Occupation
Hardware Engineer
A Hardware Engineer designs, builds, and tests physical electronic components and systems, from circuit design and PCB design to embedded systems that power consumer devices, industrial equipment, or telecommunications infrastructure. They use CAD software such as Altium to lay out boards and apply signal processing knowledge to ensure reliable performance under real-world conditions. Typically holding an electrical or computer engineering degree, hardware engineers work closely with firmware and mechanical engineering teams throughout product development.
Duties & responsibilities
- Design circuits and PCBs using CAD software, applying analog and digital signal processing principles for reliable performance
- Test and validate hardware through prototyping, bring-up, and debugging to identify and resolve design issues
- Integrate hardware components including sensors, processors, and interfaces across mechanical and firmware teams
- Perform signal integrity, power integrity, and thermal analysis to meet system requirements
- Troubleshoot field failures and production issues through root cause analysis and validation testing
What Hardware Engineer roles involve, from employers’ own postings.
How much does a Hardware Engineer make?
Employers posting Hardware Engineer roles list a median of $177,000 a year (middle half $137,000–$219,000), from 29 postings that state pay.
91% of open Hardware Engineer roles publish a range. Only some employers state pay, and the ones that do skew to California and New York, where the law requires it. Which states’ postings state pay
Who is hiring for Hardware Engineer roles?
32 open Hardware Engineer roles from 16 employers; the most at NVIDIA, Relativity Space and Arrow Electronics, and in California, Massachusetts and Texas.
From employers’ own postings, as of.
Hardware Engineer in the job market
Last checked October 28, 2026
- Open roles
- 32
- Employers
- 16
- Median pay
- $177,000
- Disclose pay
- 91%
on Career App right now
hiring for it
from 29 roles
of these roles
Career ladder
Often comes from
Often leads to
Similar roles
Open Hardware Engineer roles (32)
Hardware Engineer
FLIR Systems
Ridge, NY
Listed on FLIR Systems’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Hardware Engineer
Intel
Santa Clara, CA
Listed on Intel’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Lead Hardware Engineer (Controllers)
Relativity Space
Long Beach, CA · $151,000 – $227,000
Lead a small team of electrical engineers designing custom avionics controllers for Relativity's Terran R rocket, overseeing mixed-signal and analog circuit design from initial concept through flight production and vehicle operations. This role suits experienced hardware engineers with deep expertise in mission-critical electronics who are ready to mentor others and thrive in a fast-paced aerospace environment.
Listed on Relativity Space’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Hardware Support & Test Intern
Eight Sleep
Internship · San Francisco, CA · $30 – $35 / hour
This internship supports Eight Sleep's hardware engineering team by diagnosing field failures in sleep technology devices and assisting with prototype testing. It suits engineering students who want hands-on experience troubleshooting complex hardware systems and collaborating with a fast-moving product team.
Listed on Eight Sleep’s careers site · Apply there ↗
NVIDIA 2027 Internships: Hardware Engineering
NVIDIA
Internship · Santa Clara, CA · $20 – $71 / hour
NVIDIA is recruiting interns for a 12-week program across several hardware engineering specializations, including system validation, hardware design, mechanical engineering, and silicon solutions. The role suits students pursuing degrees in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related fields who want hands-on experience with datacenter and consumer hardware products.
Listed on NVIDIA’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Hardware Signal Quality Test Engineer
Oura
Full-time · San Francisco, CA · $151,000 – $178,000
This role establishes hardware sensor validation capabilities for Oura's wearable rings in a new San Francisco lab, combining hands-on testing with data analysis to ensure signal quality across motion, optical, electrical, and thermal sensors. It suits engineers with sensor testing or hardware validation experience who can work across disciplines to support product development and manufacturing.
Listed on Oura’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Hardware Design Engineer(Einfochips Inc.)
Arrow Electronics
Full-time · Bedford, MA · $135,000 – $145,000
This role involves designing and developing hardware products across their full lifecycle, from initial concept through production, with focus on microcontroller-based architectures, analog circuits, and power supply design. It suits engineers with at least 5 years of experience in hardware product development who are comfortable working with industry-standard EDA tools and lab equipment.
Listed on Arrow Electronics’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Hardware Design Engineer
AeroVironment
Full-time · Annapolis Junction, MD · $125,000 – $270,000
This is a hands-on role designing embedded electrical systems for defense applications, requiring deep expertise in circuit design, PCB layout, and compliance with military standards. It suits experienced engineers with at least 12 years in hardware design who hold or can obtain a Top Secret clearance and want to work on mission-critical UAS and tactical systems.
Listed on AeroVironment’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Senior Hardware Engineer- Optical
Adtran
Atlanta, GA
ADTRAN is hiring an optical hardware engineer to design and validate components for next-generation DWDM transport systems, working across optical subsystems, mixed-signal electronics, and test automation. The role suits someone with hands-on experience in optical communications or hardware development who enjoys collaborating with cross-functional teams to solve complex networking challenges.
Listed on Adtran’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Senior Engineer, GPU Modeling Architect
Samsung Semiconductor
Full-time · $124,000 – $208,400
Samsung is seeking a Senior Engineer to design and develop cycle-accurate functional models for next-generation GPU architectures, enabling architectural exploration and performance validation. This role suits engineers with GPU architecture expertise who want to bridge hardware design and software simulation at a major semiconductor company.
Listed on Samsung Semiconductor’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Roles similar to Hardware Engineer (372)
From Automation Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electronics Engineer, Embedded Systems Engineer, Firmware Engineer, Junior Embedded Systems Engineer, Reliability Engineer, Senior Electrical Engineer, Senior Electronics Engineer, Systems Engineer.
Electrical Engineer
U.S. Coast Guard
Birmingham, AL · $90,410 – $117,535
Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗
Electronics Engineer
Federal Aviation Administration
Atlantic City, NJ · $123,171 – $190,953
Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗
General Engineer
Missile Defense Agency
Full-time · Dahlgren, VA · $102,415 – $158,322
This is a systems engineering role within the Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency, focused on next-generation air defense systems and their integration across development and testing. It suits engineers with experience in complex weapons system integration, interface management, and risk mitigation who want to contribute to homeland defense capabilities.
Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗
ELECTRONICS ENGINEER
Department of the Air Force Headquarters
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico · $94,909 – $136,848
Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗
Electrical Engineer
Southwestern Power Administration
Jonesboro, AR · $57,999 – $103,709
Via USAJOBS · Apply there ↗
Electrical Engineer
GE Appliances
Louisville, KY
Listed on GE Appliances’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Systems Engineer
AeroVironment
Albuquerque, NM
Listed on AeroVironment’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Systems Engineer
Supercast
Washington, DC
Listed on Supercast’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Senior Electrical Engineer
Medtronic
Mounds View, Minnesota, United States of America
Listed on Medtronic’s careers site · Apply there ↗
Automation Engineer
Adient
Lansing, MI
Listed on Adient’s careers site · Apply there ↗
What employers state they pay
Median
$177,000
Middle half
$137,000 – $219,000
From 29 of 32 open roles — the 91% that publish a range, annualized to USD. Only some employers state pay, and the ones that do skew to California and New York, where the law requires it.
Who employers are hiring
- Entry14%
- Mid14%
- Senior54%
- Lead / Staff / Principal18%
From 28 roles whose posting states a level.
Skills Hardware Engineer postings ask for
Measured from the 32 open roles, not from a curated list.
- Python10 roles31.3%
- Linux5 roles15.6%
- Verilog5 roles15.6%
- C++4 roles12.5%
- PCB Design4 roles12.5%
- Perl4 roles12.5%
- Altium Designer3 roles9.4%
- Digital Design3 roles9.4%
- SystemVerilog3 roles9.4%
- VHDL3 roles9.4%
Where Hardware Engineer roles are
Among the 29 of 32 open roles we could place on a map.
Employers hiring Hardware Engineers
16 in total, most open roles first.
- NVIDIA7 roles
- RSRelativity Space4 roles
- AEArrow Electronics3 roles
- Samsung Semiconductor3 roles
- Broadcom Inc.2 roles
- CCrusoe2 roles
- OOura2 roles
- Adtran1 role