Senior Hardware Architect - Defense Tech

Aurelius Systems; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

United Health Care coverage

Flexible PTO

Field test travel

Office meals and snacks

E-bike and scooter stipend

Job summary

Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We’re a small team of ~10 engineers, with a San Francisco lab and a Detroit manufacturing hub, field testing weekly on our 400-acre private range.

We’re seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to bring senior technical judgment across Archimedes hardware. You will lead architecture, ship hardware, and set the bar for design and release quality.

Qualifications

• Ten-plus years designing and shipping complex hardware systems.
• Track record taking systems from prototype through manufacturing and deployment.
• Senior IC or technical leadership background at hardware companies that shipped.
• Deep judgment across at least two: mechanical, electrical, power, embedded.
• Experience building real systems capable of surviving real-world conditions.
• Comfort as the technical anchor on a small team, not a large management role.

Responsibilities

• Architectural direction across the hardware stack from mechanical to embedded integration.
• Make technical decisions from concept through production readiness.
• Identify risks early and surface issues that junior engineers miss.
• Hands-on execution when fast, specialized experience is required.
• Evaluate design and manufacturing trades for cost, mass, reliability, schedule, field performance.
• Provide cross-team judgment when hardware, controls, optics, and software collide.
• Set the technical bar for design reviews, documentation quality, and release standards.
• Mentor by example; engineers learn by watching you work.

Skills

Hardware design

Technical leadership

Prototyping

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Job description

Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We’re a small team of ~10 engineers, with a San Francisco lab and a Detroit manufacturing hub, field testing weekly on our 400-acre private range.

We’re seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to bring senior technical judgment across Archimedes hardware. You will lead architecture, ship hardware, and set the bar for design and release quality.