Sr/Staff Hardware Engineer

BNSF Railway

1d • Remote

About The Position

BNSF is one of the largest U.S. railroads, transporting freight across 28 western states and 3 Canadian provinces. As part of their team, employees support the movement of essential products and materials that help feed, clothe, supply, and power communities throughout America and the world. BNSF | Tech is the technology division making BNSF the preeminent freight and mobility company in North America. The company is committed to a culture where all employees are included, belong, and have equal opportunity to achieve their full potential. This full-time remote position is for an Embedded Hardware Engineer who will design, build, and validate industrial-grade electronic hardware from schematic and PCB layout through prototypes, test, and production handoff. The role involves evaluating components and platforms for harsh environments (EMI, vibration, temperature, dust/moisture), supporting IIoT connectivity, and collaborating closely with customers, firmware/software teams, and manufacturing partners to deliver reliable products at scale. This is a hands-on role for individuals who enjoy owning the board, the bring-up, the debug, and ensuring the product's survival in factory floor conditions.

Requirements

• Authorized to work in the US.
• Minimum of 6+ years in embedded hardware design.
• Experience designing embedded hardware/PCBs end-to-end (schematic layout bring-up validation production handoff).
• Strong fundamentals in analog + digital design, including power regulation, ADC/DAC, clocking, level shifting, protection, and interface design.
• Comfort with industrial/rugged design constraints (EMC/ESD/surge, grounding, environmental and mechanical considerations).
• Practical debug skills using standard lab equipment (scope, DMM, logic analyzer; bonus for EMI pre-scan/spectrum analyzer experience).
• Experience working with customers and cross-functional engineering teams, including requirements gathering and technical tradeoff discussions.
• Ability to produce high-quality technical documentation and communicate clearly.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in EE/CE (or equivalent practical experience).
• Experience with machine vision hardware (camera modules, optics/illumination constraints, thermal/compute impacts).
• Familiarity with industrial protocols/physical layers (e.g., RS-485/CAN, isolated I/O, industrial Ethernet considerations).
• Knowledge of IIoT architectures and edge deployment realities (remote updates/serviceability, uptime, observability, power reliability).
• Exposure to compliance and certifications (EMC/EMI standards, safety, environmental testing, IP ratings).
• Experience with EDA (KiCad or equivalent is fine), and with simulation/SI/PI tools as needed.
• Able to work now and in the future without BNSF’s assistance (whether monetary, through sponsorship, or otherwise) in obtaining, maintaining, or extending employment authorization (including H-1B, STEM OPT/CPT, or TN nonimmigrant status).

Responsibilities

• Design and build PCBs: Own schematic capture, PCB layout, prototyping, and bring-up for embedded industrial systems (mixed-signal, power, high-speed interfaces where needed).
• Ruggedize for real-world conditions: Design for EMI/EMC, ESD, surge, grounding/shielding, thermal performance, vibration, and ingress constraints; select enclosures/connectors/cabling appropriate for industrial environments.
• Evaluate and select hardware: Choose sensors, compute modules/MCUs/SoCs, power architectures, comms modules, cameras/optics, and supporting components; assess availability, lifecycle, and cost.
• Support IIoT connectivity: Integrate and validate Ethernet, Wi-Fi, BLE, cellular, field I/O, and industrial interfaces (as applicable), with a focus on reliability and serviceability.
• Enable machine vision: Collaborate on camera/illumination integration, interface selection (e.g., MIPI CSI/USB/GigE where appropriate), signal integrity considerations, and compute/power tradeoffs for vision workloads.
• Develop validation and test strategy: Create test plans and fixtures; run and document electrical/thermal/environmental testing; debug issues with scopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other lab tools.
• Drive DFM/DFT and production readiness: Work with manufacturing to improve yield, create assembly documentation, handle part substitutions, and manage ECOs.

Benefits

• An industry-leading 401(k) and renowned Railroad Retirement program.
• A range of robust health care options for you and your dependents (including domestic partners), including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, mental health, cancer support, and high-quality care network options.
• Health care spending accounts (HSA) with employer contributions, as well as life and disability insurance, provided at no cost.
• Family benefits including parental, pediatric and family building support, adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, and dependent care spending account (with employer match).
• Access to discounts on travel, gym memberships, counseling services and wellness support.
• Annual bonus (Incentive Compensation Program).
• Generous leave / time off policies.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees