Founding Hardware / Embedded Engineer
Founding hardware/embedded engineer at an early-stage San Francisco startup building sensor systems for maritime and harsh environments. You own the full hardware lifecycle: PCB/schematic design, firmware on ESP32/Raspberry Pi, power and enclosures, plus hands-on bench testing of deployed sensors. On-site, $150k-$170k + equity.
- Compensation
- $150K–$170K / yr
- Location
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 0+ years
- Category
- Embedded
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Design PCBs and schematics yourself; solder and bench-test by hand
- US citizen or permanent resident (green card) due to defense/government work
- Live in the Bay Area and able to start right away
- 0-1 years of experience; recent graduates and students welcome
Nice to have
- A board you designed and brought to a working device (photos or repo)
- Experience with sensors such as accelerometers, IMUs, or thermal cameras
- Student build team experience (robots, race cars, rockets, satellites) or solid hardware side projects
- Harsh-environment, robotics, automotive, or industrial IoT experience
Full description
You design the board, solder it and test it on the bench yourself? Then come build sensors that run in the real world.
An early-stage hardware startup in San Francisco builds sensor systems for maritime and other demanding environments. It already has paid pilots at several US sites and government work under way. As founding hardware engineer, you own the full hardware life cycle from the first day: from the first schematic to a working sensor in the field.
What you'll own
- PCB and schematic design for new sensor hardware
- Firmware on embedded platforms such as ESP32 and Raspberry Pi
- Power regulation, connectors and enclosures that survive harsh conditions
- Hands-on bench testing, and improving the sensors already deployed
Must-haves
- You design PCBs and schematics yourself, and solder and bench-test by hand
- Because of the defense and government work, you must be a US citizen or permanent resident (green card)
- You live in the Bay Area and can start right away
- 0–1 years of experience: recent graduates and students are welcome
Bonus points
- A board you designed and brought all the way to a working device (share photos or a repo)
- Sensors such as accelerometers, IMUs or thermal cameras
- Experience on a student build team (robots, race cars, rockets, satellites) or solid hardware side projects
- Harsh-environment, robotics, automotive or industrial IoT experience
What's in it for you
- $150k–$170k base + 1–1.5% equity
- Ownership of the entire hardware stack at a very early stage
- A role that grows as the company grows
Good to know
- Full-time, on-site at their hardware lab in San Francisco, 9-9-6, with an immediate start
- The salary band is fixed and this is an engineering role, not a co-founder or leadership position
- Process: first meeting (preferably at the lab) → hands-on trial with their current sensors → offer
When you apply, please include
- Your CV (PDF) and your LinkedIn URL, plus a portfolio or repository of your hardware work
- Where you live now, and when you can start
- Your status: US citizen or permanent resident
- Your base salary expectation and any other interview processes you're in
Does this sound like you? Apply now. If you're a match, we'll be in touch within 3 working days.
RnB Consultancy | Netherlands | 3604 AB Maarssen | KvK 71489703