Senior Hardware Engineer - Santa Clara, CA (Hybrid)

Brambles; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

CHEP seeks a highly motivated Senior Hardware Engineer to drive hardware board design, validation, and production support for IoT devices in a global, fast-paced setting.

You’ll lead external design partners, manage RF and low-power hardware architectures, and collaborate across firmware, software, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to bring products from concept through production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with 8+ years in hardware design.
• Strong knowledge of hardware architecture and board-level design.
• Proficiency with OrCAD Capture for schematic and PCB layout.
• Experience with RF/wireless in IoT (BLE, Wi‑Fi, Thread, Zigbee, LoRa, Cellular).
• Experience with debug tools (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, etc.).
• Understanding of DFM/DFT and lifecycle processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and validation of hardware systems, including schematic capture, PCB design, hardware bring-up, and production support.
• Own low-power and RF hardware design for IoT products, driving architecture, component selection, power optimization, wireless integration, and technical tradeoff decisions.
• Perform hands-on debugging, testing, root-cause analysis, and resolution of design, manufacturing, and field issues using industry-standard lab equipment.
• Manage and provide technical leadership to external design partners and subcontractors in India and China, ensuring quality, schedule, and deliverable execution.
• Collaborate with firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams to deliver products from concept through production.
• Drive project execution, design reviews, documentation, risk management, and cross-functional alignment in a fast-paced and highly dynamic environment.

Skills

Hardware design

RF/Wireless

Leadership

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional

Root-cause analysis

DFM/DFT

Vendor management

Systems architecture

Communications

Lab testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

MS in EE/CS preferred

Tools

OrCAD Capture

Job description

CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organization on earth via our 347 million pallets, crates and containers. We employ approximately 13,000 people and operate in 60 countries. Through our pioneering and sustainable share-and-reuse business model, the world’s biggest brands trust us to help them transport their goods more efficiently, safely and with less environmental impact.

What does that mean for you? You’ll join an international organization big enough to take you anywhere, and small enough to get you there sooner. You’ll help change how goods get to market and contribute to global sustainability. You’ll be empowered to bring your authentic self to work and be surrounded by diverse and driven professionals. And you can maximize your work-life balance and flexibility through our Hybrid Work Model.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities May Include:

• Translate system requirements into detailed hardware design specifications, ensuring alignment with firmware and software requirements.
• Design and develop hardware modules and systems for low-power, small-scale devices operating in challenging environments.
• Collaborate with Firmware and Software Engineers to ensure seamless integration of hardware with tracking and sensor telemetry applications for LPWAN or Cellular IoT networks.
• Develop and execute testing protocols to verify the end-to-end functionality of prototype devices, including hardware, firmware, and connectivity.
• Participate in technical design reviews, providing input on system architecture and deployment strategies to optimize hardware performance.
• Conduct simulations and prototyping to validate hardware designs and ensure compliance with system specifications and environmental constraints.
• Continuously explore and implement improvements to hardware development processes, enhancing performance, reliability, and efficiency.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance in hardware engineering, ensuring best practices in design, testing, and deployment across the team.

POSITION PURPOSE

We are seeking a highly motivated and hands-on Senior Hardware Engineer to play a key role in the design, development, validation, and support of hardware systems in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. This individual will be responsible for driving hardware board design efforts directly and through external design partners, while providing technical leadership across cross-functional teams.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth in hardware design with a pragmatic, 'roll-up-your-sleeves' approach, thriving in a small, agile team where versatility and execution are critical.

Responsibilities include designing and testing hardware, managing and influencing subcontractors across India and China, coordinating development activities from concept through production, troubleshooting complex field issues, and driving structured root-cause analysis and resolution.

SCOPE

• Global role

MEASURES

• Contribute directly toward hardware design, troubleshooting and testing
• Manage subcontracts to successfully design hardware systems

MAJOR / KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Lead the design, development, and validation of hardware systems, including schematic capture, PCB design, hardware bring-up, and production support.
• Own low-power and RF hardware design for IoT products, driving architecture, component selection, power optimization, wireless integration, and technical tradeoff decisions.
• Perform hands-on debugging, testing, root-cause analysis, and resolution of design, manufacturing, and field issues using industry-standard lab equipment.
• Manage and provide technical leadership to external design partners and subcontractors in India and China, ensuring quality, schedule, and deliverable execution.
• Collaborate with firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams to deliver products from concept through production.
• Drive project execution, design reviews, documentation, risk management, and cross-functional alignment in a fast-paced and highly dynamic environment.

KEY CONTACTS

Internal: Mechanical Lead, Firmware Lead, Engineering Program Manager, Manufacturing Team, Product owner(s), SW Development Team

External: Hardware Design Subcontractors, Contract Manufacturer and ODMs, Component Supplier, Third party vendor

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with 8+ years of experience in related fields.
• Strong knowledge of hardware system architecture, board-level design, and electronic component selection.
• Proficiency with OrCAD Capture for schematic design and PCB layout design tools.
• Knowledge of low-power hardware design techniques, including battery-powered system design and power optimization.
• Understanding of RF and wireless technologies used in IoT products, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee, LoRa, or Cellular.
• Strong hardware debugging and troubleshooting skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other laboratory equipment.
• Knowledge of hardware verification, validation, and product qualification methodologies.
• Ability to perform root-cause analysis and drive issue resolution in a structured and organized manner.
• Understanding design-for-manufacturing (DFM), design-for-test (DFT), and product lifecycle development processes.

Desirable:

• MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field is preferred with 5+ years of experience.
• Advanced knowledge of RF system design, antenna integration, RF performance optimization, and wireless certification processes.
• Expertise in low-power system architecture for battery-operated and energy-constrained IoT devices.
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC mitigation, and compliance testing methodologies.
• Experience with embedded hardware design.
• Proficiency with PCB stack-up design, board layout reviews, and manufacturing design considerations.
• Knowledge of hardware reliability, environmental qualification, and product lifecycle management processes.
• Familiarity with ODM, CM, and global supply-chain development models.

EXPERIENCE

• 8+ years of experience in hardware design, development, validation, and product support.
• Experience designing complex electronic systems from concept through production and sustaining engineering.
• Experience creating schematics using OrCAD Capture and working closely with PCB layout engineers throughout the design cycle.
• Experience developing low-power hardware solutions for battery-powered, embedded, or IoT products.
• Experience with RF and wireless system integration, testing, troubleshooting, and optimization for connected devices.
• Experience performing hardware bring-up, debugging, characterization, and failure analysis using industry-standard laboratory equipment.
• Experience developing and executing hardware verification, validation, qualification, and production test plans.
• Experience troubleshooting field failures and driving structured root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Experience managing external design partners, ODMs, contract manufacturers, or engineering subcontractors.
• Experience working with engineering teams and suppliers across multiple geographic regions, including Asia.
• Experience collaborating with firmware, software, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Experience supporting prototype builds, design verification testing (DVT), product validation testing (PVT), manufacturing ramp, and production release activities.
• Experience leading technical reviews, driving engineering decisions, and influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience working in fast-paced environments with changing priorities, tight timelines, and high levels of ownership.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Strong hardware system design expertise, including analog, digital, mixed-signal, and embedded electronics.
• Proficiency with OrCAD Capture and a solid understanding of PCB layout design, review, and manufacturing considerations.
• Knowledge of low-power system design for battery-operated and IoT devices.
• Understanding of RF and wireless technologies including BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread, LoRa, and Cellular communications.
• Strong hardware debugging, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis skills using industry-standard laboratory equipment.
• Knowledge of hardware verification, validation, qualification, and production test processes.
• Ability to lead technical activities across cross-functional teams, suppliers, and external development partners.
• Excellent communication, organization, project management, and stakeholder-influencing skills in fast-paced environments.

Remote Type

Hybrid Remote

Skills to succeed in the role

Adaptability, Empathy, Experimentation, Hardware Development, Hardware Engineering, Hardware Specifications, Prototyping, Systems Architecture, Taking Ownership, Teamwork, Understand Customers

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to developing a diverse workforce in which everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has the opportunity to contribute to business success while realizing his or her potential. This means harnessing the unique skills and experience that each individual brings and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.