Senior Hardware & Embedded Systems Engineer — Sensors, IoT & Robotics

About Natural Intelligence
Natural Intelligence builds integrated AI systems that sense, understand and act in the physical world. Our work connects sensors, cameras, embedded devices, data and AI with physical actions—from irrigation and environmental controls to partner-built robotic equipment.
We use robotics in this broad sense: intelligent physical systems, rather than a focus on standalone or humanoid robots.
We are looking for a hands-on Hardware & Embedded Systems Engineer to lead the physical systems work end to end: hardware, firmware, connectivity, power, sourcing, field deployment and integration with robotics partners.
Initially, you will combine off-the-shelf components with custom housings and enclosures to build practical, reliable systems. As requirements evolve, you will lead semi-custom and custom hardware development.
We are building a globally facing enterprise product, and the hardware quality, field reliability and integration standards must meet that ambition.
What you will leadHardware development, sourcing and integration
Select, integrate and test agricultural and environmental sensors, cameras, controllers, communication modules and actuators.
Build initial versions using existing components and custom enclosures, progressing to custom electronics where justified.
Own component selection, schematics, bills of materials and supplier coordination, balancing performance, availability, lead times, cost and serviceability.
Identify and work directly with component suppliers, prototyping shops, PCB manufacturers, enclosure fabricators and robotics partners to move quickly from concept to working systems.
Embedded software, power and connectivity
Develop firmware for sensing, device control, local processing, data logging and communication with backend systems.
Design for battery life and efficient power use, including sleep modes, duty cycling, battery monitoring and solar charging where appropriate.
Build devices that tolerate intermittent connectivity through local storage, recovery mechanisms and reliable synchronization.
Partner with infrastructure engineering on device identity, secure communication, remote diagnostics and firmware updates.
Field deployment and robotics
Personally install, commission, troubleshoot and maintain early deployments, with regular trips to Mudigere.
Engineer systems for rain, humidity, dust, temperature variation, unreliable power and limited connectivity.
Integrate AI-enabled physical actions through irrigation systems, pumps, valves, motors and robotic equipment, with appropriate interlocks, manual overrides and recovery behaviour.
Establish repeatable field tests, calibration procedures and maintenance practices, using deployment failures to improve subsequent designs.
How you approach the work
You should be a hacker and tinkerer at heart: curious about how things work, comfortable taking devices apart, adapting components and building practical solutions with the tools available.
You enjoy moving between the workbench and the field. You can solder, debug firmware, trace a wiring fault, modify an enclosure and investigate why a device works in the lab but fails outdoors.
You know how to get things made. You can identify the right supplier, communicate a specification, obtain samples, evaluate alternatives and coordinate an initial build. You turn successful experiments into documented, testable and maintainable systems.
AI-native, agentic ways of working
We build AI products, and we use AI extensively to build them.
You are expected to use coding agents and AI-assisted workflows for firmware development, debugging, technical research, test automation and documentation. You should be comfortable giving agents well-defined tasks and verifying their outputs.
Physical testing remains essential. You are accountable for validating electrical behaviour, power consumption, sensor performance and field reliability against real measurements.
Required background and experience
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in embedded systems, hardware product development, IoT or robotics, including ownership of deployed systems.
A background in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation, Mechatronics or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrated practical expertise.
Strong embedded C/C++ and working Python skills, with hands-on experience programming microcontrollers and debugging hardware–firmware interactions.
Practical experience with sensor integration, analog and digital interfaces, communication protocols, low-power design and battery-powered devices.
Experience taking hardware from prototype through installation and ongoing operation, including troubleshooting outside the lab.
Practical understanding of the hardware supply chain, including sourcing components, evaluating suppliers, coordinating prototype builds and managing substitutions and lead times.
Established use of AI tools and agents, together with the independence to plan work, communicate technical decisions and verify results rigorously.
Especially valuable
Experience in agricultural or industrial IoT, particularly outdoor sensing and physical control systems.
An established network of suppliers and manufacturing partners in India and hardware hubs such as Shenzhen—for components, development boards, PCB assembly, enclosures and early production runs.
Experience with irrigation, pumps, valves, weather stations, soil sensors or environmental instrumentation.
Familiarity with technologies such as LoRa/LoRaWAN, cellular IoT, BLE, Wi-Fi, RS-485 and Modbus.
Camera integration, edge computing or local image and video capture.
PCB design, enclosure prototyping, weatherproofing, robotics integration or motor control.
Personal projects, open-source hardware or a portfolio that demonstrates sustained building and experimentation.
What success looks like
Field devices collect dependable data and operate reliably within realistic power and connectivity constraints.
Hardware, firmware and AI services work together as integrated physical systems.
Initial builds reach the field quickly, supported by dependable suppliers and clear sourcing decisions.
Prototypes develop into repeatable installations with documented components, assembly and maintenance procedures.
Physical actions operate predictably and can be controlled and recovered locally.
Field learning continuously improves reliability, battery life, serviceability and cost.
What we would like to see
Share one or two systems you personally built and deployed. Explain what you owned, how you sourced the components, the firmware you wrote and what happened after installation.
We are particularly interested in failures you diagnosed, battery-life improvements you measured, and practical modifications that made a system work in difficult conditions.
Tell us about suppliers or manufacturing partners you have worked with and how you moved an idea into its first working version. Personal builds and tinkering projects are welcome alongside professional work.
Work arrangement
This is a remote role, preferably based near Bangalore or Mudigere, with regular company-paid trips to Mudigere for installation, testing, troubleshooting and collaboration. Hands-on fieldwork is an essential part of the role.

Work arrangement
Yes