Embedded Electronics Integration Engineer – Rapid Hardware

Kform; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kform in Sterling, VA is seeking an engineer who can own hardware development from concept to production. You will design, prototype, test, and ship embedded systems, electrical and mechanical assemblies, and fixtures on cross‑functional teams.

You will work on ECAD in Altium, review schematics, perform bench validation, and iterate based on data. The role emphasizes hands‑on prototyping, documentation, and collaboration with manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to deliver reliable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in hardware product design, development, prototyping, testing, or multidisciplinary engineering.
• Significant strength in at least one core engineering area (preferably electrical or mechanical).
• Working knowledge that spans embedded software, electronics, mechanical design, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Advanced proficiency with Altium or an equivalent primary design tool.
• Hands‑on prototyping experience with fabrication tools, electronics, and test equipment.
• Excellent documentation of design choices, revisions, test data, and tradeoffs.
• Independent problem solving and effective collaboration within cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Turn ambiguous requirements into working prototypes—mechanical assemblies, electronic designs, embedded control, fixtures, test stands, and production‑ready parts.
• Create ECAD designs in Altium, review schematics with a systems lens, and make sound cross‑discipline tradeoffs.
• Prototype quickly with shop tools and bench gear; instrument, test, and iterate with evidence.
• Write or integrate embedded software where needed to bring electromechanical systems to life.
• Design test plans for performance, durability, reliability, manufacturability, and safety; analyze results to isolate failure modes and improve the design.
• Document intent, changes, test outcomes, and lessons so production teams can execute cleanly.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams to optimize for assembly, inspection, cost, schedule, and reliability.
• Coach junior engineers through disciplined debugging, documentation, and ownership behaviors.
• Independently deliver smaller engineering projects end‑to‑end.
• Continuously refine the engineering and manufacturing systems that power Kform.

Skills

Altium

Embedded software

Prototyping

Systems engineering

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechatronics

Tools

ECAD tools

Altium

Job description

Are you the engineer who sees the whole system? Imagine joining a team where you can design, prototype, test, and ship hardware that matters—without being boxed into one lane. That’s Kform. We partner with defense and dual‑use innovators to convert cutting‑edge tech into manufacturable, reliable products at speed.

What challenges will you own?

• Turn ambiguous requirements into working prototypes—mechanical assemblies, electronic designs, embedded control, fixtures, test stands, and production‑ready parts.
• Create ECAD designs in Altium, review schematics with a systems lens, and make sound cross‑discipline tradeoffs.
• Prototype quickly with shop tools and bench gear; instrument, test, and iterate with evidence.
• Write or integrate embedded software where needed to bring electromechanical systems to life.
• Design test plans for performance, durability, reliability, manufacturability, and safety; analyze results to isolate failure modes and improve the design.
• Document intent, changes, test outcomes, and lessons so production teams can execute cleanly.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams to optimize for assembly, inspection, cost, schedule, and reliability.
• Coach junior engineers through disciplined debugging, documentation, and ownership behaviors.
• Independently deliver smaller engineering projects end‑to‑end.
• Continuously refine the engineering and manufacturing systems that power Kform.

How you work

You’re grounded in a primary discipline—often electrical or mechanical—but you’re driven to understand how software, hardware, and manufacturing fit together. You move forward amid uncertainty, explain your reasoning, and learn from every build.

• Design at a workstation, reason through schematics, and debug on the bench.
• Walk the production floor to gather actionable input.
• Inspect parts, run tests, and communicate clearly with teammates and stakeholders.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in hardware product design, development, prototyping, testing, or multidisciplinary engineering.
• Significant strength in at least one core engineering area (preferably electrical or mechanical).
• Working knowledge that spans embedded software, electronics, mechanical design, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Advanced proficiency with Altium or an equivalent primary design tool.
• Hands‑on prototyping experience with fabrication tools, electronics, and test equipment.
• Excellent documentation of design choices, revisions, test data, and tradeoffs.
• Independent problem solving and effective collaboration within cross‑functional teams.

Preferred background

• High‑accountability roles in founding or early‑stage startups.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, robotics, industrial automation, advanced manufacturing, or regulated environments.
• Familiarity with AS9100, QMS, configuration control, production documentation, and release practices.
• Expertise in DFM/DFA/inspection, reliability, and cost‑conscious design.
• History of maturing hardware from prototype to production readiness.
• Ownership of small engineering programs from concept through build or release.
• Clear interest in manufacturing, American industry, defense technology, and complex problems.
• Confident communicator across engineers, operators, customers, suppliers, and leadership.

What we value

• Depth in one discipline, range across the product lifecycle.
• ECAD collaboration (Altium) and strong electrical design instincts.
• Embedded software integration and debugging.
• Prototype fabrication, assembly, instrumentation, and verification.
• Design for manufacturability and production readiness.
• Disciplined documentation and configuration control.
• Analytical thinking, practical judgment, and precision.
• Urgency with uncompromising engineering rigor.
• Ownership and follow‑through to meaningful outcomes.

Working environment

• Hands‑on time with prototypes, electronics, tools, machinery, test and inspection equipment, and production hardware.
• Periods of standing, assembling, testing, troubleshooting, and operating near active manufacturing and prototyping operations.
• PPE use depending on task and area.
• Occasional travel for customers, suppliers, testing, or program needs.

How Kform builds, together

We’re obsessed with continuous improvement, creating value aggressively, and taking extreme ownership. We’re building the capability to bring advanced defense products to production faster—by caring about details, respecting the mission, and executing.

Tools & proficiencies

• Electrical Schematics
• CAD Software
• Electrical / Electronic Systems
• Engineering Degree
• Electrical Engineering
• IoT Engineering

Machines & technologies: Altium, ECAD