Hardware Systems Lead, Drone

Decisive Point; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition is seeking a Hardware Systems Lead for its drone program. You will own the full hardware stack—from airframe and electronics to sensors and power systems—designing for survivability and performance in real flight conditions.

You will prototype, test, and iterate with autonomy, software, and flight test teams to ensure reliability, weight targets, and manufacturability. This is an in-office role based in Sunnyvale, with occasional remote accommodations considered for contractors.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in aerospace, mechanical, electrical or mechatronics, or related field.
• Extensive hands-on hardware experience in drones or aircraft systems.
• Proven ability to design for harsh environments and rigorous testing.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end hardware architecture for drone platforms (mechanical & electrical).
• Prototype, build, integrate, debug, and test hardware on real aircraft.
• Plan and run environmental, durability, and flight tests; analyze failures and root cause.
• Lead hardware design reviews and set engineering standards across teams.
• Mentor engineers and support flight test campaigns and field operations.

Skills

Drone hardware

Hardware integration

SWaP optimization

Vibration/EMI tolerance

Flight testing

Sensor integration

Systems thinking

Manufacturability/servicability

Education

BS/MS in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Mechatronics

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at applied.co.

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments. This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Hardware Systems Lead for our drone program, you will be the hands‑on chief engineer for the hardware that carries our autonomy into the air. You will understand the full system, mechanical and electrical, and own the question that matters most in flight: will it survive, and will it keep working when the aircraft is hundreds of feet up? You will architect, build, test, and break hardware, then use what you learn to make it lighter, tougher, and more reliable. Your decisions will define how Applied's hardware performs in flight, in wind, vibration, shock, temperature swings, and moisture, and you will work closely with autonomy, software, and flight test teams to get aircraft flying.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Own the end‑to‑end hardware architecture, mechanical and electrical, for Applied Intuition’s drone platforms
• Be hands‑on: prototype, build, integrate, debug, and test hardware on real aircraft, not just review designs
• Define and drive survivability: determine how sensors, compute, avionics, harnesses, connectors, and enclosures will hold up to vibration, shock, hard landings, thermal extremes, dust, water ingress, and EMI
• Lead integration of sensors (cameras, lidar, radar, GNSS/IMU), compute, power systems, communications, and flight controllers onto airframes
• Own size, weight, and power (SWaP) tradeoffs, balancing performance, flight time, payload capacity, and cost
• Define hardware requirements and reference architectures that scale across aircraft configurations
• Plan and run environmental, durability, and flight testing, analyze failures and crashes, and drive root cause and design fixes
• Be the technical authority and escalation point for hardware tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, autonomy, and flight test
• Lead hardware design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor other engineers
• Support flight test campaigns, demonstrations, and field operations

We’re looking for someone who:

• BS/MS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or a related field
• 10+ years of hands‑on hardware engineering experience on drones, UAS, or other aircraft
• Strong command of the whole hardware system: airframe and structures, electrical architecture, power distribution, harness design, avionics, and how they interact
• A track record of designing hardware to survive demanding environments, with real experience in vibration, shock, ingress protection, thermal management, and EMI/EMC
• Hands‑on experience in the lab and in the field: building prototypes, wiring and debugging systems, running flight tests, and diagnosing failures and crashes
• Experience integrating sensors such as cameras, lidar, radar, and GNSS/IMU, along with compute and flight control hardware, onto airborne platforms
• Experience with SWaP optimization and lightweight design, including composites and carbon fiber
• Experience with reliability and qualification testing (environmental testing, HALT, flight‑hour tracking)
• Systems‑level thinking and the ability to make architecture decisions and defend them
• Experience designing for manufacturability and field serviceability

Nice to have:

• Experience with fixed‑wing, multirotor, or VTOL platforms
• Familiarity with aerospace standards such as DO-160 or MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461
• Experience with propulsion, battery, or power system integration

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.

FOR US-BASED ROLES:

Applied Intuition is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive application and interview experience to applicants who are disabled veterans and other applicants with disabilities or medical conditions. Reasonable accommodations are available, requesting an accommodation will not affect your candidacy in any way, and you are not required to disclose the nature of your disability or medical condition in order to make a request. If you require an accommodation please contact [e-mail]. We will work with you!