Principal Hardware Engineer / Director of Hardware

Principal Hardware Engineer / Director of Hardware

San Francisco Bay area

Technology - Hardware / Firmware /

Full time /

Hybrid

apply for this job

About Arable

At Arable, our goal is to connect all the world's farms to help optimize the global food system. This is an ambitious goal, but the need has never been greater to rethink how we will feed an ever-growing population while reducing our impact on natural resources. We believe the heart of the solution is digitizing the analog world with high-fidelity data to help food producers optimize their operations.

We hope the impact of our work will improve the lives of farmers everywhere and contribute meaningfully to securing the global food supply for decades to come.

Examples of Our Work:

• Helping farmers maximize ROI through precision irrigation and data-driven water management.
• Supporting leading agricultural and technology partners in meeting sustainability and climate resilience goals.
• Equipping growers with the insights needed to improve decision-making, reduce waste, and enhance yields across diverse cropping systems.

The Role

We are seeking a senior hardware leader to spearhead the development of our hardware ecosystem, including the Arable Mark 3 and future sensing platforms.

This pivotal role will shape the future of our sensing platforms while ensuring exceptional agricultural technology solutions worldwide.

What You Will Do:

• Lead hardware engineering throughout product lifecycle from concept to production
• Manage domestic and offshore manufacturing operations
• Oversee and validate ODM designs to meet Arable's quality standards
• Develop technical documentation for designs, testing, and support
• Lead prototyping efforts for new hardware products and features
• Participate in product validation and testing with QA teams
• Collaborate with product management, software, operations, and customer success
• Manage key vendor relationships and component selection
• Coordinate bug tracking and resolution for hardware issues
• Support manufacturing test fixtures and processes
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship, helping to influence technology direction and build long-term organizational capability

What you bring:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• 6+ years of hardware engineering experience with full PCB design lifecycle
• Proficiency with schematic capture, PCB layout, and board bring-up, and lab equipment
• Knowledge of regulatory testing (FCC, CE) and NPI processes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Self-starter who works well in fast-paced environments
• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Preferred

• Advanced technical degree
• 8+ years bringing multiple hardware products to mass production
• Experience managing or collaborating with offshore teams
• Knowledge of C programming for embedded systems
• Wireless product design (WiFi, BLE, cellular) and/or RTOS experience
• Background in agricultural or environmental sensor technology
• Prior experience building and leading engineering initiatives, teams, or processes
• Expertise in low-power system design, particularly for solar-powered and battery-powered devices

Qualities for Success:

• Passion for Sustainability: Care deeply about global food systems and environmental impact
• Startup Mindset: Thrive in fast-paced environments with multiple responsibilities
• Technical Leadership: Ownership of projects and influence on technology roadmap
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effective communication across different teams
• Resourcefulness: Design cost-effective solutions and troubleshoot in field
• Adaptability: Stay current with emerging technologies and navigate new challenges
• Leadership Potential: Ability to inspire, mentor, and elevate peers and partners

What We Offer

At Arable, you will be joining a company of dedicated team players who bring together diverse expertise and a passion for building a more sustainable future. You'll find no shortage of lively conversation around the lunch table about the food we eat and how it is produced. We are a fast-moving startup committed to providing a rewarding employee experience through the work we do, the team, compensation, and benefits, including:

• Excellent medical, dental, vision, life, disability benefits, and a 401k Program

• Ability to work closely with customers who are hungry for our product and where we can make a positive impact on their livelihood and the world

• A focus on community involvement and career development

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

apply for this job