Hardware Engineer Jobs in California
Hardware Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in semiconductors, consumer electronics, defense systems, and electric vehicles, with openings at every level from entry-level ASIC validation to principal hardware design. The largest hiring clusters are in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Los Angeles, where companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and Northrop Grumman have deep, lasting engineering operations. The most in-demand specialties right now are PCB design, FPGA development, and embedded hardware engineering. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 454+ Hardware Engineer jobs
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are seeking highly experienced Senior Electrical Architects to play a pivotal role in defining and shaping the electrical architecture for our product lines. These roles will bridge the critical gap between high-level systems concepts and detailed electrical design, ensuring robust, scalable, and manufacturable solutions for our advanced defense systems. You will be instrumental in translating strategic Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) into actionable electrical requirements and architecture that will guide the entire product development lifecycle.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead the definition and development of robust, scalable, and maintainable electrical architectures for complex product lines.
- Conduct architectural trades, balancing performance, manufacturing feasibility, and future scalability.
- Bridge the gap between traditional Systems Engineering and Electrical Engineering by translating high-level CONOPS into detailed electrical requirements and functional modules.
- Allocate functions to specific electrical modules and subsystems, defining constraints, interfaces, and communications protocols.
- Flow module and subsystem information to PCB design and harnessing teams to guide designs in line with the overarching electrical architecture.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Proven ability to think strategically and define the long-term architectural vision for a product line
- Deep understanding of various communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, CAN, RS-485, SDI, GMSL, SPI, I2C, PCIe) and their application in complex embedded systems
- Familiarity with embedded systems hardware, including MCUs, CPUs, and FPGAs, and their architectural implications
- Experience with full-cycle PCB design
- Experience with harnessing design and connector selection
- Successful track record of releasing products to production and delivering to end-users at scale
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and influencing skills to work across diverse engineering disciplines.
- Ability to obtain or have active DoD Top Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain SCI access,
- Must possess a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related field AND 5+ years of experience in electrical engineering with a strong emphasis on systems architecture
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with MIL-STD compliance.
- Utilize and bridge requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools (e.g., Cameo Systems Modeler) to ensure traceability and coherence from system-level to electrical requirements.
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are seeking highly experienced Senior Electrical Architects to play a pivotal role in defining and shaping the electrical architecture for our product lines. These roles will bridge the critical gap between high-level systems concepts and detailed electrical design, ensuring robust, scalable, and manufacturable solutions for our advanced defense systems. You will be instrumental in translating strategic Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) into actionable electrical requirements and architecture that will guide the entire product development lifecycle.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead the definition and development of robust, scalable, and maintainable electrical architectures for complex product lines.
- Conduct architectural trades, balancing performance, manufacturing feasibility, and future scalability.
- Bridge the gap between traditional Systems Engineering and Electrical Engineering by translating high-level CONOPS into detailed electrical requirements and functional modules.
- Allocate functions to specific electrical modules and subsystems, defining constraints, interfaces, and communications protocols.
- Flow module and subsystem information to PCB design and harnessing teams to guide designs in line with the overarching electrical architecture.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Proven ability to think strategically and define the long-term architectural vision for a product line
- Deep understanding of various communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, CAN, RS-485, SDI, GMSL, SPI, I2C, PCIe) and their application in complex embedded systems
- Familiarity with embedded systems hardware, including MCUs, CPUs, and FPGAs, and their architectural implications
- Experience with full-cycle PCB design
- Experience with harnessing design and connector selection
- Successful track record of releasing products to production and delivering to end-users at scale
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and influencing skills to work across diverse engineering disciplines.
- Ability to obtain or have active DoD Top Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain SCI access,
- Must possess a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related field AND 5+ years of experience in electrical engineering with a strong emphasis on systems architecture
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with MIL-STD compliance.
- Utilize and bridge requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools (e.g., Cameo Systems Modeler) to ensure traceability and coherence from system-level to electrical requirements.
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
- Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.
See All 454+ Hardware Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Hardware Engineer JobsHardware Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Hardware Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Tesla43
- Apple42
- Amazon16
- NVIDIA14
- Marvell Technology14
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software68
- Electronics & Hardware61
- Science & Research10
- Retail9
- E-Commerce & Online Marketplaces9
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in hardware engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related field
- Hands-on experience with PCB layout, schematic capture, or FPGA development
- Proficiency with hardware design tools such as Cadence, Altium, or Mentor Graphics
- Familiarity with signal integrity analysis, power delivery, and high-speed digital design
- Experience with lab instruments including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and spectrum analyzers
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with firmware, software, and manufacturing teams
Hardware Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a hardware engineer in California?
Most hardware engineers in California enter the field with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering from a California university or accredited program. There is no state-issued license required to work as a hardware engineer in California, unlike licensed engineering disciplines such as civil or mechanical. However, earning a Professional Engineer credential through the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists strengthens candidacy for senior or safety-critical roles.
How much do hardware engineers make in California?
Hardware engineers in California earn a median of about $185,180 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $126,590 for the lowest 10% to over $281,210 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire hardware engineers in California?
Employers hiring hardware engineers in California right now include Tesla, Apple, and Amazon, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's concentration of semiconductor, defense, and consumer electronics companies makes it one of the deepest hardware engineering hiring markets in the country.
Which California cities have the most hardware engineer jobs?
Santa Clara, San Jose, and Palo Alto have the most hardware engineer openings in California. The Bay Area dominates due to the density of semiconductor and consumer electronics headquarters, San Diego is driven by Qualcomm, defense contractors, and wireless hardware firms, and Los Angeles draws demand from aerospace, defense, and emerging electric vehicle companies operating throughout the greater metro.
Are there remote hardware engineer jobs in California?
Yes, but they're rare. Hardware engineering is inherently hands-on, requiring access to lab equipment, prototypes, and manufacturing floors, which limits remote arrangements. About 30% of hardware engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with the most remote-eligible work concentrated in design review, simulation, and documentation phases rather than bring-up or validation work.
How can I get hired as a hardware engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a hardware engineering internship or new-graduate program at a large California employer. Companies like Apple, Broadcom, and Northrop Grumman run structured new-grad rotations for candidates with relevant coursework and project portfolios. Adjacent entry points include roles in hardware test engineering, lab technician positions, or electronics manufacturing support at California contract manufacturers. A strong capstone project, open-source PCB design portfolio, or hands-on work through a university IEEE chapter gives candidates a concrete edge over applicants with only coursework.
Where can I find and apply to hardware engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to hardware engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries including semiconductors, defense, consumer electronics, and electric vehicles. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly.
See All 454+ Hardware Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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