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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Founding Hardware Engineer - **Company:** David Joseph & Company - **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $150,000.0 - $200,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Testing (Software), Board Bringup, Bluetooth, C++ (Programming Language), Cloud Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Embedded C, Linux on Embedded Systems, Embedded Software, Python (Programming Language), Real-Time Operating Systems, Signal Processing, Wi-Fi Technology, PIC Microcontroller - **Published:** August 10, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=5ad70aa07c744970 ## About the Role * Roughly 5+ years of hands-on hardware or embedded systems engineering, with a track record of taking a complex connected device to market * Able to design and lay out a PCB independently - schematic design, component selection, and board bring-up * Solid electronics-design foundation across microcontrollers and wireless communication modules * Strong embedded C/C++ or Python for edge applications, with RTOS or embedded Linux experience * Comfortable with component sourcing and procurement, and the downstream trade-offs those choices create * Familiar with edge-to-cloud architecture, device fleet management, and live data infrastructure * Hands-on with hardware certification and environmental / regulatory testing for demanding operating conditions * A startup or otherwise lean background where you personally owned hardware decisions end to end * Able to walk fluently through a multi-month hardware plan and justify architectural trade-offs on the spot * Willing to work in person in San Francisco and keep intense startup hours, * Edge processing and lossless streaming of high-bandwidth data, including real-time audio and signal processing * Background building hardware for aviation, defense, or other safety-critical regulated industries * Familiarity with avionics data formats, cockpit audio systems, or aircraft electrical environments * Prior sensor-device or connected-hardware work in a startup setting * Experience navigating environmental and regulatory testing programs ## Description This is a founding hardware role owning the device end to end - from its current 3D-printed prototype to a fleet-deployed cockpit product. You'll work directly with the CTO and lead software engineer, be deeply hands-on, and make consequential architecture and build decisions with limited precedent. Comfort reasoning through a six-month hardware roadmap in real time is essential. What you'll be doing * Own the full PCB lifecycle - architecture, component selection, layout, and iterative builds toward a fleet-ready device * Make build-vs-outsource calls on manufacturing, weighing cost, compute, and thermal constraints for an in-cockpit environment * Lead component sourcing and procurement across the supply chain * Plan and run environmental testing against heat, vibration, and RF-noise conditions in live aircraft * Develop and own embedded firmware and edge processing logic as the hardware matures * Partner with the software team so the hardware captures the data the analytics layer needs Tech stack: PCB / schematic design, microcontrollers, embedded C/C++ or Python, RTOS or embedded Linux, wireless modules (cellular / Wi-Fi / Bluetooth), edge-to-cloud streaming, OTA updates. ## Related Videos - [More efficient software for more efficient microchips](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1164-more-efficient-software-for-more-efficient-microchips) - [Building a Cross-Platform BLE Client with Kotlin Multiplatform and Kable](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100250-building-a-cross-platform-ble-client-with-kotlin-multiplatform-and-kable) - [Cyber Security: Small, and Large!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/259-cyber-security-small-and-large) - [Prototyping with Hardware and the Web](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/651-prototyping-with-hardware-and-the-web) - [Breaking the Hardware Mindset: Overcoming Barriers to System-Level Innovation](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1635-breaking-the-hardware-mindset-overcoming-barriers-to-system-level-innovation) - [When Agents Meet Legacy: Never Change a Running System](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100320-when-agents-meet-legacy-never-change-a-running-system) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [The Best X (Twitter) Accounts for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/294-the-best-x-twitter-accounts-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Hard?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/448-is-software-engineering-hard) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [How to Answer the Interview Question: “Why Do You Want to Be a Software Engineer?”](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/392-how-to-answer-the-interview-question-why-do-you-want-to-be-a-software-engineer) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology)