Hardware Systems Engineer (Senior / Staff)

Hybrid — Denver, CO
Full-time

We’re looking for a Hardware Systems Engineer to build and evolve the physical infrastructure that supports private AI and data systems in real-world environments.

You’ll own key portions of the hardware lifecycle end-to-end — from rapid system design and component iteration through validation, testing, certification, procurement, and field reliability.

This role carries significant responsibility for ensuring that hardware designs, component selections, and shipments meet required standards for reliability, safety, security, and operational performance. You’ll help ensure that hardware provides a secure foundation for the platform, including support for secure boot, secure updates, and overall system integrity.

You’ll lead platform choices across CPU, GPU, networking, and accelerators, aligning hardware design with workload requirements, software support, and vendor roadmaps. You’ll also design systems against clear cost targets, balancing performance and reliability with total cost across manufacturing, deployment, and fleet operation.

This is a hands-on opportunity for someone who thrives in a high-ownership environment and wants to build the infrastructure that enables real-world AI applications.

• Own hardware architecture and rapid iteration cycles across compute, GPU, memory, storage, networking, connectivity, thermal, and power subsystems.

• Lead silicon platform selection across CPU, GPU, networking, and accelerators, aligning performance, software compatibility, vendor roadmaps, and lifecycle support.

• Lead component selection and system integration, balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, security, and total cost of ownership.

• Define and execute validation plans covering performance, thermals, power, stability, security, and field reliability under real operating conditions.

• Ensure hardware provides a secure foundation for the platform, including secure boot, signed updates, hardware roots of trust, and overall system integrity.

• Drive compliance, certification, and testing workflows required for real-world deployments.

• Own procurement execution with contract manufacturers and vendors, including quoting, timelines, quality controls, and issue resolution.

• Maintain strong vendor relationships and manage suppliers as an extension of the engineering process.

• Identify and redirect design, component, or supplier paths that introduce unacceptable reliability, safety, security, or operational risk.

• Maintain clear design documentation and decision records, using AI tools to accelerate analysis, trade studies, and iteration while applying sound engineering judgment.

In your first 3 months, you will have:

• Taken ownership of a critical hardware subsystem or platform iteration and delivered measurable improvements in reliability, security posture, manufacturability, or cost.

• Established clear design and validation standards that reduce risk and improve confidence across hardware decisions and vendor engagements.

• Demonstrated sound technical judgment by identifying and redirecting a design, component, or supplier path that posed reliability, safety, or security concerns.

In your first year, you will be:

• Owning major portions of the hardware roadmap end-to-end, with clear accountability for reliability, security, performance, and total cost across deployed systems.

• Driving meaningful improvements in validation rigor, supply chain quality, certification readiness, and manufacturing feedback loops.

• Influencing platform direction through high-leverage silicon and system architecture decisions that create benefits across multiple deployments.

• 6+ years of experience building, validating, and shipping production hardware systems in real-world environments.

• Experience with system-level engineering across compute platforms, including CPU/GPU, memory/storage, networking, thermals, and power delivery.

• Familiarity with PCIe-based systems, high-performance GPUs, and high-speed networking.

• Experience leading silicon and platform selection decisions in collaboration with software and infrastructure teams, including vendor engagement and roadmap alignment.

• Strong engineering craft, including clear designs, structured validation, operational clarity, and thorough documentation.

• Experience working with schematics, bills of materials (BOMs), validation plans, and design reviews.

• Comfortable working in ambiguous environments and making sound trade-offs under real constraints, including cost targets, supply chain risk, and deployment timelines.

• Ownership mindset focused on outcomes rather than tasks.

• Experience rapidly iterating high-performance systems from prototype through production, including bring-up, validation, certification, and field sustainment.

• Experience managing contract manufacturers and suppliers to deliver predictable quality, security, and cost outcomes at scale.

• Hands-on experience with thermal design, power behavior, performance profiling, and failure analysis in high-performance systems.

• Experience designing secure-by-default hardware platforms, including secure boot chains, hardware roots of trust such as TPM, signed firmware, and secure update mechanisms.

• Experience building validation, test automation, and manufacturing QA processes that scale across fleets while controlling total cost of ownership.

• Work in a high-ownership, real-world startup environment where you can move quickly, build new systems, and see your impact directly.

• Use modern AI tools throughout development, documentation, analysis, and iteration workflows to accelerate execution.

• Take on challenging technical problems at the intersection of infrastructure, cloud, IoT, hardware/software systems, networking, data, and AI.

• Collaborate with exceptional teammates and industry leaders across software, AI, and infrastructure.

• This role may be filled at either the Senior or Staff level.

• Base salary range:

  • Senior: $130,000–$155,000

  • Staff: $160,000–$185,000

• Eligibility for meaningful equity through stock options in an early-stage, high-growth company.

• Eligibility to participate in company benefit plans, which may include health, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match, flexible PTO, paid parental leave, commuter benefits, and relocation and visa support for eligible roles.