Hardware Systems Architect

Piper Companies is seeking a Hardware Systems Architect to support a leading organization in the semiconductor and networking industry onsite Monday through Friday in Saratoga, CA. The Hardware Systems Architect role is ideal for a highly experienced electrical engineer who will provide technical leadership for the design, bring-up, and validation of complex, high-speed, high-power hardware platforms used to evaluate next-generation custom ASICs.

Responsibilities of the Hardware Systems Architect:

Lead architecture and design of complex test and validation boards supporting custom ASIC bring-up and silicon evaluation.
Own and oversee the full PCB development lifecycle, including schematic capture, layout guidance, manufacturing support, and board bring-up.
Drive high-speed, high-power PCB design decisions with strong focus on signal integrity (SI), power integrity (PI), and thermal performance.
Collaborate closely with ASIC design teams to understand chip internals, define test configurations, and validate silicon functionality.
Provide hands-on support during board bring-up, debugging, and validation activities in the lab.
Partner with mechanical engineers to ensure mechanical, thermal, and electrical alignment across system designs.
Mentor and guide other hardware engineers, providing architectural direction and design reviews.
Support continuous improvement of design methodologies, test strategies, and validation processes.

Qualifications of the Hardware Systems Architect:

15+ years of experience in electrical engineering with deep expertise in high-speed, high-power PCB design.
Proven experience owning full board development lifecycles from concept through bring-up and validation.
Strong background in signal integrity, power integrity, and thermal analysis for complex hardware systems.
Hands-on experience with board bring-up, lab testing, and hardware debugging.
Experience collaborating cross-functionally with ASIC, firmware, and mechanical engineering teams.
Background in telecom or networking environments, ideally supporting Ethernet switching, data center hardware, or ASIC-adjacent systems.
Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership without needing to personally implement every design detail.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.

Compensation for the Senior Hardware Engineer - Systems includes:

Base salary range: $200,000 – $260,000 depending on experience
Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and paid time off

This job opens for applications on 6/15/2026. Applications for this job will be accepted for at least 30 days from the posting date.

Keywords: Senior Hardware Engineer, Hardware Systems Engineer, Principal Hardware Engineer, System-Level Hardware Design, High-Speed Hardware, Ethernet, PCIe, SerDes, Signal Integrity, Power Integrity, Optical Interfaces, SFP+, QSFP+, FPGA Design, Hardware Architecture, Board Design, Server Hardware, Networking Hardware, Control Interfaces, MDIO, SPI, I2C, JTAG, Product Release

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