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Director Hardware Engineering Jobs in Arizona (NOW HIRING)

Sr Hardware Engineer

Arizona City, AZ · On-site

$111K - $148K/yr

We collaborate closely across Quality Engineering, Regulatory, R&D, Equipment Engineering, and ... You have proven ability to manage self-directed projects-prioritizing work, meeting deadlines, and ...

This role leads firmware, FPGA, and hardware engineering activities for airborne products including ... Direct the design and development of embedded firmware for complex avionics products * Review ...

Sr Hardware Engineer

Mesa, AZ · On-site

$109K - $146K/yr

We collaborate closely across Quality Engineering, Regulatory, R&D, Equipment Engineering, and ... You have proven ability to manage self-directed projects-prioritizing work, meeting deadlines, and ...

Sr Hardware Engineer

Mesa, AZ

$109K - $146K/yr

We collaborate closely across Quality Engineering, Regulatory, R&D, Equipment Engineering, and ... You have proven ability to manage self-directed projects-prioritizing work, meeting deadlines, and ...

This role leads electrical, RF, and hardware engineering activities for airborne products ... Direct the design and development of complex digital, analog, mixed-signal, RF, and power ...

Senior Process Engineer, Productivity

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$103K - $133K/yr

Interaction with Hardware, Electrical, Controls, Product Support, Process, and Software engineering ... in direct and concise manner. * Statistical analysis and script writing in Python, Matlab, or ...

Serve as responsible engineer or subsystem lead, directing and reviewing work from team members with limited supervision. * Utilize Raytheon hardware tools, processes, and standards across all phases ...

New

... and hardware engineering. The day-to-day * Work with designers to gather test requirements ... Ability to work in teams or be self-directed Salary range $77,000.00 - $122,000.00 / annually.For ...

Showing results 21-40

Director Hardware Engineering information

See Arizona salary details

$68K

$181.4K

$236.7K

How much do director hardware engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for director hardware engineering in Arizona is $181,447.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $131,900.00 and $235,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a director of hardware engineering do?

A Director of Hardware Engineering leads and oversees teams responsible for designing, developing, and testing hardware components and systems. This role involves setting technical direction, managing budgets and resources, and ensuring that projects meet performance, quality, and timeline goals. Directors also collaborate with other departments such as software engineering, product management, and manufacturing to deliver integrated solutions. Additionally, they play a key role in strategic planning and mentoring engineering talent within the organization.

How does a director of hardware engineering typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during a product development cycle?

A Director of Hardware Engineering plays a pivotal role in coordinating with cross-functional teams such as software engineering, product management, manufacturing, and quality assurance throughout the product development lifecycle. They facilitate regular meetings to align on project goals, address technical challenges, and ensure that hardware designs integrate seamlessly with other system components. Additionally, they often mediate between technical staff and executive leadership to balance innovation, cost, and timelines, while promoting effective communication and problem-solving across departments.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director of hardware engineering, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Director of Hardware Engineering, you need deep expertise in hardware design, project management, and a relevant engineering degree, often backed by extensive industry experience. Familiarity with CAD tools, hardware simulation software, and certifications in project management (such as PMP) are typically important. Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and effective communication are essential soft skills for guiding teams and aligning engineering efforts with business goals. These skills ensure the successful delivery of innovative hardware solutions, team productivity, and alignment with organizational objectives.

What job categories do people searching Director Hardware Engineering jobs in Arizona look for?

The top searched job categories for Director Hardware Engineering jobs in Arizona are:

What cities in Arizona are hiring for Director Hardware Engineering jobs?

Cities in Arizona with the most Director Hardware Engineering job openings:

Infographic showing various Director Hardware Engineering job openings in Arizona as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 2% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 85% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $181,447 per year, or $87.2 per hour.

Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer

Acron Aviation

Phoenix, AZ

Full-time

Posted 23 days ago


Job description

About Acron Aviation (Avionics – Surveillance):
Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Within Avionics, the Surveillance product line develops and sustains systems that enable aircraft awareness, collision avoidance, and airspace interoperability. Our portfolio includes TCAS, Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and integrated surveillance solutions deployed across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms. This work is performed in highly regulated environments and demands deep expertise across systems, hardware, software, and RF throughout the full product lifecycle.

Job Title
Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer – Surveillance

Position Summary
The Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer is responsible for the technical leadership, architecture, development, certification support, and lifecycle management of advanced avionics systems spanning FPGA, firmware, and Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH) domains.

This role leads firmware, FPGA, and hardware engineering activities for airborne products including transponder, TCAS, surveillance, and communications systems while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and customer requirements.

The position serves as the primary technical authority for firmware development, requirements definition, and design execution, including oversight of external engineering partners and contract design organizations. The successful candidate will lead firmware architecture and performance trade studies, leverage AI-enabled engineering tools to improve productivity and automation, and own the development of product hardware requirements and design documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
Technical Leadership
  • Lead engineering activities supporting the development of RF airborne avionics products from concept through certification and production
  • Define system architecture and allocate requirements across FPGA, firmware, CEH, RF, analog, digital, mixed-signal, software, mechanical, and systems engineering disciplines
  • Serve as technical lead for surveillance, communications, and collision avoidance products, including Mode S transponders, ADS-B systems, and TCAS equipment
  • Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and engineering oversight to multidisciplinary development teams
  • Support strategic product roadmaps and next-generation avionics technology initiatives
Firmware & FPGA Leadership
  • Lead firmware and FPGA architecture, design integration, and technical decision-making for avionics products
  • Establish firmware and FPGA requirements, interfaces, and performance budgets for timing, latency, throughput, resource utilization, determinism, fault handling, and system reliability
  • Drive firmware and FPGA trade studies and design reviews across requirements allocation, RTL implementation, state-machine design, timing closure, verification strategy, configuration management, and hardware integration
  • Lead execution of the DO-254 development process for Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH)
  • Coordinate validation, laboratory bring-up, and system integration activities across firmware, FPGA, hardware, software, and systems engineering teams
  • Support certification readiness by ensuring design evidence, verification coverage, traceability, lifecycle data, and compliance artifacts are complete and auditable
Requirements Development & Ownership
  • Develop, maintain, and own Hardware Requirements Documents (HRDs) and associated derived requirements
  • Ensure traceability between customer, system, hardware, software, and certification requirements
  • Lead requirements decomposition, validation, verification planning, and change management activities
  • Establish acceptance criteria and verification methods for hardware requirements
Outsourced Development Oversight
  • Manage and provide technical oversight of outsourced engineering partners supporting firmware, FPGA, RF, electrical, and hardware development activities
  • Define statements of work, technical deliverables, schedules, design reviews, and acceptance criteria
  • Conduct design audits and technical reviews to ensure compliance with company standards and certification requirements
  • Coordinate technical communication between internal stakeholders and external development organizations
  • Assess supplier technical risks and implement mitigation strategies
Firmware Design & Development
  • Direct the design and development of embedded firmware for complex avionics products
  • Review firmware architecture, detailed design artifacts, interface definitions, implementation approaches, and test results
  • Ensure firmware designs meet performance, determinism, reliability, maintainability, and certification objectives
  • Support integration activities across firmware, FPGA, electrical hardware, software, and system-level validation environments
  • Drive robust firmware development practices supporting traceability, verification coverage, configuration management, and certification compliance
Artificial Intelligence & Engineering Automation
  • Champion the adoption of AI technologies to improve engineering productivity, quality, and development efficiency
  • Maintain a continuous improvement mindset and evaluate opportunities for process optimization
  • Evaluate emerging AI technologies and integrate effective solutions into engineering workflows to reduce repetitive and low-value work
Verification & Validation
  • Lead firmware verification and validation activities throughout the development lifecycle, primarily through oversight of outsourced development partners
  • Review and approve test plans, procedures, reports, and qualification data
  • Support root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and corrective action investigations
  • Ensure complete requirements verification coverage and certification evidence generation
Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
  • 10+ years of experience in aerospace, avionics, or safety-critical embedded product development
  • 5+ years of technical leadership experience leading complex firmware, FPGA, or embedded avionics development programs
  • Strong experience in embedded firmware architecture, design, integration, and verification for safety-critical electronic systems
  • Experience managing and overseeing external engineering design partners or contract development organizations
  • Experience developing and managing requirements documentation, traceability, and verification evidence for firmware or complex electronic hardware
  • Proven knowledge of RTCA DO-254 certification expectations applicable to airborne systems
  • Strong understanding of firmware integration challenges across FPGA, hardware, software, and system validation environments
  • Experience supporting certification and regulatory compliance activities for avionics or other highly regulated products
Preferred Additional Skills
  • Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline
  • Experience leading firmware development for FAA, EASA, TSO, ETSO, or military avionics programs
  • Familiarity with DO-178C, ARP4754A, and ARP4761 development and certification processes
  • Experience with FPGA-based designs, programmable logic integration, and coordination across firmware and hardware boundaries
  • Experience with embedded firmware supporting surveillance or communications technologies including Mode S Transponders, ADS-B, IFF, DME, TCAS, or ACAS
  • Experience implementing AI-assisted engineering workflows and automation solutions
  • Experience with DOORS or similar requirements management tools
  • Experience reviewing outsourced firmware development deliverables, plans, and verification artifacts
  • Project leadership or engineering management experience
Key Competencies
  • Technical leadership
  • Avionics systems thinking
  • Requirements engineering
  • Supplier management
  • Product ownership
  • Strategic planning
  • Risk management
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • AI-enabled engineering innovation
  • Continuous improvement mindset
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to influence technical direction across organizations
Equal Opportunity Statement
Acron Aviation is proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity and to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Additional Information:
Acron Aviation maintains a drug-free workplace and conducts pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where allowed by law. Acron Aviation is an E-Verify employer.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.