Senior Hardware Engineer - Aviation IoT & RF

Vellox Group; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hardware ownership

Small senior team

Hybrid working

KiwiSaver contributions

Job summary

Spidertracks in Auckland seeks an experienced hardware engineer to own the next-generation aviation tracking devices. You’ll drive PCB design, RF work, and certification readiness, bringing prototypes to volume production with our contract manufacturer.

You’ll collaborate with firmware, compliance and operations, mentor juniors as the team grows, and report to the CTO. A hands-on, ownership-driven role with meaningful impact on safety-critical hardware.

Qualifications

• 6+ years designing electronics shipped to customers, with FCC/CE certification experience.
• Strong mixed-signal and power design: USB-C, power-path, eFuse, DC/DC, backup.
• RF board design: 50 Ω layout, matching networks, multiple radios in one enclosure.
• Fluent in Altium Designer with stack-up & impedance planning.
• Lab skills: spectrum analyser, VNA, signal generator, pre-compliance EMC scans.
• Experience introducing a product at an external contract manufacturer.
• Embedded C/C++ to bring up a new board (STM32 a plus).
• Clear writing and the ability to explain design decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own PCB designs in Altium: schematics, impedance-controlled layout, libraries, ECNs & production release.
• Bring up and verify new board revisions: power, USB-C, MCU rails, backup power.
• Lead RF & antenna work: coexistence, matching, tuning, field/flight trials.
• Certify with compliance lead and labs (FCC, CE, aviation standards).
• Run NPI with contract manufacturer: DFM, first-article inspection, supplier management.
• Design production test fixtures and collaborate on test software.
• Support firmware bring-up & secure device provisioning.
• Document decisions for future engineers.

Skills

Hardware design

RF design

Altium Designer

Embedded C/C++

FCC/CE cert

STM32 MCU

Technical writing

Lab instrumentation

Tools

Altium Designer

STM32 MCU

Job description

Spidertracks in Auckland seeks an experienced hardware engineer to own the next-generation aviation tracking devices. You’ll drive PCB design, RF work, and certification readiness, bringing prototypes to volume production with our contract manufacturer.

You’ll collaborate with firmware, compliance and operations, mentor juniors as the team grows, and report to the CTO. A hands-on, ownership-driven role with meaningful impact on safety-critical hardware.