Hardware Design Engineer

Job Title: Hardware Design EngineerJob Description

This role focuses on designing highreliability, microprocessordriven digital and mixedsignal printed circuit boards for demanding defense applications and ruggedized environments. The Hardware Design Engineer takes ownership of the full hardware lifecycle, from concept and design through development, system integration, environmental testing, and final hardware delivery. The position involves advanced electronics design that integrates analog and digital components, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and FPGAs, with the opportunity to perform embedded programming and troubleshooting as needed. You will work as part of a small, highreliability engineering team and collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to ensure successful project outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Design highreliability digital and mixedsignal circuit boards for defense and ruggedized applications, with a focus on microprocessor and microcontrollerdriven systems.

• Own the full hardware lifecycle, including requirements review, architecture, schematic capture, PCB design, integration, test, and support through final hardware delivery.

• Implement advanced mixedsignal electronics designs that integrate analog and digital components, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and FPGAs on complex boards.

• Create and maintain schematics and PCB layouts using industrystandard CAD tools, ensuring manufacturability, reliability, and compliance with applicable standards.

• Develop hardware for highreliability environments such as defense, aerospace, aviation, automotive, and medical device applications, applying appropriate design practices.

• Participate in hardware development reviews, perform design verification, and support systemlevel integration and test activities.

• Follow hardware through system test and environmental testing for ruggedized environments, supporting troubleshooting and design refinements as required.

• Perform or support embedded programming and programmingrelated troubleshooting on embedded systems when needed, in coordination with software and firmware teams.

• Coordinate and communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and, when required, customers to provide status updates, gather requirements, and address technical questions.

• Contribute to hardware integration activities, ensuring that boards interface correctly with embedded software, FPGA logic, and other system components.

• Document designs, test results, and engineering decisions clearly to support ongoing maintenance, future upgrades, and crossfunctional collaboration.

Essential Skills

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering.

• Approximately 310 years of relevant hardware design or electrical engineering experience.

• Demonstrated experience with digital board design for microcontroller and microprocessordriven systems.

• Handson experience with PCB layout, schematic capture, and boardlevel design using standard CAD tools.

• Proven background in highreliability board and electronics design for applications such as defense, aerospace, aviation, automotive, or medical devices.

• Experience with mixedsignal design that combines analog and digital circuitry.

• Practical experience with hardware development and hardware integration in embedded systems.

• Familiarity with FPGA technology for incorporating FPGAs onto boards, focusing on hardware integration rather than FPGA programming.

• Ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.

• Strong communication skills for coordinating with internal stakeholders and, when needed, external customers.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with PCB design tools such as Cadence, KiCad, Altium, Mentor Graphics, or similar industrystandard CAD platforms.

• Experience with specific tools such as OrCAD, KiCad, Altium, or other common schematic capture and PCB layout environments.

• Knowledge of embedded systems and embedded software development on microprocessors and microcontrollers.

• Experience with embedded C programming for microprocessorbased systems is highly desirable but not strictly required.

• background working with Xilinx or other FPGA vendors is a plus, particularly for boardlevel integration.

• Experience in environments requiring high reliability, such as aerospace, aviation, automotive, defense, or medical devices.

• Comfort interacting with customers and external stakeholders, including presenting technical information and gathering requirements.

Work Environment

The position is based in an office environment as part of a small, highreliability engineering team. You will work closely with other hardware, embedded software, and systems engineers, using industrystandard CAD tools and development platforms for PCB design, schematic capture, and mixedsignal hardware development. The culture supports collaboration, clear communication, and the opportunity to work on a wide variety of highreliability systems backed by strong organizational resources.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Bethesda, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $75.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Bethesda,MD.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 22, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.