Hardware Engineering Manager - Digital Instrumentation

ALKU; Agoura Hills (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

ALKU is seeking a Hardware Engineering Manager to lead the development of next-generation digital instrumentation and test equipment. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with people management to drive hardware development from concept through manufacturing release.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams in delivering complex instrumentation products, with responsibilities spanning architecture, PCB design, validation, and production readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) required; MSEE preferred.
• 5+ years hands-on hardware design and development experience in digital electronics.
• 2+ years of engineering management or player-coach experience.
• Experience leading hardware development from concept through manufacturing release.
• Strong PCB design, schematic capture, and system integration knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of hardware engineers, providing technical guidance and architectural direction.
• Drive the design, development, prototyping, testing, and release of digital instrumentation products.
• Contribute hands-on to hardware architecture, schematic design, component selection, PCB design, and system integration.
• Oversee hardware validation, debugging, and product qualification to meet performance and reliability goals.
• Manage hardware development programs from concept through production, ensuring schedule, cost, and quality objectives.

Job description

Hardware Engineering Manager – Digital Instrumentation

Background

We are seeking a Hardware Engineering Manager to lead the development of next-generation digital instrumentation and test equipment products. This individual will serve as a player-coach, combining hands-on technical leadership with people management responsibilities while driving hardware development from concept through manufacturing release.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in digital hardware design, PCB development, and product engineering, with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in delivering complex instrumentation products.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of hardware engineers, providing technical guidance, architectural direction, and career development.
• Drive the design, development, prototyping, testing, and release of digital instrumentation products.
• Contribute hands-on to hardware architecture, schematic design, component selection, PCB design, and system integration activities.
• Oversee hardware validation, debugging, and product qualification efforts to ensure performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements are met.
• Manage hardware development programs from concept through production, ensuring schedule, cost, and quality objectives are achieved.
• Collaborate closely with firmware, software, mechanical, systems, manufacturing, and test engineering teams.
• Support project planning, resource allocation, risk management, and executive status reporting.
• Drive continuous improvement across hardware design, verification, testing, and manufacturing processes.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to improve team capabilities and product performance.
• Support customer, manufacturing, and field-related investigations to ensure product quality and long-term reliability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE required, MSEE preferred).
• 5+ years of hands-on hardware design and development experience focused on digital electronics and board-level products.
• 2+ years of engineering management, technical leadership, or player-coach experience.
• Experience leading hardware development from concept through manufacturing release.
• Strong understanding of digital circuit design, PCB development, schematic capture, and system integration.
• Experience with hardware validation, debugging, and test methodologies.
• Experience using laboratory equipment including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and other electronic test equipment.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional engineering teams and manage multiple development programs simultaneously.
• Strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing test and measurement equipment, instrumentation products, semiconductor equipment, or other complex electronic systems.
• Experience with FPGA-based systems, embedded processors, high-speed digital interfaces, or mixed-signal hardware.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, product qualification, and reliability testing.
• Knowledge of DFM/DFA principles and manufacturing processes.
• Experience with vendor management, component selection, and product lifecycle support.