Staff/Principal, Hardware Engineer

Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of ~10 engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we opened our Detroit manufacturing hub and field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role and Your Impact: We need a tenured Hardware Engineer to bring senior technical judgment across Archimedes hardware. You are a highly experienced builder who has seen systems go the full way. From a working prototype to hardware that ships and survives in the field. You've done it more than once. You know where systems break, where teams get stuck, and how to keep both moving. Your role is to raise the level of the hardware org through experience, architectural judgment, and hands-on execution. You lead by example, you unblock hard problems, and you set the technical bar for how hardware gets designed and shipped at Aurelius. You'll partner with the founders and the Director of Engineering on architecture and roadmap. You'll work directly alongside mechanical, electrical, power, embedded, and optics engineers on the hardest problems the team is facing. What You'll Own: Architectural direction across the hardware stack from mechanical, electrical, power, to embedded integrationTechnical decisions on the hardest problems, from concept through production readinessPattern recognition and technical review like surfacing risk early, and catching what junior engineers missHandson execution when the problem needs your specific experience to solve fastDesign and manufacturing trades across cost, mass, reliability, schedule, and field performanceCross-team judgment when hardware, controls, optics, and software collideSetting the technical bar for design reviews, documentation quality, and release standardsMentorship by example. Engineers should learn from watching you work, not from being managed by you What We're Looking For: Deep experience designing and shipping complex hardware systemsTrack record taking systems the full development cycle from prototype through manufacturing and deploymentSenior IC or technical leadership background at hardware companies that actually shippedDeep technical judgment across at least two of: mechanical, electrical, power electronics, embedded systemsPattern recognition from having built real systems before, especially systems that had to survive real-world conditionsComfort operating as the technical anchor on a small team, not the manager of a large one Nice to Haves: Directed energy, laser, or high-power systems experienceDefense or aerospace program experience with MIL-STD or equivalent qualificationFounder or founding engineer background at a hardware companyManufacturing depth as-in you've stood up production lines or worked closely with the manufacturers who doActive security clearance or ability to obtain one How You Operate: Extreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a monthYou characterize your own systems before the field doesComfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration in a startup environmentYou debug from first principles, not intuition aloneClear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teamsSelf directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told Why Join Aurelius Systems: Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet. Career velocity is real. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact. Work on a problem that actually matters. Small cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer — infinite magazine, near zero cost per shot, scalable to every base, border, facility, and truck. Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. How We Work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show. Benefits: Competitive salary and equityUnited Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverageFlexible 18 days PTO plus 5 sick daysTravel to field test events and range daysCovered daily lunches and office snacks and drinksE-bike and scooter stipend up to $500Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work Export Control Notice: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require U.S. Person status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a U.S. Person: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Compensation Range: $215K - $305K