Hardware Systems Lead, Industrials

Speedrun Talent Network; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition is seeking a Hardware Systems Lead for Industrials to own the full hardware architecture of heavy industrial vehicle programs and to drive survivability in harsh environments. You will prototype, test, and deploy hardware in the field, interfacing with customers and leading cross‑disciplinary teams.

You will manage environmental durability testing, mentor engineers, and coordinate with OEMs to ensure safe, reliable integration on mine sites, farms, and customer facilities.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of hands-on hardware engineering experience on heavy industrial or off-highway vehicles.
• Experience designing hardware to survive harsh environments (vibration, shock, ingress protection, EMI).
• Lab and field testing experience; building prototypes, wiring, debugging systems.
• Experience integrating hardware onto OEM or retrofit equipment.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end hardware architecture for industrial vehicle programs.
• Interface with industrial customers as a representative of hardware.
• Prototype, build, install, debug, and test hardware on real machines.
• Define and drive survivability across sensors, compute, harnesses, connectors, and enclosures.
• Design and run environmental and durability testing; analyze failures and drive fixes.
• Lead integration of sensors, compute, power, networking, and actuation on OEM equipment.
• Understand host machine (powertrain, hydraulics, CAN/J1939) for safe integration.
• Be the technical authority for hardware tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, software, and test.
• Lead hardware design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor engineers.
• Support field deployments and commissioning at mine sites and farms.

Skills

Hardware engineering

Prototyping

Systems integration

CAN/J1939 networks

Environmental testing

Education

Mechanical/Electrical/Mechatronics degree

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

Applied Intuition is bringing Physical AI to the machines that build, feed, and power the world. As Hardware Systems Lead for Industrials, you will be the hands-on chief engineer for the hardware that runs on heavy industrial vehicles in mining, agriculture, and construction. You will understand the full system, mechanical and electrical, and own the question that matters most in these environments: will it survive? You will architect, build, test, and break hardware, then use what you learn to make it tougher. You'll work in the field as much as at the bench, and your decisions will define how Applied's hardware performs on real machines in dust, vibration, heat, mud, and shock.

At Applied Intuition, you will:

• Own the end-to-end hardware architecture, mechanical and electrical, for Applied's industrial vehicle programs
• Interface with industrial customers as a representative of the hardware organization
• Be hands-on: prototype, build, install, debug, and test hardware on real machines, not just review designs
• Define and drive survivability: determine how sensors, compute, harnesses, connectors, and enclosures will hold up to vibration, shock, dust, water ingress, thermal extremes, EMI, and years of heavy use
• Design and run environmental and durability testing, analyze failures, and drive root cause and design fixes
• Lead integration of sensors (lidar, radar, cameras, GNSS/IMU), compute, power, networking, and actuation onto OEM heavy equipment
• Understand the host machine (powertrain, electrohydraulics, vehicle electrical architecture, CAN/J1939) well enough to integrate safely and reliably
• Be the technical authority and escalation point for hardware tradeoffs across mechanical, electrical, software, and test
• Lead hardware design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor other engineers
• Support field deployments and commissioning at mine sites, farms, and customer facilities

We're looking for someone who has:

• BS/MS in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, or a related field
• 10+ years of hands-on hardware engineering experience on heavy industrial or off-highway vehicles (mining, agriculture, construction, or similar)
• Strong command of the whole hardware system: mechanical design, electrical architecture, power distribution, harness design, and how they interact
• A track record of designing hardware to survive harsh environments, with real experience in vibration, shock, ingress protection, thermal management, and EMI
• Hands-on experience in the lab and in the field: building prototypes, wiring and debugging systems, running tests, and diagnosing failures on real machines
• Deep knowledge of how industrial machines work, including powertrains, hydraulics, braking, steering, and CAN/J1939 networks
• Experience integrating hardware onto OEM or retrofit equipment
• Familiarity with autonomy hardware such as lidar, radar, cameras, GNSS/IMU, and ruggedized compute
• Systems-level thinking and the ability to make architecture decisions and defend them
• Experience with reliability and qualification testing (environmental testing, HALT, field durability)
• Comfort working directly with OEMs, customers, and site operators, including extended time at mine sites and farms

Nice to have:

• Experience with functional safety or machine safety standards (ISO 25119, ISO 13849, ISO 17757, ISO 26262)
• Experience with autonomous haulage, precision agriculture, or other autonomous industrial systems

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!