Hardware Expert (MSc. or PhD)

micro1; United States; Remote; USD 83,000 - 165,000; Part time

Job summary

micro1 is seeking a Hardware Expert (MSc. or PhD) for global, fully remote contract work (~15 hours/week). Pay ranges from $60–$120 per hour, with flexible scheduling and weekend work optional.

You will craft rigorous hardware engineering challenges, develop validated solutions, and apply a mix of Python, MATLAB, Simulink, SPICE, Julia, and C/C++ tools to demonstrate correctness. Ideal candidates hold advanced degrees in EE or related fields, have shipped hardware or validated models against

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field.
• Significant professional or research experience in hardware engineering, product development, systems integration, testing, validation, reliability, or failure analysis.
• Demonstrated ownership of a substantial engineering problem—for example, a product or subsystem that reached production, a model validated against physical testing, a test system you developed, or a difficult failure you diagnosed.
• Experience working with Coding Agents is a must.

Responsibilities

• Create technically rigorous, self-contained hardware engineering problems based on realistic industry or research scenarios.
• Develop clear reference solutions using engineering calculations, simulations, scripts, experimental reasoning, or other appropriate methods.
• Use tools such as Python, MATLAB, Simulink, SPICE, Julia, C/C++, test automation platforms, or equivalent engineering software to validate results when relevant.

Skills

Ownership of substantial engineering问题

Quantitative reasoning

Reproducible results

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Simulink

SPICE

Julia

C/C++

Test automation platforms

Job description

Hardware Expert (MSc. or PhD) Pay: $60–$120/hour Location: Global, fully remote Job Type: Contractor (~15 hours per week) Schedule: Flexible—you choose the hours and days you work, including weekends if desired

micro1 is engaging experienced Hardware Engineers to contribute to AI training projects built around complex, real-world engineering problems. In this role, you will use your technical expertise to create, solve, and evaluate engineering challenges that require sound judgment, quantitative reasoning, and reproducible answers. We are looking for engineers who have personally owned meaningful technical work—such as taking a hardware system into production, validating a model against test data, developing a rigorous verification approach, or diagnosing a difficult failure. We value engineers who can connect first-principles reasoning with practical constraints and produce work that can be independently verified.

Scope of Work

• Create technically rigorous, self-contained hardware engineering problems based on realistic industry or research scenarios.
• Develop clear reference solutions using engineering calculations, simulations, scripts, experimental reasoning, or other appropriate methods.
• Use tools such as Python, MATLAB, Simulink, SPICE, Julia, C/C++, test automation platforms, or equivalent engineering software to validate results when relevant.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field.
• Significant professional or research experience in hardware engineering, product development, systems integration, testing, validation, reliability, or failure analysis.
• Demonstrated ownership of a substantial engineering problem—for example, a product or subsystem that reached production, a model validated against physical testing, a test system you developed, or a difficult failure you diagnosed.
• Experience working with Coding Agents is a must.

Process

• Complete an AI interview of approximately 30 minutes.
• Complete the hiring manager review.

Compensation Structure

Compensation is output-based. Experts are paid per task that meets the project specifications. The time required to complete each task may vary depending on the expert’s experience and workflow. Minimum submission requirements apply.

Start Timeline & Availability

We typically fill roles within 48 hours and are looking for experts who are ready to begin immediately. If selected, you will be expected to start your first task within 24–48 hours of completing onboarding.