Forward Deployed Hardware Engineer

Responsibilities

• Serve as a multidisciplinary field engineer responsible for mechanical and electrical integration of novel systems and payloads onto our Autonomous Service Vessels (ASVs) and maritime platforms
• Lead rapid prototyping efforts to support field experimentation and platform evolution
• Perform system bring-up, integration, and troubleshooting of power, networking, sensors, and compute subsystems
• Own dockside and sea trials - prepare vessels, install new hardware packages, and perform system validation in operationally relevant environments
• Drive design-for-assembly and design-for-deployment feedback into hardware product development
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and Autonomy Engineers, to evolve and harden system designs
• Interface with suppliers and fabrication shops to support fast turnarounds of custom components and harnesses
• Contribute to documentation and training to support the scaling of deployment and manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field. Master's degree is a plus
• 3+ years of experience working on integrated electromechanical systems, preferably in fielded or mission-critical environments
• Hands-on expertise in Mechanical assembly and fabrication (CNC, sheet metal, 3D printing, etc.)
• Hands-on expertise in Electrical integration (power systems, cabling, connectors, PCB bring-up)
• Hands-on expertise in rapid prototyping and system-level debugging
• Comfort working with tools such as CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or similar), basic electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes), and field integration setups
• Experience working with a Linux-based operating system
• Understanding of networking protocols and distributed systems, including TCP/IP, UDP, and message-passing frameworks
• Willingness to work in dynamic, hands-on environments, including on and near the water
• Strong sense of ownership and bias for action
• You thrive in real-world environments, responsible for solving open-ended problems
• Experience working with autonomous systems, drones, or other robotic platforms is preferred
• Familiarity with maritime environments or naval platforms is preferred
• Experience working with basic software tools (e.g., Python, shell scripts) for hardware bring-up or test automation is preferred
• Exposure to ruggedized or IP-rated hardware design is preferred
• Experience in systems integration or test engineering is preferred