Hardware R&D Engineer Embedded Systems & PCB Design

Experience: 5–7 Years

Location: Bengaluru

Department: Hardware R&D / Engineering

Employment Type: Full-time

About CraftifAI

CraftifAI is building an agentic AI platform that automates embedded software development for the physical world. Our platform enables enterprises and hardware OEMs to accelerate the development of embedded systems, edge AI devices, IoT products, robotics and intelligent connected devices.

As we expand our hardware R&D capabilities, we are looking for a hands-on Hardware R&D Engineer who can lead end-to-end hardware development initiatives across customer projects and new product development programs.

Role Overview

You will be responsible for owning the complete hardware development lifecycle of new products and customer-specific hardware initiatives – from understanding requirements and selecting components to designing PCBs, building prototypes, conducting lab testing and taking products towards manufacturing and production.

This is a hands-on engineering role requiring strong expertise in PCB design, embedded hardware, component selection, prototyping, wireless technologies and manufacturing processes.

You will work closely with software and firmware engineers, mechanical design teams, customers, component distributors, PCB fabrication vendors and manufacturing partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Hardware Product Development

• Understand customer requirements and translate them into hardware architectures and technical specifications.
• Define hardware architecture, identify suitable chipsets, sensors, communication modules, power components and peripheral interfaces.
• Evaluate component feasibility, availability, cost, performance and lifecycle.
• Lead new product development initiatives from concept and proof of concept to functional prototypes and production-ready designs.
• Own hardware technical decisions and maintain design documentation.

2. PCB Design & Engineering

• Independently own PCB development, including schematic capture, PCB layout, routing, design validation and revisions.
• Design multilayer PCBs with expertise in signal integrity, power integrity, grounding and controlled impedance.
• Work with KiCad (strong proficiency required) for schematic and PCB design.
• Handle complex component footprints and routing, including LGA/BGA fan-out.
• Understand PCB stack-ups, high-speed interfaces, EMI/EMC considerations and thermal management.
• Design RF layouts and optimize antenna placement for wireless connectivity.
• Generate complete manufacturing packages including Gerber files, ODB++, BOM, pick-and-place files and assembly drawings.

3. Embedded Hardware & Firmware Understanding

• Work with embedded platforms and chipsets such as ESP32, STM32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi and other microcontroller/processor platforms.
• Understand and work with communication protocols including UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, USB, Ethernet, BLE and Wi-Fi.
• Have a good understanding of firmware development, hardware-software integration, debugging and board bring-up.
• Collaborate with firmware engineers to validate hardware interfaces and troubleshoot integration issues.
• Experience with sensors, actuators, displays, connectivity modules and other embedded peripherals.

4. Prototyping, Testing & Validation

• Own board bring-up, debugging and hardware validation in the lab.
• Hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, power profilers and other electronic testing equipment.
• Validate power consumption, thermal performance, signal integrity and wireless performance.
• Design and implement low-power and battery-operated systems, including battery charging, protection and power management.
• Identify hardware issues, perform root-cause analysis and drive subsequent PCB revisions.
• Maintain test reports and hardware validation documentation.

5. Component Sourcing & Vendor Management

• Build and maintain relationships with component distributors, electronics suppliers and sourcing partners.
• Identify and procure components for prototypes and production.
• Maintain BOMs with alternative components, considering availability, lead times, pricing and lifecycle risks.
• Work with local PCB fabrication and assembly vendors for quick-turn prototyping and manufacturing.
• Coordinate with suppliers, fabrication houses and assembly partners to ensure quality, timelines and cost efficiency.
• Establish a reliable ecosystem of hardware vendors and manufacturing partners.

6. Mechanical Integration & Manufacturing Readiness

• Co-design hardware with mechanical engineers, considering PCB dimensions, board outlines, connectors and enclosure constraints.
• Understand rigid and rigid-flex PCB requirements.
• Work on connector placement, charging contacts, mounting points and thermal considerations.
• Ensure compatibility with IP-rated enclosures and environmental requirements.
• Drive design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) considerations.
• Support transition from prototypes to pilot manufacturing and production.

7. Customer Project Ownership

• Lead the hardware engineering component of customer product development projects.
• Participate in technical discussions with customers, understand requirements and propose hardware solutions.
• Own technical execution, timelines, prototyping and delivery of hardware milestones.
• Coordinate with internal firmware, software, AI and mechanical engineering teams.
• Ensure successful delivery of functional prototypes and production-ready hardware.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in PCB design and embedded hardware development.
• At least one connected electronic product independently taken from design to pilot or production.
• Strong proficiency in KiCad, including schematic capture, multilayer PCB layout and manufacturing outputs.
• Practical understanding of controlled impedance, PCB stack-ups, LGA/BGA fan-out and signal integrity.
• Experience with wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, cellular or other RF technologies and wireless performance optimization.
• Hands-on experience designing low-power and battery-operated devices.
• Strong understanding of microcontrollers and embedded platforms such as ESP32, STM32, Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
• Experience with electronic components, sensors, power management ICs, communication modules and peripheral interfaces.
• Experience with component sourcing, BOM management, PCB fabrication and assembly workflows.
• Hands-on experience with lab instruments and hardware debugging.
• Experience working with ODMs, OEMs or contract manufacturers.

What We Are Looking For

• An engineer who can independently own hardware development rather than just execute PCB layouts.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills with a practical, hands-on engineering approach.
• Ability to make component and architecture decisions independently.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced product development environment with evolving customer requirements.
• Ability to manage external vendors, suppliers and fabrication partners.
• Strong ownership, execution and cross-functional collaboration.
• The ideal candidate is someone who can take a customer requirement, architect the hardware, design the PCB, source the components, build the prototype, bring it up in the lab, debug it and take it through the next revision – independently.