Senior Hardware Design Lead

Job Role: Senior Hardware Design Lead

Role Overview

The Senior Hardware Design Lead will be responsible for providing technical leadership in hardware design and supporting end-to-end validation activities. This role combines deep design expertise with practical validation knowledge, enabling effective collaboration with vendors and internal teams to ensure that products meet functional, safety, compliance, and reliability requirements. The expert will act as a mentor and problem-solver, guiding vendors when they face design or validation challenges to ensure designs are robust, compliant, and production-ready.

Experience in streetlight controller development covering high-voltage power systems, dimming standards (0-10V, DALI), metering, and outdoor reliability standards is considered a significant value-add.

Key Responsibilities

1. Hardware Design Authority

• Review and guide schematic design, PCB layouts, and component selection.
• Ensure designs meet requirements for performance, surge protection, metering accuracy, power handling (up to 480V), and wireless connectivity.
• Support design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-reliability (DFR).
• Collaborate with firmware teams to ensure seamless hardware software integration.

2. Validation Support

• Define design validation requirements in collaboration with test and QA teams.
• Support prototype builds (EVT/DVT/PVT) by providing technical input to validation plans.
• Assist vendors in debugging validation failures and identifying design-level improvements.
• Review validation data and recommend corrective design changes where needed.

3. Vendor & Cross-Team Collaboration

• Act as the technical expert for vendors, helping them resolve design and validation roadblocks.
• Provide feedback on vendor design documentation, test results, and compliance gaps.
• Work with supply chain and manufacturing partners to ensure chosen designs are scalable.
• Collaborate with compliance teams to prepare for certifications (UL, FCC, CE, IEC, etc.).

4. Problem-Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Lead root cause analysis of design or validation failures.
• Propose alternative circuits, components, or architectures when issues arise.
• Share best practices in hardware design and validation with vendors and internal teams.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong expertise in

  analog/digital circuit design, power electronics, and IoT hardware

  .
• Practical knowledge of

  validation methods

  (surge, EMC/EMI, thermal, RF, environmental).
• Hands-on ability with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power analyzers, spectrum analyzers, EMI chambers).
• Familiarity with

  compliance standards

  (UL, FCC, CE, IEC).
• Familiarity with ANSI/NEMA/ Zhaga standards, dimming standards

  (DALI, D4i, 0-10V), metering

  and outdoor-grade design standards.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving mindset.
• Excellent communication skills to guide and mentor vendors.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
• 8-12+ years of experience in hardware design and validation.
• Proven experience with high-voltage electronics, IoT devices, or industrial products.
• Track record of working with vendors and certification labs.
• Experience with streetlight controllers (photocells, surge protection, lighting communication standards, metering) is a strong plus.