Principal Hardware Engineer

Job Title: Principal Hardware Engineer

Job Description

The Principal Hardware Engineer serves as a senior technical leader responsible for the design, architecture, development, and full lifecycle ownership of advanced high-speed hardware products. This role focuses on driving hardware engineering excellence, leading complex product development initiatives, and enhancing existing high-speed communications solutions. The engineer will provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers while guiding architecture decisions and influencing cross-functional teams. The position emphasizes deep, hands-on hardware expertise and technical leadership rather than formal people management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design and development of advanced hardware products, with a focus on high-speed communications systems using PCIe and Ethernet-based architectures.
• Own the full hardware product lifecycle from concept and architecture through detailed design, development, qualification testing, validation, and product release.
• Define and drive hardware architecture decisions for complex mixed-signal systems, including analog, digital, and high-speed interfaces.
• Provide technical leadership across projects, setting direction for hardware design approaches and ensuring engineering best practices.
• Mentor junior and mid-level hardware engineers, offering guidance on design methodologies, troubleshooting, and product development processes.
• Influence cross-functional teams by collaborating closely with other engineering disciplines and stakeholders to ensure successful product delivery.
• Design hardware for high-speed digital systems and address the specific design challenges associated with PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and higher-speed networking architectures.
• Lead EMI and EMC-related product design activities, including designing for EMI compliance, performing EMC troubleshooting, and implementing mitigation strategies.
• Oversee and participate in product qualification testing activities to ensure compliance with performance, reliability, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure robust hardware designs that meet product requirements for signal integrity, power integrity, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Continuously improve existing hardware platforms by driving enhancements to performance, reliability, and feature sets.
• Serve as a recognized engineering leader within project teams, championing sound technical decisions and high-quality hardware engineering standards.

Essential Skills

• 15+ years of hardware engineering experience, with a strong preference for 15-20+ years and multiple complete product development cycles.
• Demonstrated progression into sr technical leadership roles, including leading technical direction and architecture for complex hardware products.
• Extensive experience designing high-speed communications hardware that utilizes PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and higher-speed networking architectures.
• Deep understanding of the design challenges associated with high-speed digital systems, including signal integrity and timing considerations.
• Proven technical leadership experience, including mentoring junior and mid-level engineers and influencing cross-functional engineering teams.
• Hands-on EMI and EMC product design experience, including designing for EMI compliance, EMC troubleshooting, and mitigation activities.
• Comprehensive full product development lifecycle experience, demonstrating ownership from concept and architecture through design, development, qualification testing, validation, and product release.
• Strong experience in complex hardware development, with direct responsibility and ownership of product-level designs.
• Experience with product qualification testing and compliance activities for hardware products.
• High-speed networking hardware experience, specifically in Ethernet-based products and PCIe-based systems.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Mixed-signal design experience, including analog design, digital design, and mixed-signal architectures, expected for principal-level candidates.
• Experience in telecommunications, networking, industrial electronics, or commercial hardware products environments.
• Exposure to embedded software is viewed positively, particularly when combined with strong hardware expertise, although it is not required.
• Familiarity with FPGA technologies is beneficial, provided the primary strength remains in hardware design and product ownership.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a recognized engineering leader without relying on formal people management authority.
• Track record of successfully guiding multiple hardware products through development, qualification, and release.

Work Environment

The role operates in a professional engineering environment focused on advanced hardware and high-speed communications product development. The Principal Hardware Engineer works closely with cross-functional teams of hardware specialists and other engineering disciplines to deliver complex, Ethernet- and PCIe-based products. The environment emphasizes rigorous product qualification, EMI/EMC compliance, and full lifecycle ownership from concept through release. Work is primarily office and lab-based, involving design activities, hardware bring-up, troubleshooting, and collaboration on product architecture and validation. The culture values deep technical expertise, hands-on problem solving, and mentorship, encouraging experienced engineers to lead by example and elevate overall engineering excellence.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Newtown, PA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $70.00 - $88.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Newtown,PA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 17, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.