Hardware Design Lead

Position: Hardware Design Manager

Years of Experience: 15 Years to 18 Years

Education: B.E/B.Tech Electronics/ Electrical/Instrumentation

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

This position will lead the overall hardware design function, ensuring the successful development of high-quality, reliable, and cost-effective hardware solutions for Air conditioning products VRF, Residential, Chiller, Heat pump solution. This role requires strong leadership, deep technical expertise in electronic hardware design, and proven experience in managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams. The candidate will be responsible for strategic planning, execution, and delivery of hardware projects in alignment with business goals.

Technical Expertise

1. Strong knowledge of power electronics, schematic capture, PCB design tools, and hardware simulation. Understanding of manufacturing processes, DFM/DFT principles. Familiarity with EMI/EMC compliance, thermal management, and reliability Testing.

2. Define the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for hardware design. Align hardware design goals with business objectives and market requirements. Drive innovation in design processes, tools, and methodologies.

3. Design and review PCBs, and BOMs for air conditioning control systems. Ensure EMI/EMC compliance, protection circuitry, and thermal management in hardware design. Lead design optimization for cost, manufacturability, and performance. Work closely with firmware teams to define hardware-software interfaces, including ADC/DAC ranges, digital IO behaviour, and communication protocols (RS485, CAN, Wi-Fi, BLE, etc.). Perform system-level debugging during development and field issues.

4. Ensure robust design verification and validation processes are followed. Mitigate design risks through FMEA, simulations and rigorous testing. Oversee resolution of field failures and continuous product improvement.

Main Responsibilities:

Product Hardware Architecture & Specifications

• Finalized hardware architecture - Inverter Drive and logic controllers, communication modules, and power boards for VRF/Residential ACs/Chiller/Commercial Refrigeration products.
• Complete hardware design specifications, including control logic, sensing, communication, and safety circuits. Clear interface definitions with firmware/software and mechanical systems.

Hardware Design Documents

• Approved schematic designs and Bill of Materials (BOM) for each model/variant. Close coordination with PCB layout and part development team,
• Design calculation sheets for power electronics, control circuits, and protection systems. Updated design standards library (component database, reference designs, PCB stack-up guidelines).

Design Verification & Validation Reports

• Functional test reports for control boards, inverter boards, and sensor interfaces. EMI/EMC compliance test reports in accordance with HVAC and regional standards. Thermal performance and reliability test documentation.

Cost Optimization & Component Strategy / Manufacturing & Quality Readiness

• Component cost-reduction proposals without compromising performance or reliability. Approved list of alternate components for high-risk/long lead-time parts. Standardization plan for components across product families to reduce procurement complexity.
• DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and DFT (Design for Test) guidelines incorporated into all hardware. Manufacturing test jig designs and test procedure documentation. Supplier qualification reports for PCB fabricators, component vendors, and assembly houses.

Regulatory & Safety Compliance

• Compliance with HVAC safety standards (e.g., IEC 60335, UL 60335, IS standards for India). Documentation and approvals for electrical safety, energy efficiency, and environmental requirements (RoHS/REACH). Grounding, insulation, and surge protection strategies validated and documented.

Cross-Functional & Customer Deliverables / Team Development & Process Improvements

• Regular hardware progress updates to program management and product teams. Hardware support for field trials and customer evaluations. Root cause analysis and corrective actions for field issues related to hardware. Training plan for hardware design team on new technologies (e.g., high-efficiency inverters, IoT modules). Implementation of design review and approval processes. Continuous improvement of hardware development workflows and tools.