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Computer Hardware Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Hardware Engineer

Fremont, CA · On-site

$90K - $150K/yr

Understanding of computer hardware architecture, including experience applying concepts like PCI-e, USB, and system buses in test or debug scenarios. * Proficient with test and measurement tools such ...

Associate Project Manager

San Jose, CA · On-site

$87K - $146K/yr

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Associate Project Manager to support initiatives across our computer hardware portfolio and partner programs. This role will be responsible for driving ...

Computer Assembler

Poway, CA · On-site

$17.75 - $21/hr

... computer hardware and software components - Ability to read and interpret technical manuals and schematics - Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills - Ability to work in a fast-paced ...

... computer hardware and software components - Ability to read and interpret technical manuals and schematics - Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills - Ability to work in a fast-paced ...

Computer Assembler

Poway, CA · On-site

$17.75 - $21/hr

... computer hardware and software components - Ability to read and interpret technical manuals and schematics - Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills - Ability to work in a fast-paced ...

... computer hardware and software components - Ability to read and interpret technical manuals and schematics - Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills - Ability to work in a fast-paced ...

Computer Assembler

Poway, CA · On-site

$17.75 - $21/hr

... computer hardware and software components - Ability to read and interpret technical manuals and schematics - Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills - Ability to work in a fast-paced ...

PC Technician

Sacramento, CA · On-site

$25.34 - $29.34/hr

... computer hardware, network connectivity, telecommunications equipment, and end-user devices. • Travel to customer sites within an assigned local radius and manage appointments effectively within ...

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Must be experienced with hardware integration and configuration and familiar with current industry ... • Must have computer operating experience with Office suite • Able to work overtime and ...

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Computer Hardware information

See California salary details

$12

$21

$42

How much do computer hardware jobs pay per hour?

As of May 29, 2026, the average hourly pay for computer hardware in California is $21.58, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.15 and $21.59 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What Are the Qualifications to Get a Computer Hardware Job?

The qualifications that you need to start a career in computer hardware depend on your career plans and potential job responsibilities. A hardware designer or engineer may want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, or electrical engineering. To become a computer hardware technician, you may need a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, but most employers accept an associate’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, or information technology. You may wish to earn an associate degree in computer repair to learn repair skills for both hardware and software.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Computer Hardware Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Computer Hardware Engineer, you need a strong background in electrical engineering, circuit design, and computer architecture, often supported by a bachelor's degree in computer or electrical engineering. Familiarity with hardware description languages (HDL), CAD tools, and testing equipment is typically required, along with certifications like CompTIA A+ or Cisco certifications. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective teamwork set top performers apart in this field. These skills and qualifications are vital for designing, testing, and optimizing reliable hardware components that meet evolving technology demands.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in computer hardware roles?

Professionals in computer hardware roles often encounter challenges such as keeping up with rapidly evolving technology, troubleshooting complex hardware issues, and ensuring compatibility between components. They must also balance the need for performance and cost-effectiveness when designing or recommending hardware solutions. Additionally, collaborating with software teams to resolve integration issues and adhering to strict production deadlines are common aspects of the job.

What are computer hardware professionals?

Computer hardware professionals are specialists who design, develop, test, and maintain the physical components of computers and related systems. Their work involves creating and improving devices such as processors, memory modules, circuit boards, and peripheral equipment. They often collaborate with software engineers to ensure compatibility and optimal system performance. These professionals may work in roles such as hardware engineers, technicians, or support specialists in various industries.

What is the difference between Computer Hardware vs Computer Support Specialist?

AspectComputer HardwareComputer Support Specialist
Primary FocusDesign, assemble, and repair physical computer componentsAssist users with software, hardware issues, and troubleshooting
Required SkillsHardware installation, troubleshooting, technical knowledge of componentsCustomer service, problem-solving, basic hardware and software knowledge
Work EnvironmentRepair shops, manufacturing, IT departmentsHelp desks, support centers, corporate IT teams
CertificationsCompTIA A+, Cisco certificationsCompTIA A+, Microsoft certifications

While both roles involve working with computer systems, Computer Hardware specialists focus on physical components, repairs, and assembly. In contrast, Computer Support Specialists assist users with both hardware and software issues, providing troubleshooting and technical support. Understanding these differences helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What are the most commonly searched types of Computer Hardware jobs in California? The most popular types of Computer Hardware jobs in California are:
What job categories do people searching Computer Hardware jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Computer Hardware jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Computer Hardware jobs? Cities in California with the most Computer Hardware job openings:
Software Engineer, Hardware Health

Software Engineer, Hardware Health

OpenAI

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$250K - $445K/yr

Full-time

Posted 23 days ago


Job description

About the Team
The Hardware Health and Observability team owns the end-to-end health lifecycle of OpenAI's global compute fleet.
Our mission is to maximize healthy, usable compute across accelerator vendors, generations, cloud providers, and regions through reliable health signals, automated remediation, and scalable operational tooling.
We build the systems that observe, detect, remediate, and verify hardware issues across GPUs, CPUs, networking, and platform infrastructure, enabling frontier model training and inference workloads to run reliably at hyperscale. We are the last line of defense for the success of OAI's production and research workloads.
About the Role
On the Hardware Health and Observability team, you'll build critical infrastructure that keeps OpenAI's largest compute clusters healthy and operational at scale.
Even small numbers of unhealthy systems can impact large-scale training and inference workloads. This team focuses on minimizing downtime, improving fleet efficiency, and ensuring compute resources remain continuously available to researchers and product teams.
Engineers on this team own problems end-to-end, from defining health signals and debugging failures to building automated remediation systems that operate across millions of GPUs globally.
In this role, you will:
  • Define and maintain health signals across GPUs, CPUs, networking, and platform infrastructure.
  • Build and evolve health checks that detect, remediate, and verify failures at scale.
  • Ensure critical health checks execute with minimal latency to maximize workload uptime.
  • Investigate hardware failures and system-level issues across large-scale compute environments.
  • Own node lifecycle workflows including drain, quarantine, repair, RMA, and return-to-service processes.
  • Build automation and tooling that enables global cluster management with minimal manual intervention.
  • Partner with workload, reliability, and provider teams to integrate health signals into training and inference systems.
You might thrive in this role if you have:
  • 7+ years of industry experience in software or infrastructure engineering.
  • Strong proficiency with Python and shell scripting.
  • Experience building large-scale distributed systems or infrastructure platforms.
  • Comfort digging into noisy operational data using SQL, PromQL, or similar tooling.
  • Experience building reproducible analyses and operational tooling.
  • Strong systems debugging and operational instincts with an ownership mindset.
Bonus if you have:
  • Experience with low-level hardware systems and Linux tooling (e.g. PCIe, InfiniBand, RoCE, networking, power management, kernel performance tuning, FW/SW debugging).
  • Experience operating or debugging large-scale GPU or accelerator clusters.
  • Expertise in network operations, observability, or systems telemetry.
  • Experience with automated remediation systems or fleet lifecycle management.
  • Experience improving reliability, utilization, or workload uptime in distributed compute environments.

About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI's Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.