Senior Hardware Systems Architect – Real-Time RF & FPGA

University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 104,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid basic medical cover

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Paid holidays

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin's Applied Research Laboratories is seeking a Hardware Systems Architect and Systems Engineering Lead to guide the design of mission-critical hardware and oversee ongoing evolution. You will serve as a technical leader for hardware systems architecture, real-time data paths, firmware-aware design, and distributed data‑acquisition systems.

The role involves integrating COTS and custom equipment, FPGA/digitizer-based data capture, RF distribution, and coordinating

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, applied science, or engineering.
• Three years of relevant professional work experience.
• Experience integrating hardware systems into racks, RF distribution/switching, or FPGA/digitizer-based data acquisition.
• Experience designing hardware systems for fault tolerance, high availability, and operational continuity across multiple nodes or sites.
• Experience designing/maintaining APIs and interface specifications (hardware‑software interfaces).
• Ability to design, develop, evaluate, and support large and complex systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a focus on team contribution and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Elicit system scope and requirements from stakeholders for designs.
• Lead hardware systems architecture and design, managing evolution and updates.
• Communicate work processes, products, and results to stakeholders with documentation and briefs.
• Participate in project planning and decomposition into components and work units.
• Coordinate with stakeholders throughout the life‑cycle of system definition, design, and deployment.
• Perform engineering estimates, guide project schedules, and identify dependencies.
• Conduct engineering evaluations such as trade studies and risk analyses.
• Mentor junior engineering staff and technicians.
• Handle other related functions as assigned.

Skills

Hardware systems integration

System architecture

Technical leadership

Verbal communication

Written communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in science/engineering

Tools

Jira

MBSE tools

Job description

The University of Texas at Austin's Applied Research Laboratories is seeking a Hardware Systems Architect and Systems Engineering Lead to guide the design of mission-critical hardware and oversee ongoing evolution. You will serve as a technical leader for hardware systems architecture, real-time data paths, firmware-aware design, and distributed data‑acquisition systems.

The role involves integrating COTS and custom equipment, FPGA/digitizer-based data capture, RF distribution, and coordinating