Hardware Principal Engineer

Dell; Hopkinton (MA); On-site; USD 161,500 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Benefits package

Job summary

Dell Technologies in Hopkinton, MA is seeking a Hardware Principal Systems Engineer to lead the configuration, integration, and validation of next-generation ruggedized servers for telecom and far-edge deployments. You will diagnose across hardware, firmware, BIOS, and OS layers, and partner with global teams to drive customer-centric solutions.

Join us to influence product directions, validate hardware in extreme conditions, and grow technically within a world-class engineering organization.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience validating server hardware including firmware, BIOS, and BMC bring-up.
• Experience with OS deployment and multi-layer system diagnostics.
• Familiarity with ruggedized telecom/edge platforms and environmental/EMC tests.

Responsibilities

• Configure, build, and test ruggedized server configurations in a lab.
• Develop and execute system-level test and validation plans for new servers.
• Deploy and validate firmware, BIOS, BMC, and OS stacks across configurations.
• Translate customer issues into validation plans and provide actionable outcomes.
• Represent telco/edge customer requirements in global engineering discussions.
• Collaborate with product management, marketing, and account teams on deployment challenges.
• Balance and prioritize validation workloads across stakeholders.

Skills

Hardware validation

Firmware/BIOS/BMC bring-up

OS deployment

System diagnostics

Computer architecture

Electrical engineering

Hardware configuration

Validation methodologies

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

Help build Dell's ruggedized servers, purpose-engineered to run reliably in the extreme conditions of telecom and far-edge environments. As a Hardware Principal Systems Engineer, you'll get early hands-on access to next-generation hardware, lead the configuration, integration, and system-level validation that readies these platforms for telco deployment, and represent the voice of the customer in global new product development. You'll diagnose complex issues across hardware, firmware, BIOS, management controllers, and OS layers while partnering with product, marketing, and account teams worldwide, delivering visible impact and deep technical growth.

Join us to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact asaHardware Principal Engineeron ourSystems Development Engineering team in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Responsibilities

You will:

• Configure, build, and test new ruggedized server configurations in a hands-on lab to meet emerging telecom and far-edge customer requirements.
• Develop and execute system-level test and validation plans for new server products.
• Deploy and validate firmware, BIOS, BMC, and OS stacks across new hardware configurations.
• Translate ambiguous customer issues into actionable validation plans; execute them, diagnose root causes, and deliver clear solution recommendations.
• Represent the voice of the telco and service-provider customer in technical requirements discussions with global engineering teams.
• Engage across product management, technical marketing, and account teams to surface, confirm, and resolve customer deployment challenges.
• Balance and prioritize concurrent validation workloads across multiple stakeholders and competing program deadlines.

Knowledge Application

• Applies deep, wide-ranging systems-level expertise across hardware, firmware, BIOS, management controllers, and OS to resolve complex integration and validation challenges.
• Understands how design choices interact with real-world edge conditions: thermal, power, shock, vibration, and space constraints, and applies that insight to diagnose multi-layer problems.
• Directs the application of established engineering principles and guides the development of new validation methodologies for ruggedized platforms.

Problem Solving

• Independently converts high-level direction or ambiguous customer issues into structured plans with clear actions, milestones, and success criteria.
• Performs root cause analysis on complex systems where failures may originate in any layer, hardware, firmware, BIOS, BMC, or OS, and in the interaction between them and the deployment environment.
• Exercises strong judgment in selecting methods, adapting techniques, and defining evaluation criteria to reach well-supported, defensible conclusions.
• Partners hands-on with peers and remotely with engineering teams across distributed global sites to achieve shared outcomes.
• Engages cross-functional teams: product management, technical marketing, and account teams, to advance solutions to customer deployment problems.
• Carries the voice of the telco/edge customer into global product and engineering decisions, ensuring real deployment conditions shape product design.
• Conveys technical findings, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly to both engineering and non-engineering audiences.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of related experience in a professional role with a Bachelor's degree; or 6+ years with a Master's degree; or 3+ years with a PhD; or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on experience validating server hardware, including firmware/BIOS/BMC bring-up, OS deployment, and multi-layer system diagnostics, is strongly preferred.
• Computer architecture (e.g. x86, ARM), Electrical engineering & hardware development (motherboard, PCIe, DDR, etc.), Hardware & firmware diagnostics & troubleshooting, Server hardware configuration (rack servers, blade servers, etc.)
• Developing and executing test strategies, System-level validation & test (hardware, firmware, BIOS, OS),
• Environmental, thermal, and EMC/regulatory validation (e.g. NEBS, ETSI, MIL-STD)
• Exposure to ruggedized, telecom, or edge platforms and familiarity with NEBS, ETSI, or MIL-STD environmental/EMC requirements
• Operating systems (OS) installation, configuration, and troubleshooting (Windows, Linux, etc.)

Compensation

Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary range for this position is $ 161,500 – 209,000 USD.

Benefits and Perks of working at Dell Technologies

Your life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member — right now at MyWellatDell.com

Job Info

• Job Identification 294985
• Job Category Hardware Engineering
• Posting Date 07/22/2026, 09:47 PM
• Apply Before 08/31/2026, 12:00 AM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations 176 South Street, Hopkinton, MA, 01748, US
• Total Compensation Range USD 161500 - USD 209000

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