Top Senior Hardware Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA

Designs and documents ground equipment, cable routing, rack assemblies, and hardware interconnects using CATIA V5 and Teamcenter PLM. Supports hardware and software integration, engineering change requests, audits, production and development activities, installation, failure analysis, and iterative hardware builds. The role also provides technical coordination among maintenance, design engineering, test teams, contractors, and customers, while requiring government clearance and occasional off-shift work.

Leads and develops Mechanical and Electrical Engineering teams while co-leading technical execution with Principal Engineers. Oversees electro-mechanical hardware development from concept through design, prototyping, qualification, production transition, and sustainment. Responsibilities include staffing, mentoring, resource planning, technical risk management, design reviews, configuration control, engineering process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration with Systems, Software, Production, Supply Chain, and Program teams. The role supports ruggedized, mission-ready hardware for defense and harsh-environment applications.

Develop and integrate avionics, RF, electronic warfare, and mission hardware subsystems for airborne platforms. Responsibilities include requirements development and traceability, architecture and interface management, supplier documentation and oversight, functional and performance analysis, trade studies, hardware integration and testing, troubleshooting, and verification and validation. The engineer collaborates with multidisciplinary hardware, software, firmware, and program teams while ensuring compliance with applicable standards and mission objectives.

Design complex digital boards using high-end SoC FPGAs, high-speed interfaces, microprocessors, and power supplies. Perform signal and power integrity analysis using simulation tools, support EMC certification, and apply military and space hardware design experience. The role is hybrid in San Diego and offered on a contract-to-potential-permanent basis.

Own hardware architecture, schematic design, validation, debugging, and production support for processor-based wireless products, including 5G hotspots and fixed wireless access devices. Design digital and mixed-signal subsystems, power and connectivity interfaces, and support PCB reviews, compliance, manufacturing, certification, and sustaining activities. Collaborate across engineering and supplier teams, lead complex development projects, troubleshoot hardware issues, and mentor junior engineers.

Support and maintain engineering workspace platforms (Windows VDI, Citrix, Linux HPC), provide first-line support to engineering users, deploy and validate simulation applications, build and maintain CI/CD pipelines and automated functional testing, drive automation and modernization initiatives, monitor performance, and collaborate with global DevOps and infrastructure teams to improve reliability and scalability.