Field Application Engineer – Robotics, MCU & Motor Control

NXP Semiconductors

Field Application Engineer supporting the robotics market at NXP. Providing technical leadership on motor-control architecture and designs for robotic systems.

Posted 6/6/2026full-timeSan Jose • California, Massachusetts, Texas • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLead💰 $166,200 - $228,500 per yearWebsite

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Hard Skills

embedded systems developmentC/C++ firmware developmentmotor-control fundamentalsfield-oriented control (FOC)space-vector modulationcurrent/speed/position loop designmotor-control peripheralshigh-resolution PWM timershigh-speed ADCsPCB design optimization

Soft Skills

technical leadershiptroubleshooting skillsexcellent communicationdemonstrated leadershipability to operate autonomously

Tools & Technologies

ARM Cortex-M microcontrollersoscilloscopescurrent probespower analyzersmotor-control debug/trace toolsNXP evaluation kitsmotor-control reference designsmotor-control SDK

Certifications & Qualifications

Bachelor's in Electrical EngineeringMaster's in Electrical EngineeringBachelor's in Computer EngineeringMaster's in Computer EngineeringBachelor's in MechatronicsMaster's in MechatronicsBachelor's in Computer ScienceMaster's in Computer Science

Industry Keywords

robotics platformsmotor-control architecturemulti-degree-of-freedom robotic systemsservo drivesBLDC/PMSM motor drivershigh-precision encoder subsystemsdeterministic controlbattery managementEMC/EMIbrushless motor topologies

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide technical leadership to sales teams and customers covering motor-control architecture, MCU and processor selection, bring-up, and software stack integration for NXP general-purpose, real-time, and crossover MCUs and processors targeting robotics platforms
Act as the system-level expert for robotic actuation subsystems, ensuring tight coordination between distributed motor-control nodes and higher-level compute, perception, and motion-planning layers
Drive architectures that scale from single-axis evaluation to multi-degree-of-freedom robotic systems (e.g., humanoids and AMRs) with synchronized, deterministic control
Champion customer and market trend input for new product definition and design strategy via collaboration with product lines
Partner with customers on the design of joint modules, dexterous hands, servo drives, BLDC/PMSM motor drivers, and high-precision encoder subsystems — from silicon selection through control-loop tuning and system validation
Design support through schematic and PCB reviews, bench bring-up, debugging, root-cause analysis, and customer troubleshooting on multi-axis and distributed motor-control systems
Troubleshoot complex issues in the lab (schematics, board bring-up, software drivers, control-loop behavior) using oscilloscopes, current/voltage probes, power analyzers, and software debug/trace tools
Perform validation and performance tuning for current, speed, and position control loops, encoder interfaces, and real-time motion-control communication links to meet the deterministic latency and synchronization requirements of robotics actuation
Deliver on-site and remote proof-of-concept builds using NXP evaluation kits, motor-control reference designs, and motor-control SDK enablement, demonstrating end-to-end solutions for AMR, drone, and humanoid use cases
Lead technical training — webinars, workshops, customer deep-dives, and internal alignment sessions — on NXP's robotics MCU and motor-control portfolio.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science or equivalent
10+ years in embedded systems development or applications support of microcontroller-based motor-control or motion-control systems, with demonstrated technical leadership
Proficient in C/C++ firmware development and debugging with ARM Cortex-M (Cortex-R/A a plus) microcontrollers
Hands-on experience with motor-control fundamentals: field-oriented control (FOC), space-vector modulation, sensored and sensorless commutation, and current/speed/position loop design, with a focus on robotics applications
Strong working knowledge of motor-control peripherals: high-resolution PWM timers, high-speed and simultaneous-sampling ADCs, sigma-delta modulators, op-amps, comparators, resolvers and quadrature decoders
Experience with adjacent power-system topics — high-cell-count battery management, 48V system architectures, gate drivers, and power-stage integration
Familiarity with brushless motor topologies (BLDC, PMSM, coreless / cup motors) and common feedback elements — Hall, magnetic, optical, inductive, sin/cos, and absolute / incremental encoders
Hands-on proficiency with oscilloscopes, current probes, power analyzers, and motor-control debug/trace tools
Experience optimizing PCB design for high-current, high-dv/dt motor-drive environments, including EMC/EMI for noisy power-stage layouts
Strong troubleshooting skills with schematic review, signal analysis, and lab tools
Excellent verbal and written communication for both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Demonstrated leadership and ability to operate autonomously
Willing to travel, primarily within North America.

Benefits

Comp & perks

health insurance
dental insurance
vision insurance
401(k)
paid leave