When you join the Sandalwood team, you’ll join an engaging and inclusive group with a mission to help our customers identify, assess, and reduce work-related risks to quality, productivity, and employee health.
We are seeking a highly motivated Hardware Engineer to own the hardware foundation of our next-generation industrial computer vision products. In this role, you will serve as the technical authority for cameras, edge computing devices, power delivery systems, and network infrastructure deployed across manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Your primary focus will be supporting our flagship vision inspection platform, Sight.IQ, while also contributing hardware expertise across the broader Sight product portfolio and future Sense solutions. You will guide hardware decisions from concept through deployment, including specification, sourcing, testing, compliance certification, lifecycle management, and long-term fleet support.
If you are passionate about industrial automation, machine vision, AI-powered inspection systems, and solving real-world manufacturing challenges at scale, we would love to hear from you.
About the Team
The Sight team develops and deploys AI-powered vision inspection systems across manufacturing facilities around the globe. Our cross-functional organization includes Product Management, Applied AI & Computer Vision, Software Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Plant Deployment teams.
As the Hardware Engineer, you will work closely with vision engineers, software developers, controls engineers, IT teams, and manufacturing stakeholders to ensure our hardware platforms are reliable, scalable, compliant, and production-ready.
What You'll Do
Camera & Sensor Hardware Ownership
· Own end-to-end camera and vision system hardware specifications for inspection stations.
· Select camera resolutions, lenses, and imaging components based on application requirements.
· Perform field-of-view calculations, working-distance analysis, and lighting evaluations for target part geometries.
· Evaluate, test, and qualify industrial camera vendors and products for manufacturing environments.
· Assess solutions against vibration, dust, temperature, wash-down, and other plant-floor operating conditions.
· Develop and maintain standardized hardware Bills of Materials (BOMs) for repeatable deployment across multiple facilities.
Edge Computing & Network Infrastructure
· Specify, test, and validate industrial PCs, edge computing platforms, and AI inference hardware.
· Deploy and support edge systems responsible for vision processing and industrial messaging architectures.
· Define network architectures supporting cameras, edge devices, switches, and plant control systems.
· Validate GigE vision performance, bandwidth utilization, packet integrity, jumbo frames, and image transfer reliability under production conditions.
· Partner with software and controls teams to support PLC integrations and machine communication requirements.
· Manage edge device procurement, provisioning, refresh cycles, and lifecycle planning.
Testing, Certification & Compliance
· Lead validation testing and qualification procedures for new hardware deployments.
· Develop environmental, integration, and performance test protocols prior to rollout.
· Own UL/cUL certification activities, compliance requirements, and supporting documentation.
· Coordinate with vendors, EHS teams, cybersecurity stakeholders, and corporate governance teams during approval processes.
· Ensure deployed hardware meets safety, regulatory, and organizational standards.
Requirements
- 5+ years of hands-on experience specifying, testing, deploying, or supporting industrial machine vision hardware.
- Experience with industrial cameras, imaging systems, and edge computing devices in manufacturing environments.
- Strong understanding of industrial networking concepts including Ethernet, GigE Vision, managed switches, jumbo frames, and network troubleshooting.
- Familiarity with hardware compliance and certification processes, including UL and cUL requirements.
- Experience with industrial communication and messaging technologies such as MQTT and PLC interfacing concepts.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across engineering, product, manufacturing, and operations teams.
- Ability to provide full time daily onsite services at our client’s facility in Detroit, MI
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience with NVIDIA hardware platforms and AI inference systems.
- Experience deploying and supporting industrial PCs and edge computing devices at scale.
- Familiarity with cloud-based image storage and retention strategies.
- Experience working in manufacturing, automotive, or industrial production environments.
- Experience defining, governing, and maintaining enterprise hardware standards.
- Understanding of machine vision inspection systems, industrial automation, and controls integration.
Candidates for this role with Sandalwood Engineering & Ergonomics must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application, without sponsorship. Verification of employment eligibility will be conducted by E-Verify at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. If you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 734-744-9705.
Benefits
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan (401k)
- Profit Sharing
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Support to grow in multiple areas
Skills Required
- 5+ years of hands-on experience specifying, testing, deploying, or supporting industrial machine vision hardware
- Experience with industrial cameras, imaging systems, and edge computing devices in manufacturing environments
- Strong understanding of Ethernet, GigE Vision, managed switches, jumbo frames, and network troubleshooting
- Familiarity with UL and cUL hardware compliance and certification processes
- Experience with MQTT and PLC interfacing concepts
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to provide full-time daily onsite services at the client facility in Detroit, Michigan
- Direct experience with NVIDIA hardware platforms and AI inference systems
- Experience deploying and supporting industrial PCs and edge computing devices at scale
- Familiarity with cloud-based image storage and retention strategies
- Experience in manufacturing, automotive, or industrial production environments
- Experience defining, governing, and maintaining enterprise hardware standards
- Understanding of machine vision inspection systems, industrial automation, and controls integration
What We Do
Sandalwood is an engineering and ergonomics consulting firm. Sandalwood designs and executes strategic programs for manufacturers which reduce their work-related risks to quality, productivity and employee health. By providing knowledge, research, technology and resources, Sandalwood supports its clients at the executive level as well as on the factory floor.
