Director, Hardware Engineering

Position SummaryNovaTech Automation is seeking a seasoned Director of Hardware Engineering to provide strategic and technical leadership across all hardware development disciplines at the company. This role will consolidate hardware engineering, quality assurance, RMA operations, and hardware certification under a single leader. The Director will report directly to the SVP of Engineering and Product Development and will manage teams distributed across NovaTech's US and international locations.NovaTech's hardware portfolio spans substation automation products including RTUs, GNSS clocks, industrial Ethernet switches, power meters, and merging units. Products operate in demanding grid infrastructure environments and must meet rigorous industrial, safety, and EMC standards. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on hardware design expertise in embedded industrial platforms alongside the leadership experience to drive engineering excellence across a multi-site organization.Key ResponsibilitiesHardware Engineering LeadershipThe Director directly leads the hardware design and engineering team and is the primary technical authority for all electronic hardware development at NovaTech. Key responsibilities include:Lead all hardware engineering activities across PCB design, embedded platform development, power and analog design, and signal integrityDefine and enforce hardware architecture standards, design methodologies, and best practices across the organizationDrive hardware simulation practices using SPICE, LTspice, and related tools to reduce design iterations and improve first-pass success ratesProvide hands-on technical guidance on complex design challenges involving Xilinx Zynq-7000, i.MX, and similar embedded SoC platformsCollaborate closely with software, product management, and systems engineering teams to ensure hardware and software co-design alignmentEvaluate and introduce new tools, technologies, and design automation capabilities to improve team throughput and qualityOwn hardware development schedules, resource allocation, and technical risk management across active programsOrganizational OversightIn addition to directly managing the hardware engineering team, the Director provides leadership oversight to the following functions through their respective managers:Mechanical Engineering and Hardware Certifications: oversee the manager responsible for enclosure and mechanical design, as well as product certification programs covering UL 61010-1, cUL, FCC, CE, and IEC 61850-3 environmental requirementsQuality Assurance and RMA: oversee the QA manager responsible for inspection processes, test coverage, manufacturing quality feedback, root cause analysis, corrective action, and field return reductionProvides strategic direction, removes organizational obstacles, ensures cross-team alignment, and holds managers accountable to quality, schedule, and process improvement goalsPeople and Organizational LeadershipManage and develop a geographically distributed organization across US and international locations, spanning hardware engineering, mechanical and certifications, and QA/RMA functionsBuild a high-performance culture grounded in engineering rigor, accountability, and continuous learningPartner with the SVP and HR to develop workforce plans, succession pipelines, and talent acquisition strategies for hardware disciplinesFoster strong cross-functional relationships with software engineering, product management, technical support, and operationsQualificationsRequiredBachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a closely related discipline15 or more years of progressive hardware engineering experience, with at least 8 years in a formal engineering management or director-level roleDemonstrated depth in PCB design and layout for high-density, mixed-signal industrial products, with strong preference for Altium Designer experienceHands-on experience with embedded hardware platforms, specifically Xilinx Zynq-7000 or similar Zynq/SoC families, and NXP i.MX or comparable ARM-based processorsProven expertise in analog and power supply design including DC/DC conversion, isolation, and protection circuitry for industrial environmentsProficiency with SPICE-based simulation tools (Altium, LTspice or equivalent) for circuit analysis and design validation, with experience embedding simulation into formal design review and gate criteriaPractical experience with FPGA development toolchainsExperience performing reliability predictions using MIL-HDBK-217 or Telcordia SR-332, including Parts Count and Parts Stress AnalysisExperience conducting FMEA and DFMEA at the component, board, and system level, including facilitation across cross-functional teamsDemonstrated experience managing component obsolescence, approved vendor list (AVL) governance, and long-term BOM supportability for products with multi-year field warranty obligationsExperience owning hardware design for testability (DFT) and production test strategy, including ICT, functional test, and boundary scan where applicableFamiliarity with hardware certification programs including UL 61010-1, cUL product safety listing, FCC Part 15, and CE marking (EMC and LVD directives), sufficient to provide effective oversight of a certifications manager and teamWorking knowledge of IEC 61850-3 environmental requirements for substation or similar industrial equipmentDemonstrated ability to manage engineering teams across multiple geographic locations and time zonesStrong analytical and problem-solving skills with a track record of delivering hardware products from concept through volume productionPreferredExperience designing ruggedized hardware for extended industrial temperature ranges (-40 to +85C) and harsh electrical environmentsFamiliarity with IEC 61000-4 series immunity requirements (ESD, electrical fast transient, surge, conducted RF) as applied to substation or industrial product designExperience with industrial networking hardware including Ethernet switches, serial communication interfaces, and fiber optic interconnects in substation or grid environmentsFamiliarity with IEC 62443 cybersecurity requirements as they apply to hardware design (secure boot, hardware security modules, TPM integration)Background in grid infrastructure, substation automation, energy management, power metering, or protection relay hardwareExperience with precision timing hardware including IEEE 1588 PTP hardware timestamping, GNSS receiver integration, and IRIG-B interfacesFamiliarity with NERC CIP physical and electronic security requirements as they relate to hardware designExperience supporting manufacturing operations in a contract manufacturing environment, including DFM reviews and production test strategyAbout NovaTech AutomationNovaTech Automation designs and manufactures grid infrastructure and substation automation products for electric utilities worldwide. For more information see: www.novatechautomation.com.Powered by JazzHRmDkzJ2P6N3