Design and build core hardware systems for autonomous construction vehicles, retrofitting heavy equipment with plug-and-play autonomy. This role involves electrical, mechanical, and embedded domains, integrating sensors and actuators to bring remote control and autonomy assistance to industrial machines, transforming 50,000-pound machines into robots.
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Founding Hardware Engineer at Crewline AI
Ready to revolutionize construction? Crewline AI is seeking a Founding Hardware Engineer to build the core autonomy systems for heavy machinery, transforming 50,000-pound vehicles into robots. Join a rapidly growing, VC-backed team deploying real-world solutions on live construction sites, making a tangible impact on humanity's ability to build.
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Location
San Francisco, United States
Compensation
$250k-380k + Equity
Company
Crewline AI
Role overview
We’re building the world’s first fully autonomous civil‑construction company. Backed by top‑tier investors and led by second-time founders, we’re transforming a $400bn industry by turning bulldozers, excavators, drum rollers and dump trucks into intelligent robotic platforms. We retrofit existing heavy machines: crack open their CAN networks, leverage drive‑by‑wire interfaces, add multi‑sensor perception (LiDAR, stereo cameras, RTK GNSS, IMU) and layer supervised autonomy plus low‑latency tele‑operation. Mortenson and Watts (>$5bn combined revenue) are running our first pilots - you’ll ship code to their live construction sites within months.
What you will do
- Design and develop teleoperation hardware systems, including power, compute, and control modules for heavy machinery retrofits.
- Integrate and calibrate critical sensors like cameras, LiDARs, radars, GNSS, and IMUs using various interfaces.
- Implement and validate communication protocols (CAN, LIN, J1939) for interfacing with existing ECUs and new control units.
Who this is a fit for
- A hacker obsessed with rapid iteration and pragmatic problem-solving, scaling from simple to advanced algorithms.
- Former entrepreneur or someone with extreme agency, having built projects from scratch.
- Experience across electrical, mechanical, and embedded domains, with a strong understanding of system design and prototyping.
Why this role is remarkable
- Fix humanity's heartbeat: construction, by rebuilding our ability to shape the world with autonomous solutions.
- Join a fast-growing, VC-backed startup (Initialized Capital, Nebular VC, Ford Street Ventures, etc.) that went from prototype to $220K ARR in <3 months.
- Build real-world robots, deploying and iterating on live construction sites, seeing your code move 20 tons of steel.
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What happens next?
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Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Crewline AI wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.