Founding Hardware Engineer

CLERA; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Clera Labs, Inc. is seeking a Founding Hardware Engineer to own the device hardware from the next board revision through manufacturing for a compact wearable designed for private interaction with computers.

You will improve PCB layout, optimize power and RF, and move prototype hardware toward production while addressing manufacturability, testing, and supplier coordination. Candidates with 2–7 years of hardware experience and PCB shipping in a real product are preferred.

Qualifications

• 2–7 years hardware engineering experience with hands-on IC/contributor work.
• Experience designing PCBs that shipped in a real product.
• Prototype-to-production experience or strong early-career fundamentals for rapid AI-tool use.

Responsibilities

• Improve PCB layout and optimize power, RF performance, size, reliability and cost.
• Advance prototype hardware toward production including manufacturability, testing, suppliers and assembly.
• Identify and resolve issues during hardware bring-up, testing and manufacturing.
• Make hardware decisions and maintain quality across shipped units.

Skills

PCB design

Hardware engineering

Prototype-to-production

Layout optimization

RF engineering

Power management

Supplier coordination

Wearables/IoT

Job description

About the Role

Join an early-stage consumer AI hardware team as its Founding Hardware Engineer. You will own the device hardware from the next board revision through manufacturing, helping build a compact wearable designed for private interaction with computers.

What You'll Do

• Improve PCB layout and optimize power, RF performance, size, reliability, and cost.

• Move prototype hardware toward production by addressing design for manufacture, testing, suppliers, and assembly.

• Identify and resolve issues during hardware bring-up, real-world testing, and manufacturing.

• Make hardware decisions and maintain quality across shipped units.

What We're Looking For

• Typically 2 to 7 years of hardware engineering experience, including hands-on individual-contributor work.

• Personal experience designing PCBs that shipped in a real product.

• Prototype-to-production experience, or strong early-career fundamentals and demonstrated ability to work quickly with AI tools.

• Ability to take ownership across layout, power, RF, testing, suppliers, and assembly.

• Experience with compact wearables, IoT devices, or consumer electronics is particularly relevant.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $70,000 to $100,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is available.

Location

On-site in San Francisco, United States. Candidates willing to relocate are welcome.