Hardware & Firmware Applications Engineer

Utilidata; Ann Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 175,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health, dental, vision

401(k) employer match

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Utilidata is seeking an Application Engineer, Hardware/Firmware to join our Technical Programs team and serve as the technical bridge between Karman and customers’ hardware environments. This founding role shapes how we take customers from contract to production.

You will work with Hardware, Firmware, and Product teams to design, build, and validate Karman integrations. We are looking for a hands-on builder who translates customer requirements into concrete designs and POCs, drives them to

Qualifications

• 6+ years hardware and embedded firmware engineering experience from concept to production.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, computer science or related field or equivalent.
• Proven experience designing hardware integration points including PCB-level design and bring-up.
• FPGA development spanning hardware design/RTL and firmware.
• Proficiency writing, modifying, and debugging embedded firmware independently.
• Working knowledge of I2C, UART, PCIe, Ethernet in data center environments.
• Ability to read and review schematics, PCB layouts and test results.
• Strong engineering artifacts: design reviews, test plans, validation procedures.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Product and GTM to assess customer hardware environments and build PoCs.
• Design and implement the hardware integration layer between Karman and customer infra.
• Write and modify embedded firmware for customer platforms.
• Own end-to-end technical execution from kickoff to deployment.
• Lead customer-facing technical calls, on-site visits, and requirements reviews.
• Create and maintain integration artifacts and validation guides.
• Develop hardware design collateral covering layout, power, IO, signal integrity.
• Produce bring-up documentation and design reviews for schematics and layouts.
• Track hardware KPIs and coordinate resolution across teams.
• Apply AI-first approaches to automate processes and artifacts.
• Participate in roadmap, sprint planning, and design reviews with HW team.
• Serve as feedback loop between field deployments and core engineering.
• Build repeatable processes, templates, and best practices for scaling.

Skills

Embedded firmware

FPGA development

PCB-level design

System integration

Strong communication

Willingness to travel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or related field

Master’s degree (nice to have)

Tools

Yocto-based OS

SOM platforms

PCB design tools

Job description

Utilidata is seeking an Application Engineer, Hardware/Firmware to join our Technical Programs team and serve as the technical bridge between Karman and customers’ hardware environments. This founding role shapes how we take customers from contract to production.

You will work with Hardware, Firmware, and Product teams to design, build, and validate Karman integrations. We are looking for a hands-on builder who translates customer requirements into concrete designs and POCs, drives them to