Senior Electrical Engineer, Robotics
Quick facts
- Pay
- 165,000 - 200,000 USD / YEAR
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- San Leandro, CA
- Skills
- Python
- Industry
- Engineering — 247 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B, OPT
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
Our client is a Series A robotics company building large autonomous machines that construct utility-scale solar farms. Solar demand is growing faster than construction crews can keep up with, and their robots take on the heavy, repetitive work that’s slowing the buildout down. They’re backed by top-tier climate and deep tech investors, their first systems are already deployed in the field, and they’re now moving from R&D builds into repeatable production in a dedicated manufacturing facility.
They’re looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to help make that happen. You’ll join a 15-person engineering team and own the electrical side of robots that weigh 800 to 1000lbs and work in the desert.
What you’ll do
- Design and improve electrical systems across our robots, including motors, drives, actuators, sensors, controls and power distribution
- Create and maintain the schematics, wiring diagrams and harness designs that let manufacturing build every machine the same way
- Get hands-on in the shop with technicians, wiring, integrating, testing and troubleshooting the machines themselves
- Feed lessons from deployed systems back into more reliable, manufacturable designs
- Help set the electrical standards for our next five systems as we scale into production
- Work closely with mechanical, software and manufacturing engineers across the whole platform
What they’re looking for
- 3 to 10 years in electrical engineering on large physical systems such as robots, EVs, autonomous vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft or heavy equipment
- Real hands-on experience with wiring, harnessing and integration on the machine, not just board-level design
- Component selection and integration for motors, drives, actuators, sensors and power distribution
- Electrical schematics, wiring diagrams and harness design in an ECAD tool (EPLAN, AutoCAD Electrical, SolidWorks Electrical, Zuken E3 or similar)
- Startup or fast-paced R&D experience
- An engineering degree in EE, ME or a related field
Nice to have
- Experience taking a product from prototype into production
- Background at a robotics, EV or autonomous vehicle company
- Python for test and automation
Practical details
- On-site 4 days a week in San Leandro, CA. Bay Area based or willing to relocate.
- We can support visa transfers (H-1B transfer, OPT, TN), but can’t sponsor new H-1B visas.
- Competitive equity alongside base salary.
If you’ve built electrical systems for machines you could climb into, I’d like to hear from you.
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name Calder Search in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071).
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B, OPT
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This kind of role may fit the USMCA profession “Engineer” — it depends on the actual duties. No lottery, no cap; you need the matching degree or license.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
- STEM OPT extension (F-1 students)
Requires an E-Verify employer. We didn't find this company in the E-Verify list — ask HR.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Electrical Engineers · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $106,038 | ~15% |
| Level II | $133,973 | ~31% |
| Level III | $161,886 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $189,821 | ~61% |
The listing has no salary, so we can't place it on a wage level. Ask the employer which wage level they'd file at: Level III–IV registrations get 3–4 entries in the H-1B lottery.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.