Founding Hardware Engineer

About the role

Founding Hardware Engineer Navi captures everything a pilot sees and hears. The Wave is how we do it — the hardware that lives in the cockpit, captures flight data, and streams it to the cloud in real time. You're building the next generation of that device. About the role This is a founding hardware role. You own the entire physical product — from bare-metal architecture through PCB design, ruggedized enclosure, embedded firmware, environmental certification, fleet deployment, and cloud integration. This is Version 2 of the Wave, and you are the definitive technical voice for every decision that shapes it. The device has to survive cockpit environments — heat, vibration, RF noise — while continuously streaming high-bandwidth audio and telemetry over wireless networks without dropping a frame. It has to be deployable across hundreds of aircraft and manageable as a fleet. It has to meet certification standards for operating in aircraft. And it has to be built fast, because Navi is already live at flight schools and the U.S. Air Force and demand is accelerating. If you thrive in high-autonomy environments and love building mission-critical edge devices that work in the real world — not on a bench — this is your role. What you'll do - Lead the end-to-end technical design of Navi's next-generation edge compute node — architecture, component selection, PCB layout, and mechanical enclosure - Build hardware that is ruggedized for cockpit environments — thermal, vibrational, and environmental stress — and optimized for continuous wireless data transmission - Architect real-time data pipelines for processing and streaming high-fidelity audio and complex telemetry from the edge to the cloud with minimal latency - Own the hardware validation lifecycle — environmental testing, quality assurance, and securing regulatory and industry-specific certifications for hardware operating in aircraft - Develop and oversee embedded firmware and edge processing logic — real-time operating systems, on-device compute, and fleet-wide OTA update infrastructure - Guide the architecture of live cloud-based telemetry dashboards to ensure seamless data ingestion and real-time visibility from deployed devices - Collaborate with software and ML engineers to ensure the hardware captures exactly what the intelligence layer needs to generate automated debriefs About you - 7+ years of experience in systems engineering, embedded edge compute, or connected hardware development — with a track record of bringing a complex device to market, not just prototyping one - Deep understanding of electronics design — PCB schematics, microcontrollers, wireless communication modules (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) - Experience collaborating with industrial or mechanical designers to build ruggedized enclosures that survive challenging thermal, vibrational, and environmental conditions - Strong proficiency in embedded C/C++ or Python for edge applications, with experience running RTOS or embedded Linux - Familiarity with edge-to-cloud architecture, device fleet management, and building scalable live data infrastructure - Hands-on experience navigating rigorous hardware certification processes and environmental testing standards - You own projects end to end in ambiguous, fast-moving environments — and you ship Nice to have - Experience with edge processing and lossless streaming of high-bandwidth data — real-time audio, complex signal processing, or continuous telemetry - Background building hardware for aviation, defense, or other safety-critical regulated industries - Familiarity with avionics data formats, cockpit audio systems, or aircraft electrical environments Why this role matters Every piece of intelligence Navi generates starts with the Wave. The AI is only as good as the data the hardware captures — and in a cockpit, there are no second chances. A dropped audio frame is a missed instructor callout. A connectivity gap is a blind spot in the debrief. You're building the device that makes the entire platform possible, and it has to work perfectly every single flight. What you'll get - Flight training — earn your pilot's license and build with true domain expertise - Impact you can see — the device you build will be in cockpits at flight schools, airlines, and the U.S. Air Force - A role that scales into hardware leadership as we grow How we work - Find a way. We don't wait for permission or perfect information. Ideas come from anywhere regardless of title. Figure it out, ship it, iterate. - Creativity over control. First principles over process. We'd rather have a creative solution that's 80% right today than a perfect one next quarter. - Update fast. Come in with a hypothesis, throw it away when the data says otherwise. Ego has no place here. - Intensity with focus. We work hard because the mission demands it. Clarity on what matters is how we make that sustainable. San Francisco

Key responsibilities

• check_circleCollaborate with the team on day-to-day project tasks
• check_circleLearn tools and processes used by the organization
• check_circleDocument work and participate in team meetings
• check_circleSupport quality checks and continuous improvement

Requirements

• check_circleLead the end-to-end technical design of Navi's next-generation edge compute node — architecture, component selection, PCB layout, and mechanical enclosure
• check_circleBuild hardware that is ruggedized for cockpit environments — thermal, vibrational, and environmental stress — and optimized for continuous wireless data transmission
• check_circleArchitect real-time data pipelines for processing and streaming high-fidelity audio and complex telemetry from the edge to the cloud with minimal latency
• check_circleOwn the hardware validation lifecycle — environmental testing, quality assurance, and securing regulatory and industry-specific certifications for hardware operating in aircraft
• check_circleDevelop and oversee embedded firmware and edge processing logic — real-time operating systems, on-device compute, and fleet-wide OTA update infrastructure
• check_circleGuide the architecture of live cloud-based telemetry dashboards to ensure seamless data ingestion and real-time visibility from deployed devices
• check_circleCollaborate with software and ML engineers to ensure the hardware captures exactly what the intelligence layer needs to generate automated debriefs
• check_circle7+ years of experience in systems engineering, embedded edge compute, or connected hardware development — with a track record of bringing a complex device to market, not just prototyping one
• check_circleDeep understanding of electronics design — PCB schematics, microcontrollers, wireless communication modules (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• check_circleExperience collaborating with industrial or mechanical designers to build ruggedized enclosures that survive challenging thermal, vibrational, and environmental conditions
• check_circleStrong proficiency in embedded C/C++ or Python for edge applications, with experience running RTOS or embedded Linux
• check_circleFamiliarity with edge-to-cloud architecture, device fleet management, and building scalable live data infrastructure

Skills & keywords

Benefits & perks

• check_circleMentorship
• check_circleCertificate of completion
• check_circleFlexible work arrangement where applicable