Hardware Systems Lead, Industrials
Applied Intuition is hiring a Hardware Systems Lead, Industrials in Sunnyvale, United States. It pays $200k-$270k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.
AI in this role
Lead the hardware systems engineering for physical AI applications on heavy industrial vehicles at Applied Intuition.
Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.
We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions
ABOUT THE ROLE
Applied Intuition is bringing Physical AI to the machines that build, feed, and power the world. As Hardware Systems Lead for Industrials, you will be the hands-on chief engineer for the hardware that runs on heavy industrial vehicles in mining, agriculture, and construction. You will understand the full system, mechanical and electrical, and own the question that matters most in these environments: will it survive? You will architect, build, test, and break hardware, then use what you learn to make it tougher. You'll work in the field as much as at the bench, and your decisions will define how Applied's hardware performs on real machines in dust, vibration, heat, mud, and shock.
At Applied Intuition, you will:
Own the end-to-end hardware architecture, mechanical and electrical, for Applied's industrial vehicle programs
Interface with industrial customers as a representative of the hardware organization
Be hands-on: prototype, build, install, debug, and test hardware on real machines, not just review designs
Define and drive survivability: determine how sensors, compute, harnesses, connectors, and enclosures will hold up to vibration, shock, dust, water ingress, thermal extremes, EMI, and years of heavy use
Design and run environmental and durability testing, analyze failures, and drive root cause and design fixes
Lead integration of sensors (lidar, radar, cameras, GNSS/IMU), compute, power, networking, and actuation onto OEM heavy equipment
Understand the host machine (powertrain, electrohydraulics, vehicle electrical architecture, CAN/J1939) well enough to integrate safely and reliably
Be the technical authority and escalation point for hardware tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, software, and test
Lead hardware design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor other engineers
Support field deployments and commissioning at mine sites, farms, and customer facilities
WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS:
BS/MS in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or a related field
10+ years of hands-on hardware engineering experience on heavy industrial or off-highway vehicles (mining, agriculture, construction, or similar)
Strong command of the whole hardware system: mechanical design, electrical architecture, power distribution, harness design, and how they interact
A track record of designing hardware to survive harsh environments, with real experience in vibration, shock, ingress protection, thermal management, and EMI
Hands-on experience in the lab and in the field: building prototypes, wiring and debugging systems, running tests, and diagnosing failures on real machines
Deep knowledge of how industrial machines work, including powertrains, hydraulics, braking, steering, and CAN/J1939 networks
Experience integrating hardware onto OEM or retrofit equipment
Familiarity with autonomy hardware such as lidar, radar, cameras, GNSS/IMU, and ruggedized compute
Systems-level thinking and the ability to make architecture decisions and defend them
Experience with reliability and qualification testing (environmental testing, HALT, field durability)
Comfort working directly with OEMs, customers, and site operators, including extended time at mine sites and farms
Nice to have:
Experience with functional safety or machine safety standards (ISO 25119, ISO 13849, ISO 17757, ISO 26262)
Experience with autonomous haulage, precision agriculture, or other autonomous industrial systems
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.
FOR US-BASED ROLES: Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact careers@applied.co. We will work with you!
How we rate this
Hardware Systems Lead, Industrials at Applied Intuition rates 70 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where hardware architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where embedded systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where robotics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where testing was part of your work. What did you do?
- Describe a typical day in a role like this one: which parts run through AI directly?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Hardware Architecture, Embedded Systems, Robotics, and Testing. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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