Hardware Engineer, Prototyping to Production

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

Job summary

Kform is a next-generation defense manufacturer in Sterling, VA seeking a hands-on engineer to lead hardware design, prototyping, and testing across mechanical, electrical, and embedded domains. You will collaborate with engineers, technicians, machinists, suppliers, and production teams to move concepts toward production.

The role emphasizes practical problem-solving, documentation, and cross-disciplinary work to deliver robust, production-ready hardware for defense and dual-use customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in product design, hardware development, prototyping, test, or multidisciplinary engineering.
• Strong technical capability in at least one core engineering discipline, preferably mechanical engineering or electrical engineering.
• Working knowledge of adjacent disciplines such as Embedded software, Electronics, Mechanical design, Manufacturing, Quality, Test, Systems integration.
• Advanced proficiency in Altium or another core engineering design tool relevant to your primary discipline.
• Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication tools, electronics, test equipment, and physical hardware.
• Ability to document engineering work clearly, including design intent, revisions, test results, and technical decisions.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of multidisciplinary hardware products.
• Design electronics in ECAD (primarily Altium).
• Work across disciplines to understand how mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, and quality decisions affect the final product.
• Rapidly prototype proof-of-concept designs using practical engineering judgment and fabrication tools.
• Develop, integrate, or support embedded software where needed to connect mechanical and electronic systems.
• Plan and execute testing to validate performance, reliability, durability, manufacturability, and safety.
• Analyze test results, identify failure modes, and drive design improvements based on evidence.
• Document design decisions, revisions, test results, lessons learned, and technical tradeoffs.

Skills

Electrical Eng

Mechatronics

Multidisciplinary

Documentation

Independent work

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering

Mechatronics degree

Tools

Altium

ECAD

Job description

Kform is a next-generation defense manufacturer in Sterling, VA seeking a hands-on engineer to lead hardware design, prototyping, and testing across mechanical, electrical, and embedded domains. You will collaborate with engineers, technicians, machinists, suppliers, and production teams to move concepts toward production.

The role emphasizes practical problem-solving, documentation, and cross-disciplinary work to deliver robust, production-ready hardware for defense and dual-use customers.