Hardware Engineer — Munition System

head\\-huntress.com; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

We are hiring a Hardware Engineer for a safety-critical kinetic munition project based in Washington, United States. You will own the electronics lifecycle from schematics to final qualification, delivering boards that meet stringent safety and performance standards.

Expect weekly hardware iterations, hands-on lab prototyping, and close collaboration with firmware teams to align drivers and timing. The role is direct-hire, with on-site work after a focused initial period, located in SF/LA/DC

Qualifications

• 5+ years of dedicated professional electronics design experience.
• Strong foundational knowledge of low-power MCUs, mixed-signal systems, power supplies, sensors, and RF-adjacent layout.
• PCB layout expertise with tools such as Altium, KiCad, or Cadence.
• Hands-on lab debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, and precision soldering tools.
• Experience debugging complex hardware issues including EMC and brown-out edge cases.

Responsibilities

• Board Architecture: Architect and design the main EMSAD board and auxiliary boards.
• Schematic & PCB Design: Lead complex schematic design and multi-layer PCB layouts.
• Safety Engineering: Define robust hardware safety architectures with redundant interlocks and fail-safe defaults.
• Validation & Bench Testing: Build and run bring-up benches and perform first-article validation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate with firmware engineers on drivers and timing.
• Environmental Qualification: Conduct environmental testing including thermal, vibration, EMC, ESD, and drop tests.
• Production Oversight: BOM management, DFM/DFT strategies, and factory tester development.

Skills

Electronics design

Low-power MCUs

Mixed-signal systems

PCB layout

Lab debugging

EMC troubleshooting

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical discipline

Tools

Altium

KiCad

Cadence

Job description

Washington, United States | Posted on 06/02/2026

We are engineering a small, safety-critical kinetic munition delivered by a First-Person View (FPV) class airframe. The computational backbone relies on a highly sophisticated electromechanical safe and arm device (EMSAD).

As a Hardware Engineer, you will completely own the electronics lifecycle. From initial schematics and multilayer PCB layouts through to the final bring-up and qualification, every board in the system will be a direct result of your expertise.

If you thrive in fast-paced environments with weekly hardware iterations and constant hands-on lab prototyping, this is the place to make a massive impact.

What You’ll Do

• Board Architecture: Architect and design the main EMSAD board alongside critical auxiliary boards.
• Schematic & PCB Design: Spearhead complex schematic design and advanced multilayer PCB layouts.
• Safety Engineering: Define robust hardware safety architectures using redundant interlocks and fail-safe defaults.
• Validation & Bench Testing: Build and run bring-up benches and conduct rigorous first-article validation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with firmware engineers to sync on drivers and precision timing.
• Environmental Qualification: Drive comprehensive environmental testing, including thermal, vibration, EMC, ESD, and drop testing.
• Production Oversight: Own Bill of Materials (BOM) management, DFM/DFT strategies, and factory tester development.

How We Work

We are a tight-knit, collaborative engineering team that values autonomy and ownership. We move fast, build prototypes weekly, and have a lab constantly filled with fresh hardware. We expect our engineers to confidently drive key electrical decisions, document them clearly, and stand behind their designs through rigorous qualification and field validation.

Job Type: Direct-hire, Full-time

Experience Level: Mid-Senior level

Travel/Training Requirement: Must be comfortable completing an initial 1-month onsite training period in Kearneysville, WV.

Work Location: Following the initial training month, this role is permanently Onsite out of your choice of San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, or Washington, DC.

Sponsorship & Relocation: Visa sponsorship and relocation assistance are not available for this role.

Requirements

What You Bring (Required)

• Experience: 5+ years of dedicated professional electronics design experience.
• Technical Depth: Strong foundational knowledge of low-power MCUs, mixed-signal systems, power supplies, sensors, and RF-adjacent layout.
• Design Tools: High proficiency with leading PCB layout tools (e.g., Altium, KiCad, or Cadence).
• Lab Expertise: Hands-on lab debugging skills utilizing oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, and precision soldering tools.
• Problem Solving: Proven track record of troubleshooting complex hardware anomalies, including EMC issues and brown-out edge cases.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Nice to Have

• Prior experience with safety-critical or fail-safe hardware design.
• Familiarity or direct background with Safe & Arm (S&A) or fuzing electronics.
• Familiarity with military standard testing environments (MIL-STD-810 / MIL-STD-461).
• Hands-on experience with FPV or small-UAV electronics.
• Knowledge of DFT (Design for Test) for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.

Must-Have's

Required5+ years of professional electronics design experience.Strong knowledge of low-power MCUs, mixed-signal systems, power supplies, sensors, and RF-adjacent layout.PCB layout expertise in tools such as Altium, KiCad, or Cadence.Hands-on lab debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, and soldering tools.Experience debugging complex hardware issues including EMC and brown-out edge cases.Nice to haveSafety-critical or fail-safe hardware design experience.Familiarity with MIL-STD-810 / MIL-STD-461 testing.FPV / small-UAV electronics experience.