Defense Hardware Engineer

Defense Mid-level (L4 equivalent) 2-5 years

1 Which company are you aiming at?

To generate precise rejection-prevention feedback and application strategy, tell us where you're targeting.

RTX

Lockheed Martin

Northrop Grumman

Anduril

General Dynamics

BAE Systems

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The job description

Tech stack. Altium Designer, VPX/VITA standards, ruggedized circuit design, MIL-STD-810, thermal analysis, signal and power integrity simulation, FPGA integration, IPC standards

About the role

You will join a defense technology company building electronics that keep working through shock, vibration, dust, and temperature extremes that would destroy commercial hardware. The hardware team designs ruggedized compute and sensor boards, owning everything from schematic and layout through thermal design, bring-up, and environmental qualification. Your boards are the physical foundation every mission system stands on, and your discipline in derating, analysis, and design review is what lets them survive qualification on the first attempt. You will also own the derating and worst-case analysis that proves every component survives MIL-STD-810 environments with margin, not just on paper but across production lots.

What you will achieve

Design ruggedized circuit boards to VPX or equivalent standards that pass MIL-STD-810 shock, vibration, and thermal testing on the first attempt.
Cut board respin rate by half through disciplined signal integrity, power integrity, and DFM reviews before layout release.
Deliver thermal designs using conduction cooling and heat frames that hold junction temperatures 20 percent below derated limits at worst-case ambient.
Bring up complex boards with FPGAs, high-speed SERDES, and DDR memory, reaching functional first power-on in under two weeks.
Reduce SWaP-C by 15 percent on a redesign through component consolidation and smarter power architecture.

What you will bring

Must-haves

You bring 2 to 5 years of circuit board design experience, ideally on ruggedized or high-reliability hardware.
You are proficient in Altium Designer or an equivalent ECAD tool, from schematic through layout release.
You understand design for shock, vibration, and thermal extremes, including component selection and derating practice.
You have performed or reviewed signal and power integrity analysis for high-speed interfaces.
You are experienced with board bring-up: debugging power sequencing, clocks, and digital interfaces with lab equipment.
You know IPC standards and can work with fabrication and assembly vendors to resolve DFM issues.
You have designed power distribution networks that meet tight transient and ripple requirements for FPGAs or processors.

Nice-to-haves

You have designed to VPX, VITA, or similar open modular standards.
You bring FPGA integration experience, including power and configuration design.
You have supported environmental qualification testing per MIL-STD-810.
You hold an active security clearance or can obtain one.
You bring experience with conformal coating, staking, or other ruggedization processes for harsh environments.