teams work. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 day ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    We're hiring exceptional people to keep up with demand. · Build a smooth and performant agent UX with streaming responses and interleaved UI components · Design, extend, and own Console's design system · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 month ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA

    BKF is a multi-service infrastructure consulting firm providing civil engineering and surveying services across California... · ...

  • Design Engineer

    5 days ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    We're seeking a Design Engineer with strong visual taste to drive creative initiatives across web, product, and brand. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    4 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    We're building an AI-native operating system for enterprises—freeing humans to focus on strategy, · creativity, · and high-value tasks. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco Full time

    We're seeking a Design Engineer with strong visual taste to drive creative initiatives across web, product, and brand, with emphasis on both functionality and aesthetics. Our developer tool requires attention to speed, interactions, and details. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA

    We re hiring a Design Engineer to work on React design systems and product polish on our web surfaces. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 day ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA

    Design engineer responsible for preparing structural plans and specifications for civil infrastructure projects in California. · To prepare construction/contract documents (PS&E), technical studies and reports, and supporting calculations and documentation. · To perform construct ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco Full time

    Cartesia is hiring a Design Engineer to work on React design systems and product polish on our web surfaces. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 month ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA Remote job

    Join our Bridge & Structures Practice as a Design Engineer and contribute to preparing structural plans, specifications, cost estimates, calculations, reports, and general technical support for civil infrastructure projects. · Capital projects require talented communicators and c ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 month ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco $175,000 - $225,000 (USD)

    +We are redefining how knowledge is shared by creating a new medium for human communication: interactive digital minds that people can talk to, learn from, and be guided by. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 days ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    We're building a generational company with a world-class engineering team.This isn't a place to coast — but if you want to grow fast, take ownership, and solve tough problems, you'll be challenged like nowhere else. · Translate product requirements into intuitive user experiences ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 week ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, California

    +Job Summary · We are looking for an exceptional Design Engineer to join our team in San Francisco.++Have significant input into the entire design and creative process+ · Deeply understand the product to create industry leading user experiences · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 month ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA

    We are redefining how knowledge is shared by creating a new medium for human communication: interactive digital minds that people can talk to, learn from, and be guided by. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    5 days ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco Full time

    We're looking for a Design Engineer with a couple years of experience in civil infrastructure design to join our collaborative onsite team in the California Bay Area. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    1 week ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, CA

    We're on a mission to empower builders. · Mintlify serves 100 million+ developers every year and powers documentation for 18,000+ companies. We value learning velocity, grit, and unique personalities. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco, California, US

    We build the future of how companies and individuals will train and evaluate AI at HUD. · ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco Full time

    We are building the future of how companies and individuals will train and evaluate AI at HUD. · Our mission is bold: We are trusted and loved by foundation labs, fortune 500s and fast growing startups. · We work on problems that matter: At , we're focused on helping people bette ...

  • Design Engineer

    2 weeks ago

    Only for registered members San Francisco

    Help us build the new era of capital project delivery A.G. KUNZ LLC aims to be the world leader in model-based design engineering and construction management for complex capital programs. · ...

Jobs
>
San Francisco