Principal Hardware Engineer

Hardware Engineer Principal (L7 equivalent), org-wide scope 12+ years

Other levels: Hardware Engineer Senior Hardware Engineer Staff Hardware Engineer Lead Hardware Engineer Junior Hardware Engineer

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The job description

Tech stack. System architecture, platform design methodology, signal and power integrity, advanced packaging, technology roadmapping, design for manufacturing at scale, cost engineering, reliability engineering

About the role

You will be the technical authority for hardware across a product company shipping multiple device families in competitive markets. Principal engineers here define how hardware gets built, not just what gets built: the platforms, the standards, the review gates, and the technology bets every team follows. You will set multi-year platform strategy, resolve the highest-risk technical decisions, and grow the senior engineers around you into architects in their own right. Your influence will show up in every product the company ships for years, in lower costs, faster schedules, and fewer field failures. This is a role for an engineer whose judgment the whole organization trusts.

What you will achieve

Define the multi-year hardware platform strategy that lets new products reuse proven subsystems and cut development time significantly across the portfolio
Resolve org-level technical bets on interconnect standards, power architectures, and processor selection with clear, documented, defensible rationale
Cut time to market across product lines by driving common design practices, review gates, and reference designs that teams genuinely adopt
Lead failure analysis on the most complex field and factory issues, converting findings into design rules and checklist updates that prevent recurrence
Build the next generation of technical leaders through structured mentorship, architecture reviews, and deliberate sponsorship of rising engineers

What you will bring

Must-haves

12+ years of hardware engineering with multiple shipped product generations at significant commercial scale and market impact
Demonstrated org-wide influence through platform architectures, design standards, or technology selections adopted across multiple teams
Expert-level understanding of signal integrity, power delivery, thermal design, and EMC principles across diverse product categories
Experience evaluating emerging technologies including processors, interconnects, and packaging, making build-versus-buy calls with business awareness
Track record of mentoring senior and staff engineers into larger technical scope and genuine technical leadership roles
Strong partnership skills with product management, supply chain, and executives on roadmap planning, risk assessment, and investment decisions
BS in Electrical Engineering; MS or PhD preferred for the technical depth this role requires

Nice-to-haves

Patents or published work in hardware design, packaging, or high-speed interconnects recognized by the industry
Experience with chiplet architectures, 2.5D/3D packaging, or other advanced integration technologies at product scale
Background in cost engineering and design-to-cost for high-volume consumer or datacenter products
Industry visibility through standards bodies, technical conferences, or invited keynote talks