Hardware Design & Test Engineer

Hardware Design & Test Engineer

Torrance, California, United States

Who We Are

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America's drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We're hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

What You Will Be Doing

Are you a hands-on Test Systems Hardware Engineer who loves building complex electrical and mechanical systems from scratch? Neros is seeking an engineer to own the design and development of our custom test fixtures, racks, and hardware validation platforms. You will bridge the gap between "benchtop prototyping" and "production-ready testing" by designing the physical systems that exercise our drones to their absolute limits. This role reports to our Head of NPI & Test and requires a deep understanding of circuit design, signal integrity, and system integration.

Responsibilities

• Hardware Design: Design and develop custom PCBAs for test fixtures, including signal conditioning, power distribution, and interface breakout boards.
• Rig Architecture: Lead the design and assembly of modular test racks (ATE), including component selection (COTS instruments), thermal management, and safety interlocks.
• Interconnects & Harnessing: Design and document complex wiring harnesses and interconnects that interface the test system with various drone subsystems.
• Signal Integrity: Ensure high-fidelity data acquisition by managing noise, grounding, and shielding for high-speed communication buses like CAN, SPI, and RF signals.
• Fixture Prototyping: Utilize 3D printing, basic machining, and rapid prototyping to create mechanical fixtures that secure drone components during vibration or thermal testing.
• Instrument Integration: Integrate and calibrate lab-grade hardware (Spectrum Analyzers, Programmable Loads, DAQs) into a cohesive, automated hardware environment.
• DFT Implementation: Collaborate with drone design engineers to ensure physical "Test Point" access and debug headers are included in the flight hardware.

You Should Have the Following

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in hardware design or test system integration.
• PCB Design Expertise: Proficiency in schematic capture and PCB layout (e.g., Altium, KiCad, or Orcad) for test-specific hardware.
• Hardware Fundamentals: Deep understanding of analog and digital circuit design, power electronics, and electrical debugging (Oscilloscopes, Logic Analyzers).
• Communication Protocols: Experience hardware-debugging protocols such as USB, I2C, SPI, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Systems Integration: Experience building end-to-end electrical systems, from power entry to final sensor interface.

Nice to Have

• Mechanical Aptitude: Experience with CAD software (SolidWorks/Fusion 360) for designing test enclosures and custom mechanical jigs.
• RF Testing Hardware: Experience designing shielded enclosures (Faraday cages) and selecting RF components for wireless validation.
• Environmental Testing: Experience designing hardware that survives and operates inside thermal chambers or on vibration tables (HALT/HASS).
• Python for Hardware: Ability to write basic scripts for hardware bring-up and verification of your custom circuit designs.

US Salary Range

$110,000 - $200,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.

We're an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.