Embedded Hardware Engineer

About the Role

CDSPACE is looking for Embedded Hardware Engineers to design, prototype, test, and integrate electronics for aerospace and UAV platforms.

You will work across high-power and low-power electronics, motor controllers, UAV avionics, gimbal systems, FPGA-based designs, camera systems, and RF communication systems. The role covers the complete hardware lifecycle, from circuit design and component selection through PCB development, bench validation, manufacturing support, and flight integration.

What You’ll Do

Electronic Systems Design

• Design and develop analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power-electronic circuits.
• Develop low-power electronics for sensing, control, communication, and embedded computing.
• Develop and validate high-power electronics for motor-control and power-distribution applications.
• Select components based on electrical, thermal, reliability, availability, and production requirements.
• Evaluate alternate components and document the engineering basis for substitutions.
• Design protection, monitoring, and fault-detection circuits for reliable operation.

Motor Controllers and Power Electronics

• Develop, modify, and validate motor controllers and electronic speed controllers.
• Work with BLDC and PMSM motors, three-phase inverters, switching devices, gate drivers, and current- and voltage-sensing circuits.
• Evaluate motor-control hardware under different loads, operating conditions, and transient events.
• Measure and optimize RPM, torque, voltage, current, power, efficiency, and thermal performance.
• Diagnose switching, power-delivery, control, and electromagnetic-noise issues.

UAV Avionics and Gimbal Systems

• Design and integrate avionics hardware for UAV platforms.
• Develop electronics for gimbal control, stabilization, motor drive, sensing, and camera integration.
• Integrate flight controllers, sensors, payloads, power systems, and onboard computing hardware.
• Support hardware bring-up and flight integration of avionics and gimbal subsystems.
• Investigate system-level issues involving power, communication, sensing, and control.

FPGA and Digital Systems

• Support FPGA-based hardware development and integration.
• Develop or integrate FPGA interfaces for high-speed data acquisition, signal processing, control, and communication.
• Work with microcontrollers, processors, memory devices, and programmable logic.
• Validate digital interfaces, timing, signal integrity, and hardware-software interactions.

RF Communication Systems

• Develop and integrate RF communication hardware for UAV and ground systems.
• Support wireless telemetry, command-and-control links, and payload communication systems.
• Evaluate RF modules, transceivers, interfaces, power requirements, and system compatibility.
• Conduct bench and field testing to diagnose connectivity, interference, range, and reliability issues.

PCB Development and Manufacturing

• Read, review, and develop electronic schematics using KiCad.
• Support PCB layout for high-power, low-power, mixed-signal, RF, motor-control, FPGA, and avionics designs.
• Review PCB layouts for power integrity, signal integrity, grounding, thermal performance, manufacturability, and testability.
• Prepare and maintain bills of materials, component specifications, assembly documentation, and test reports.
• Coordinate with PCB fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing teams during prototyping and production.
• Apply design-for-manufacturing and design-for-test principles to improve product reliability and testability.

Hardware Prototyping, Testing, and Validation

• Build prototypes and perform hardware bring-up, bench testing, and system integration.
• Create test setups for motor controllers, avionics, gimbal systems, RF systems, power electronics, and camera hardware.
• Use oscilloscopes, multimeters, current probes, logic analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, and related laboratory instruments.
• Conduct controlled tests across different loads, temperatures, operating conditions, and transient events.
• Perform root-cause analysis across hardware, firmware, and system interfaces.
• Implement corrective actions and verify their effectiveness.
• Prepare test procedures, validation reports, and technical documentation.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Strong understanding of analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power-electronic design.
• Practical experience with high-power and low-power electronic systems.
• Experience with Embedded C/C++ and microcontroller-based systems.
• Familiarity with ARM-based microcontrollers, STM32, or similar platforms.
• Understanding of BLDC/PMSM motors, three-phase inverters, motor controllers, and ESC architecture.
• Knowledge of switching devices, gate drivers, current sensing, voltage sensing, power conversion, and protection circuits.
• Understanding of UAV avionics, gimbal systems, sensors, payloads, and onboard electronics.
• Familiarity with FPGA hardware, programmable logic, or high-speed digital interfaces.
• Understanding of RF communication systems and wireless hardware integration.
• Experience with communication protocols such as CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, and RS-485.
• Experience with PCB design, component selection, hardware bring-up, and laboratory testing.
• Ability to read and interpret electronic schematics and technical documentation.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate technical findings clearly and work effectively across engineering teams.

Good to Have

• Experience developing hardware for drones, autonomous systems, robotics, or aerospace platforms.
• Experience with FPGA development tools and hardware-description languages such as Verilog or VHDL.
• Knowledge of RF testing, antenna integration, telemetry systems, or long-range communication links.
• Experience with camera interfaces, image sensors, and high-speed data links.
• Knowledge of electromagnetic compatibility, signal integrity, power integrity, and thermal design.
• Experience taking electronic products from prototype through manufacturing and production.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.