aQuatonomous - Electrical Team Hiring

aQuatonomous is a multidisciplinary student engineering design team at Queen’s University focused on building autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) for international competition. We compete annually at RoboBoat, where teams develop fully autonomous marine systems capable of perception, navigation, and real-world task execution.

Our team provides hands-on experience in robotics, electrical and mechanical systems, autonomy, and software, while pushing the boundaries of real-world autonomous systems. Beyond competition, we explore applications in environmental sensing and sustainable marine data collection.

As we prepare for the 2026–2027 season, we are hiring Electrical Executives to lead the development of the systems that power, protect, and connect our entire platform.

Do you want to lead a team of driven, talented engineers building high-performance power electronics and enabling the software stack through robust radio and telemetry systems?

The Electrical Team is responsible for developing the core electrical architecture of the vehicle. From advanced power distribution and battery protection to reliable vehicle-to-ground communications, this team plays a critical role in turning ambitious designs into a dependable, competition-ready system.

The team structure consists of:

• 1 Director
• 1 Power Lead
• 1 Telemetry Lead

As Director, you will provide high-level leadership across the entire Electrical Team, ensuring strong alignment, execution, and system integration.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the full Electrical Team and maintain visibility across all projects
• Provide high-level technical review and validation on designs and decisions
• Lead planning, coordination, and progress tracking
• Set priorities, manage resources, and support cross-team communication
• Oversee larger initiatives (e.g., solar integration, future electrical architecture)

As Power Lead, you will drive the design and evolution of the vehicle’s power systems.

Responsibilities:

• Optimize and improve the power distribution architecture
• Design for higher power capability, reliability, and scalability
• Develop custom voltage regulation for multiple system rails
• Implement battery management, protection, and health monitoring
• Design and integrate power electronics (converters, sensing, protections, etc.)

As Telemetry Lead, you will build the communication backbone of the system.

Responsibilities:

• Lead decisions for system-wide communication architecture
• Develop and optimize links for:
  • RC control
  • Pixhawk ↔ ground station
  • Jetson ↔ ground station (high data rate)
• Improve Pixhawk communication reliability and performance
• Reduce interference and improve link robustness
• Explore redundancy, bandwidth optimization, and long-range communication strategies

This is your chance to:

• Work on real, high-performance embedded and power systems
• Build systems that directly impact competition performance
• Gain hands-on experience with hardware, autonomy, and system integration
• Contribute to a platform used for both competition and real-world applications

Application Deadline: April 5th, 2026
Term: May 2026 – May 2027
Time Commitment: ~10–15 hours/week (increases during testing & competition)

For questions about the position or application process, please contact:

Email: aquatonomous @engsoc.queensu.ca