Senior Hardware Architect

Cherry Bekaert•Columbia, MD

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Our client, a growing defense technology company, is hiring a Senior Hardware Architect to lead the design and development of ruggedized, embedded hardware platforms deployed in mission-critical environments. This role is centered around physical product development, owning how hardware systems are designed, built, and integrated, while working closely with embedded software and engineering teams to bring complex edge devices to life.

Requirements

8–15+ years of experience in hardware engineering, embedded hardware, or product development environments
Strong experience working on physical hardware products (not purely software systems)
Experience integrating compute, IO, sensors, and other hardware components into complete systems
Comfortable operating as a technical lead / architect across multiple engineering disciplines
Strong communication skills—able to work with both engineers and external stakeholders
Must be a U.S. Citizen with ability to obtain a Secret clearance

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense, aerospace, robotics, or industrial systems
Exposure to edge computing or GPU-based platforms (NVIDIA, AI/ML)
Background in rugged or mission-critical environments
Any experience working directly with customers or gathering requirements

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical lead for hardware platforms, guiding design across ruggedized systems
Translate customer requirements (DoD / defense stakeholders) into practical hardware and system solutions
Partner with engineering teams across electrical, mechanical, and embedded software disciplines
Lead development of box-level hardware systems (compute, IO, sensors, and integrated components)
Drive design decisions around power, thermal, durability, and system reliability in extreme environments
Guide product development through a structured phase-gate lifecycle
Act as a key interface between external customers and internal engineering teams