Hardware Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Sine Engineering builds the technology behind reliable drone autonomy: communications, navigation, and control systems that enable coordinated multi-drone operations at scale. More than 200 UAV manufacturers rely on our technologies, and our solutions power many of the interceptor operations active today. Through our dual-use platform, we support civilian innovation while helping democratic nations strengthen their technological advantage.

Any drone. Any scale. Anywhere.

We build resilient communication, navigation, and coordination systems for the age of autonomy.

We are seeking an experienced Hardware Engineer to design, integrate, test, and troubleshoot advanced electronic and RF systems for UAV communication, navigation, and autonomy applications. You will work hands-on across the hardware development lifecycle, from evaluating new components and developing prototypes to integrating third-party systems and supporting products in the field.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and design new hardware concepts or modifications to existing products in support of emerging use cases and customer needs.

• Perform design verification and troubleshoot digital and analog electronic circuits.

• Support the design of subsystems and PCBAs with attention to design-for-test (DFT), design-for-manufacturing (DFM), and EMC/EMI best practices, including signal integrity and grounding considerations.

• Conduct trade studies to evaluate new components, technologies, or approaches for potential use in future designs.

• Perform RF performance evaluations and system compatibility assessments across antennas, radios, and payloads to inform design decisions.

• Perform integration testing of new hardware and thoroughly document test results.

• Support complex or non-standard integration efforts involving third-party hardware and software, including payloads, sensors, SDKs, and APIs.

• Troubleshoot issues across hardware, firmware, and system interactions, including analyzing logs and telemetry and conducting root-cause analysis.

• Maintain awareness of RF technologies, UAV communication systems, and industry trends to inform design and product direction.

Skills & Requirements

• Solid foundation in RF theory and hardware fundamentals, including propagation, link performance, antenna behavior, interference, polarization, and signal paths.

• Working knowledge of PCB and circuit design principles, with the ability to contribute to new designs or modifications of existing hardware; familiarity with PCB design tools such as Altium, KiCad, or similar.

• Practical experience applying design-for-test (DFT), design-for-manufacturing (DFM), and EMC/EMI considerations in circuit or PCB design.

• Experience with digital and analog circuit design, power electronics, microcontrollers, and embedded systems.

• Familiarity with communication protocols relevant to UAS platforms, such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and MAVLink.

• Practical experience with RF and electronic test equipment, including multimeters, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, and power meters.

• Ability to read and interpret schematics, datasheets, and technical specifications for both internal and third-party hardware.

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to evaluate hardware designs, identify tradeoffs, and propose practical improvements.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear design notes, test procedures, technical evaluations, and prototype documentation.

• Comfortable working hands-on with hardware in a lab/bench environment, including prototyping and rework.

• Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, product, and sales teams.

Nice to Have

• Experience with UAV, robotics, or embedded-systems hardware, including flight controllers, video transmission systems, or ground-control interfaces.

• Familiarity with open-source flight controllers and firmware, such as PX4 and ArduPilot, and their configuration and tuning ecosystems.

• Experience integrating companion computers or onboard compute platforms.

• General understanding of defense, security, public safety, or government technology environments.

What We Offer

Paid Time Off

• 15 days of paid vacation annually.

• 5 personal/sick days per year.

• Leave accrues on a pro-rata basis from your start date.

Health & Insurance

• Eligibility to participate in the company's standard benefits programs, including health, dental, and 401(k) plans, subject to plan terms and eligibility requirements.

All benefits are subject to the terms, conditions, and eligibility requirements of the applicable benefit plans, which may be amended or terminated by the Company at any time.

Join Us

If you're passionate about building reliable hardware for autonomous systems and want to work on technology shaping the future of UAV communications, navigation, and coordination, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and help build the next generation of autonomous systems.