Talent.com
Principal Physical Systems Architect (San Mateo)
Principal Physical Systems Architect (San Mateo)DeepRec.ai • San Mateo, CA, United States
Principal Physical Systems Architect (San Mateo)

Principal Physical Systems Architect (San Mateo)

DeepRec.ai • San Mateo, CA, United States
[job_card.1_day_ago]
[job_preview.job_type]
  • [job_card.full_time]
[job_card.job_description]

Principal Physical Systems, Robotics & Manufacturing Architect

Location : Bay Area (or equivalent manufacturing hub)

Level : Senior Principal / Distinguished Engineer (IC-first, light people leadership)

Role Summary

We are looking for a deeply technical, hands-on engineer who understands how complex physical systems are actually built, scaled, and operated and who can connect that understanding to modern robotics and AI systems.

You will act as a technical anchor for the companys physical reality ensuring that what we design can be built, calibrated, tested, and scaled in real industrial environments.

This is not an executive role and not a pure research role.

It is for someone who has personally shipped machines and understands why things fail when they leave the lab.

What You Will Do

Own Physical Reality Across the Stack

  • Serve as a principal architect for physical systems spanning :
  • Robotics and automation
  • Sensors, actuators, electronics, and embedded controllers
  • Firmware, real-time systems, and controls
  • Manufacturing processes, tooling, and test infrastructure
  • Be the person who can reason end-to-end, from firmware timing constraints to factory yield curves.

Bridge Robotics, AI, and Manufacturing

  • Partner closely with autonomy and AI teams to ensure :
  • ML / RL / VLM-based systems respect real-time, safety, and physical constraints
  • Data collection, simulation, and evaluation reflect manufacturing and field realities
  • Translate autonomy and learning requirements into buildable hardware and process decisions.

    • Deep Manufacturing & Process Insight

  • Bring hands-on experience in serious manufacturing or esoteric physical environments, such as :
  • Semiconductor tools or factory systems
  • Precision optics, lasers, plasma, vacuum, or metrology
  • High-throughput robotic automation or complex production lines
  • Identify failure modes related to tolerances, drift, wear, contamination, calibration, and process variability.

    • Hands-On Technical Leadership

  • Be deeply involved in :
  • Design and architecture reviews
  • Prototype bring-up and system integration
  • Failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions
  • Set the technical bar through credibility and experience, not hierarchy.

    • Raise the Organizations Physical Systems IQ

  • Mentor engineers across hardware, robotics, and autonomy on how systems behave at scale.
  • Help the team internalize what will and will not scale, long before it becomes a problem.
  • Establish norms around engineering rigor, test discipline, and physical intuition.

    • What Were Looking For

    Required Experience

  • 1015+ years building complex physical systems that integrate hardware, software, and automation.
  • Demonstrated experience in industry-scale manufacturing environments or deeply technical physical processes.
  • Strong understanding of embedded systems, firmware, and real-time control.
  • Working fluency with robotics autonomy concepts, including perception, planning, and learning-based systems.
  • Track record of taking systems from prototype pilot scaled deployment.

    • Strong Signals (One or More)

  • Built or scaled semiconductor tools, factory automation, or advanced manufacturing equipment.
  • Worked on robotic systems deployed in production, not just lab demos.
  • Known for being able to debug problems that cross firmware, hardware, robotics, and process boundaries.
  • Comfortable challenging AI / ML assumptions when they conflict with physical or manufacturing reality.

    • Bonus (Differentiators)

  • Experience with digital twins, HIL, or sim-to-real tied to real manufacturing data.
  • Exposure to ML / RL / VLMs in embodied or physical systems contexts.
  • Patents or technical contributions grounded in real machines or processes.
    • [job_alerts.create_a_job]

    System Architect • San Mateo, CA, United States

    [internal_linking.similar_jobs]
    Principal SAP Technical Architect, GMP Systems

    Principal SAP Technical Architect, GMP Systems

    Cellares • South San Francisco, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    We are seeking a highly motivated and hands-on Principal SAP Technical Architect, GMP Systems to play a key role in enabling the technology foundation for a state-of-the-art, multi-product cell the...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Propulsion & High-Energy Systems Architect

    Propulsion & High-Energy Systems Architect

    Wardstone (YC F25) • San Francisco, CA, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    A technology company in San Francisco is seeking a Propulsion & High Energy Systems Engineer to develop impulse-generation systems for their product, Hailstorm. This role involves designing propulsi...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Travel Physical Therapist

    Travel Physical Therapist

    Fusion Medical Staffing-Therapy • San Pablo, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    Fusion Medical Staffing-Therapy is seeking a travel Physical Therapist for a travel job in San Pablo, California.Job Description & Requirements. Travel Physical Therapist (PT).Facility in San Pa...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Space Systems Engineer

    Space Systems Engineer

    Planet Labs PBC • San Francisco, CA, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    We believe in using space to help life on Earth.Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset ...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Principal Technology Architect

    Principal Technology Architect

    GTT, LLC • Oakland, CA, US
    [job_card.permanent]
    Principal Technology Architect.Alternate / Related Job Titles : .Principal Technology Architect | Digital Workplace Architect | Principal IT Architect | Enterprise Digital Workplace Architect.Locatio...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Physician Assistant / Pediatrics / California / Locum Tenens / Primary Care Physician Assistant

    Physician Assistant / Pediatrics / California / Locum Tenens / Primary Care Physician Assistant

    Carbon Health Medical Group of Florida PA • Berkeley, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time] +1
    Join Our National Network as a Primary Care Clinician.Are you ready to advance your career in a dynamic, supportive, and innovative healthcare environment? Join our team as a Primary Care Clinician...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    IT Systems Architect

    IT Systems Architect

    Contact Government Services, LLC • San Francisco, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    Employment Type : Full Time, Mid level.Department : Information Technology.As an IT Lead System Architect for CGS, you will lead multiple teams consisting of developers, subject matter experts and st...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_1_day] • [promoted]
    Principal Engineer in AI Systems

    Principal Engineer in AI Systems

    VirtualVocations • Oakland, California, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    A company is looking for a Principal Engineer - AI and Intelligence Systems.Key Responsibilities Own architecture for AI and intelligence systems across model integration, inference pipelines, ev...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Principal Robotics Hardware Architect

    Principal Robotics Hardware Architect

    Agility Robotics • San Francisco, CA, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    Principal Robotics Hardware Architect.Continue with Google Continue with Google.Be among the first 25 applicants.Principal Robotics Hardware Architect. Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exc...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Senior ML Systems Architect - GenAI & Personalization

    Senior ML Systems Architect - GenAI & Personalization

    Roblox • San Mateo, CA, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    A leading online platform based in San Mateo, CA is seeking a Distinguished Engineer / Technical Director to lead the ML systems strategy. This role focuses on large-scale recommendations and Generati...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    IRT eCOA Systems Manager

    IRT eCOA Systems Manager

    Jazz Pharmaceuticals • Atherton, California, USA
    [job_card.full_time]
    If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site.Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and ...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_1_day] • [promoted]
    Systems Engineer V

    Systems Engineer V

    iSoftTek Solutions Inc • San Francisco, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    Location : San Francisco, CA 94107.Staff / Principal SDE : Sensor orchestration and data transfer.Develop real-time orchestration software to start, run, and manage data capture from deployed sensors.Q...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Senior Life Sciences Principal Architect

    Senior Life Sciences Principal Architect

    salesforce.com, inc. • San Francisco, CA, United States
    [job_card.full_time]
    A leading cloud software company in San Francisco seeks experienced strategic architects to lead technology transformation programs in the Life Sciences industry. Ideal candidates will have over 10 ...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_hours] • [promoted] • [new]
    Systems Engineer

    Systems Engineer

    Agtonomy • South San Francisco, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    Agtonomy brings intelligent automation to agriculture, turf, and other demanding industries through Physical AI and software services. By partnering with trusted equipment manufacturers, we deliver ...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Senior Systems Engineer, Modeling Focus

    Senior Systems Engineer, Modeling Focus

    Atomic Machines • Emeryville, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    Atomic Machines is ushering in a new era of micromanufacturing with its Matter Compiler™ technology platform.This platform enables new classes of micromachines to be designed and built by pro...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_30] • [promoted]
    Systems Architect

    Systems Architect

    Sygaldry Technologies • San Francisco, California, USA
    [job_card.full_time]
    Sygaldry Technologies is building quantum-accelerated AI servers to exponentially speed up training and inference for AI. By integrating quantum and AI were accelerating the path to superintelligenc...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Senior Manager, Autonomy Hardware Systems Engineering

    Senior Manager, Autonomy Hardware Systems Engineering

    Zoox • Foster City, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    We are looking for a seasoned Systems Engineering leader to manage the Autonomy Hardware Systems organization.You will lead a functional organization divided into two core pillars : System Design &a...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]
    Principal AI Architect

    Principal AI Architect

    Klaviyo • San Francisco, CA, US
    [job_card.full_time]
    At Klaviyo, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives each Klaviyo (we call ourselves Klaviyos) brings to our workplace each and every day. We believe everyone deserves a fair sh...[show_more]
    [last_updated.last_updated_variable_days] • [promoted]