Berkeley, CA

Salary
$166,400–$249,600
Posted
Jun 28, 2026
Location
Berkeley, CA
Last confirmed open
Jul 20, 2026

What this job asks for AI summary

A contract hardware engineering role focused on designing a hardened industrial/mobile controller board from the ground up. The work centers on architecting a 48V power tree, selecting and integrating an MCU and SMARC-based MPU SOM, and implementing a mixed-protocol communications layer combining CAN FD and Single Pair Ethernet via a multiport BGA Ethernet switch. The role suits a senior embedded hardware designer comfortable owning schematics, layout guidance, bring-up, and production documentation end to end.

Senior level · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA · Contract

Pay in the description: $80–$120/hr

Must have (15)
CAN FD1000BASE-T1Ethernet switch integrationMCU (LQFP)SMARC SOM integrationSPIUARTPCB layoutImpedance-controlled routingBGA fan-outHardware watchdogsMotor driversHigh-side driversLinuxRTOS
Nice to have (7)
ISO SPII2CJTAGISO 13485, Iso 14971, Iso 26262 or Iec 61508Galvanic isolationPMICBoundary scan

“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.

We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.

How this req sits in the market our data

What gives you an edge
SPI3%UART3%RTOS6%

Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.

What won't set you apart
Linux45%

Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.

What the occupation pays Median $161,700 (middle half $102,340–$206,460). This posting is about at that midpoint.

Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.

Why we read it this way (8)

This role is primarily embedded hardware/electronics engineering — power trees, PCB layout, PHY selection, and mixed-signal design — which sits closest to 15-1299 (Computer Hardware Engineers, All Other) rather than a pure software developer code. The alt code 15-1252 reflects the meaningful firmware/embedded software component (MCU safety logic, Linux/RTOS on the MPU SOM, bring-up scripting).

ISO SPI, I²C, and JTAG bring-up are listed parenthetically as bonuses within the MCU↔MPU links requirement; treated as preferred accordingly.

The safety standards (ISO 13485/14971/26262, IEC 61508) and galvanic isolation, thermal analysis, Linux driver bring-up, PMIC sequencing, and production test fixtures all appear under the 'Bonus strengths' heading and are treated as preferred.

No overall years-of-experience floor is stated explicitly; seniority is inferred from the 'hands-on design owner' framing and the breadth of end-to-end ownership described.

The posting says 'START ASAP' with no stated end date for the contract engagement.

Ignored 3 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): Power architecture design, Thermal analysis, Linux driver bring-up.

SOC 15-1299 is "Computer Occupations, All Other", but this role was labelled "Computer Hardware Engineers, All Other" — the code and title disagree, so the occupation (and its BLS denominator) may be wrong.

Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.

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