Senior Electronics Engineer (Motor Control & Power Electronics)

Amazon RIVR is a robotics company pioneering Physical AI through real-world doorstep delivery. Founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, RIVR developed wheeled-legged robots designed to operate in complex, unstructured environments such as stairs, gates, doors, and uneven urban terrain. We believe that achieving general physical intelligence requires solving real customer problems in the real world, where robots can learn from rich operational data at scale.

Following our acquisition by Amazon in March 2026, we are continuing this mission with greater reach and speed. By combining custom robot hardware, onboard autonomy, and cloud-based coordination, Amazon RIVR is building the next generation of safe, reliable autonomous robots for last-mile delivery

Job Description

As a Senior Electronics Engineer in our Zurich based R&D team, you will be the responsible for the "muscles" of our robots. Your primary mission is to design, prototype, and validate custom motor controllers and power electronics that redefine what our actuators can achieve. To meet our goal of building more compact and agile robots, you will lead the development of high-power-density PCBAs, allowing us to shrink our motor footprint without sacrificing torque or reliability.

You will sit at the unique intersection of physics and firmware, building the high-performance hardware that enables our robots to conquer the last mile. This is a rare opportunity to own the hardware stack of one of the world’s most advanced legged-on-wheels platforms, bridging the gap between theoretical control logic and production-ready intelligence.

What you’ll be doing:
• Lead the design and development of custom BLDC drivers optimized for compact, high-torque, high efficiency, robotic joints.

• Own the circuit design and the PCB layout for digital and power electronics, ensuring performance, reliability, and EMC/EMS compliance.

• Own the ideation, implementation, and validation of safety critical parts of the design

• Build and test prototypes to evaluate functionality, ensuring designs are mature enough to scale into production.

• Implement and tune motor control algorithms (FOC, cogging compensation, friction compensation) to ensure performance across a variety of tasks

• Collaborate closely with mechanical and software engineers to seamlessly integrate hardware components with our "Physical AI" systems.

• Provide expert guidance on the hardware roadmap and mentor the electronics team to maintain high design standards.

What you must have:
• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or Robotics.

• 5+ years of experience in hardware R&D, with a deep focus on motor drives or power electronics.

• Mastery of tools like Altium or KiCad, with a proven ability to design for high power density.

• Strong understanding of BLDC/PMSM motor dynamics and real-time embedded C/C++ (STM32 or similar).

• Skilled in utilizing electronics instrumentation (oscilloscopes, power analyzers) for deep-dive debugging and optimization.

• Experience managing relationships with OEMs/ODMs and a clear understanding of the transition from prototype to mass production.

Get some bonus points:
• Familiarity with GaN or SiC semiconductors to push efficiency and miniaturization to the absolute limit.

• Proven experience in designing for mass production (DFM/DFT) within the robotic, automotive, or aerospace sectors.

• Experience with safety-critical hardware design (e.g., ISO 26262 or IEC 61508) for mobile machinery.

• Experience building or managing a specialized hardware team or coordinating complex international R&D workflows.

Amazon RIVR is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that values every perspective. If you’re passionate about driving innovation in robotics and creating meaningful impact, we encourage you to apply and bring your unique self to our team.

We believe the best work is done when collaborating and therefore require in-person presence in our office locations.