---
title: 'Hardware Jobs'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware'
type: 'role'
---

# Hardware Jobs

> Build the physical thing: chips, robots, spacecraft, and the machines that run them.

- **Open roles:** 3,515
- **Typical salary:** $120K–$210K (US median base, mid–senior)
- **Top skills:** CAD, Embedded, Signal integrity, Test
- **Common tools:** SolidWorks, Altium, Cadence, Verilog
- **Page:** https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware

## Hardware specializations

- [Mechanical Engineering](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/mechanical-engineering) — 839 open roles
- [Electrical Engineering](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/electrical-engineering) — 644 open roles
- [Manufacturing](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/manufacturing-engineering) — 537 open roles
- [Embedded & Firmware](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/embedded) — 344 open roles
- [Aerospace](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/aerospace) — 209 open roles
- [Controls](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/controls) — 206 open roles
- [Robotics](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/robotics) — 157 open roles
- [Design Verification](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/design-verification) — 140 open roles
- [Avionics & GNC](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/avionics) — 138 open roles
- [Perception & Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/perception) — 88 open roles
- [RF & Signals](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/rf-engineering) — 80 open roles
- [Data Center](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/data-center) — 60 open roles
- [FPGA](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/fpga) — 57 open roles
- [Hardware Test](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/test-engineering) — 42 open roles
- [Chip Design](https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware/chip-design) — 28 open roles

## Hardware career path

**Where everyone starts**

- Hardware Engineer — $90–$140K · 1,453 open
- Senior Engineer — $140–$200K · 378 open
- Staff Engineer — $180–$260K · 97 open

**Individual contributor track**

- Senior Staff Engineer — $220–$300K · 5 open
- Principal Engineer — $260–$360K · 52 open

**Management track**

- Hardware Eng Manager — $190–$280K · 35 open
- Director of Hardware — $240–$360K · 7 open
- VP of Engineering — $320K+ · equity · 1 open

## Top companies hiring hardware roles

- [LAPORTE L.C.C.](https://feeny.ai/companies/laporte-l-c-c) — 23 open roles
- [Apex Technology, Inc.](https://feeny.ai/companies/apex-technology-inc) — 50 open roles
- [Anduril Industries](https://feeny.ai/companies/anduril-industries) — 313 open roles
- [True Anomaly](https://feeny.ai/companies/true-anomaly) — 51 open roles
- [Quantum Space](https://feeny.ai/companies/quantum-space) — 23 open roles
- [Xona Space Systems](https://feeny.ai/companies/xona-space-systems) — 22 open roles
- [SpaceX](https://feeny.ai/companies/spacex) — 225 open roles
- [Relativity Space](https://feeny.ai/companies/relativity-space) — 70 open roles
- [Apptronik](https://feeny.ai/companies/apptronik) — 31 open roles
- [Silvus Technologies](https://feeny.ai/companies/silvus-technologies) — 20 open roles
- [Zone 5 Technologies](https://feeny.ai/companies/zone-5-technologies) — 33 open roles
- [Lynk](https://feeny.ai/companies/lynk) — 13 open roles

## Hardware jobs: common questions

### What does a hardware engineer do?

A hardware engineer designs, builds, and tests the physical parts of a system, then does the bring-up that makes them actually work. The exact work depends on the discipline: electrical engineers design boards and circuits, mechanical engineers design the structure and enclosures, embedded engineers write the firmware, and silicon engineers design the chips. Much of the craft is debugging real hardware in the lab, across the line where hardware meets software.

### How do I become a hardware engineer?

Most hardware engineers come through an engineering degree, usually electrical, mechanical, computer, or aerospace, because the fundamentals are hard to pick up on your own. Internships and real projects (a robot, a board, a rocket team) matter a lot for a first role. Unlike software, the field leans more on formal training, though a strong portfolio of built hardware still carries real weight.

### What is the hardware career path?

The ladder runs inside a discipline: engineer, then Senior, then Staff, growing as you own harder subsystems and bring-up. Above Staff it forks. You can stay the deepest technical person as a Senior Staff or Principal engineer, owning the hardest design calls, or lead people as an Engineering Manager, Director, and VP. Titles usually name the discipline (electrical, mechanical, firmware) rather than a generic hardware term.

### Which skills and tools should I learn?

It depends on the discipline. Electrical leans on PCB design, signal integrity, and EDA tools like Altium or Cadence. Mechanical leans on CAD tools like SolidWorks plus DFM and thermal work. Embedded means C, C++, and RTOS work; silicon means Verilog or VHDL and verification. Across all of them, comfort in the lab with an oscilloscope and a logic analyzer is what turns a design into a working part.

### Do you need a degree for hardware engineering?

Usually yes, more than in software. The physics and math behind circuits, mechanics, and chips are hard to learn without formal training, so most roles want an engineering degree in a relevant discipline. Some embedded and test roles are more open to a strong self-taught background, but the deep electrical, mechanical, and silicon roles almost always expect the degree.

### How much do hardware engineers make?

Pay ranges by discipline, level, and company. In the US, a mid-level hardware engineer commonly lands in the range shown on this page, staff and principal roles go higher, and total compensation at well-funded hardware companies includes equity. Silicon and specialized RF or embedded roles often pay a premium. The salary bands above are illustrative; the roles listed here are real open postings.

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_Source: https://feeny.ai/jobs/hardware_