Hardware Engineer — Munition System

head-huntress.com • Washington, DC

31d • Onsite

About The Position

We are engineering a small, safety-critical kinetic munition delivered by a First-Person View (FPV) class airframe. The computational backbone relies on a highly sophisticated electromechanical safe and arm device (EMSAD). As a Hardware Engineer, you will completely own the electronics lifecycle. From initial schematics and multilayer PCB layouts through to the final bring-up and qualification, every board in the system will be a direct result of your expertise. If you thrive in fast-paced environments with weekly hardware iterations and constant hands-on lab prototyping, this is the place to make a massive impact.

Requirements

• 5+ years of dedicated professional electronics design experience.
• Strong foundational knowledge of low-power MCUs, mixed-signal systems, power supplies, sensors, and RF-adjacent layouts.
• High proficiency with leading PCB layout tools (e.g., Altium, KiCad, or Cadence).
• Hands-on lab debugging skills utilizing oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, and precision soldering tools.
• Proven track record of troubleshooting complex hardware anomalies, including EMC issues and brown-out edge cases.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience with safety-critical or fail-safe hardware design.
• Familiarity or direct background with Safe & Arm (S&A) or fuzing electronics.
• Familiarity with military standard testing environments (MIL-STD-810 / MIL-STD-461).
• Hands-on experience with FPV or small-UAV electronics.
• Knowledge of DFT (Design for Test) for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design the main EMSAD board alongside critical auxiliary boards.
• Spearhead complex schematic design and advanced multilayer PCB layouts.
• Define robust hardware safety architectures using redundant interlocks and fail-safe defaults.
• Build and run bring-up benches and conduct rigorous first-article validation.
• Partner closely with firmware engineers to sync on drivers and precision timing.
• Drive comprehensive environmental testing, including thermal, vibration, EMC, ESD, and drop testing.
• Own Bill of Materials (BOM) management, DFM/DFT strategies, and factory tester development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level