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Hardware Engineer Jobs in Santa Rosa, CA (NOW HIRING)

The Motion Sensing Hardware Team at Apple is entrusted with the responsibility of integrating MEMS ... Engineering excellence and meticulous attention to detail are highly valued and encouraged.

The Motion Sensing Hardware Team at Apple is entrusted with the responsibility of integrating MEMS ... Engineering excellence and meticulous attention to detail are highly valued and encouraged.

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Hardware Engineer information

See Santa Rosa, CA salary details

$55.8K

$159.9K

$214.8K

How much do hardware engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for hardware engineer in Santa Rosa, CA is $159,878.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $135,000.00 and $178,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a hardware engineer?

Hardware engineers are professionals who design, develop, test, and oversee the manufacturing of computer hardware, such as circuit boards, processors, memory devices, networks, and routers. They work closely with software engineers to ensure that hardware and software function together efficiently. Hardware engineers are involved in researching new technologies, improving existing hardware, and troubleshooting issues to enhance system performance. Their work is crucial in industries like computing, telecommunications, automotive, and consumer electronics.

What does a hardware engineer do?

A hardware engineer, or computer hardware engineer, specializes in all aspects of computer hardware, including testing, repairing, building, and maintaining its efficiency. As a hardware engineer, your responsibilities include developing and installing new hardware systems for businesses, providing tech support to users with hardware issues, along with designing and building new products for manufacturers. You may specialize in areas such as internal components, servers, electrical engineering, cellular and tablet devices, or traditional computers and networks.

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

To thrive as a Hardware Engineer, a strong background in electrical engineering, circuit design, and computer architecture is essential, often supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with CAD software, PCB layout tools, and hardware description languages, as well as certifications like Certified Hardware Design Engineer (CHDE), are commonly required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective teamwork set outstanding hardware engineers apart. These skills and qualities are vital for designing reliable, high-performance hardware products that meet rigorous industry standards.

What are some typical challenges hardware engineers face when working on cross-functional teams?

Hardware Engineers often collaborate closely with software developers, product managers, and manufacturing teams. One common challenge is aligning hardware specifications with software requirements, which may change throughout the development cycle. Effective communication and adaptability are essential, as Hardware Engineers must balance technical constraints, cost considerations, and evolving project goals. Staying proactive in cross-team meetings and clarifying expectations early on can help reduce misunderstandings and ensure smoother project delivery.

What is the difference between Hardware Engineer vs Electrical Engineer?

AspectHardware EngineerElectrical Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical, Electronics, or Computer EngineeringBachelor's in Electrical Engineering or related field
Work EnvironmentDesigning and testing hardware components, working in labs or officesDesigning electrical systems, working in labs, manufacturing, or field
Industry UsageElectronics, computer hardware, telecommunicationsPower systems, electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing

Hardware Engineers focus on designing and developing physical electronic components and systems, while Electrical Engineers work on electrical systems and power distribution. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds and often collaborate in technology industries.

What are the most commonly searched types of Hardware Engineer jobs in Santa Rosa, CA?

The most popular types of Hardware Engineer jobs in Santa Rosa, CA are:

What are popular job titles related to Hardware Engineer jobs in Santa Rosa, CA?

For Hardware Engineer jobs in Santa Rosa, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities near Santa Rosa, CA are hiring for Hardware Engineer jobs?

Cities near Santa Rosa, CA with the most Hardware Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Hardware Engineer job openings in Santa Rosa, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, 5% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $159,878 per year, or $76.9 per hour.

R&D Hardware Engineer

Keysight Technologies, Inc.

Santa Rosa, CA • On-site

$135K - $178K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 25 days ago


Keysight Technologies rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 20 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

50th of 159 rated electronics manufacturers


Job description

Overview

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~15,000 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award-winning culture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

This position is in Santa Rosa, in the heart of California’s beautiful wine country, is the corporate headquarters of Keysight , home to a diverse group of R&D labs.  The Digital and Photonics R&D team in Santa Rosa develops and produces the world’s highest performance oscilloscopes.

You will work in close collaboration with a diverse multi-functional team of engineers, scientists, and researchers around the globe to meet the communications electronics measurement challenges of today and tomorrow.  Giving customers insight into developing digital communication and Internet infrastructure signals and devices is our focus.  Keysight is committed to providing innovative measurement solutions that enable our customers and partners to deliver the products and services that make a measurable difference in the lives of people everywhere.


Responsibilities

Be a leader in hardware design with a multi-functional, global team to invent and develop new time-domain measurement instruments:

  • Quickly learn the hardware architecture of high-performance oscilloscopes, identifying the key areas where new designs can advance customer-valued performance, robustness, and flexibility.  Contribute to defining next-generation block diagram definitions, from system level to individual functional sub-systems.
  • Rapidly invent and implement designs to meet desired functions and performance of one or more parts of a new instrument block diagram: such as optical and electrical frontends, signal sampling sub-systems, clock recovery/phase lock loop design with skill in handling designs at frequencies from 20 GHz to 200GHz with integration to analog control/sensing/adjustment circuitry.
  • Work with a strong team of R&D development HW and SW engineers to integrate individual designs into whole new instruments.  Grow into a technical leader, mentoring others on our multi-functional team.
  • Invent new IP related to your work in new instrument design.  Write invention disclosure and/or patent applications to protect this new IP.
  • Document and present measurement IP and test methodologies to R&D team, and to multi-functional partners
  • Work with new product introduction teams and partner technology teams to bring your new designs from concept to product shipment.  Experience the full product development lifecycle and prove your designs are manufacturable as well as high-performance.
  • Support customers. Present technical information of value to customers, occasionally visiting customer sites to present products and help customers with integration
  • In a dynamically changing technology environment, continuous learning is expected and supported throughout your career.  

Qualifications

This position requires significant high-frequency design skills with strong ability to express ideas to influence and lead design direction of a team of engineers. 

  • Open to BS or MS candidates, most likely with Electrical Engineering or Optical Engineering major or equivalent field of study with emphasis in hardware applied to signal processing and digital communication.  Applicants with PhD training are welcome.  Be aware that this is not a narrow-focus, research-oriented position, but instead an invention/development of new products job.    
  • Successful candidates are likely to have 5-10 years of related experience to draw upon.
  • One or more examples of hardware system block diagram design where the candidate has designed and delivered significant pieces of the system block diagram.  Ability to discuss performance, cost and implementation time tradeoffs.  Ability to partition block diagram into designs, define subsystem specs & requirements, and work with a team to implement the pieces and integrate them to a whole.
  • Evidence of end-to-end design and implementation of one or more hardware designs with circuits in the 20GHz to 200GHz range.  Demonstrates knowledge of good hardware development practices to deliver quality and robustness with appropriate test strategy to prove performance.  Evidence of excellent troubleshooting and issue resolution skills.
  • Ability to quickly learn to correctly set up optical and electrical measuring instruments to make the desired acquisition of a sampled signal waveform.  Enjoys hands-on exploration to find correct instrument setups to measure your hardware designs.
  • Enjoy working with and being a technical leader in a multi-functional team to deliver prototype designs into volume manufacturing on a global scale
  • Demonstration of excellent communication and teamwork skills, enjoying working with a diverse and global team
  • Strong problem-solving and quantitative data analysis skills
  • Ability to quickly learn new technologies
  • Excellent time management, and ability to work independently in supportive team of available mentors
  • Significant pluses:
    • Experience with hardware design involving optical components, such as photodiodes, optical-to-electrical converters and knowledge of optical communication signal transmission
    • Specific examples of hands-on experience with using electronics test equipment to set up signal sampling, test scenarios and verify measurement integrity
    • Evidence of skill in using high-frequency and/or optical circuit simulation tools, such as ADS
    • Demonstrate experience of working with technology partners.  Defining specs and description of new technologies needed, such as new ICs or inventing leading edge fab processes
    • Evidence of designs realized in PC board, high-frequency medium such as thin film, and optical structures.
      Demonstrate knowledge of design to preserve signal integrity, minimize noise to meet performance specs.
    • Evidence of experience developing new IP and translating invention into end-user valued capabilities.  Ability to represent technical expertise to end-use customers is highly desired

Other Information
This position is on-site in Santa Rosa, California
Relocation is available for this position

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position

Santa Rosa, CA Pay Range: MIN $138,960.00 - MAX $231,600.00

Most offers will be between the minimum and the midpoint of the Salary Range listed above.

Note: For other locations, pay ranges will vary by region

Careers Privacy Statement***Keysight is an Equal Opportunity Employer.***

US Employees may be eligible for the following benefits:

  • Medical, dental and vision
  • Health Savings Account
  • Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Life, Accident, Disability insurance
  • Business Travel Accident and Business Travel Health
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Discounts, Perks
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Adoption Assistance
  • ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

#LI-CS1

Qualifications:

This position requires significant high-frequency design skills with strong ability to express ideas to influence and lead design direction of a team of engineers. 

  • Open to BS or MS candidates, most likely with Electrical Engineering or Optical Engineering major or equivalent field of study with emphasis in hardware applied to signal processing and digital communication.  Applicants with PhD training are welcome.  Be aware that this is not a narrow-focus, research-oriented position, but instead an invention/development of new products job.    
  • Successful candidates are likely to have 5-10 years of related experience to draw upon.
  • One or more examples of hardware system block diagram design where the candidate has designed and delivered significant pieces of the system block diagram.  Ability to discuss performance, cost and implementation time tradeoffs.  Ability to partition block diagram into designs, define subsystem specs & requirements, and work with a team to implement the pieces and integrate them to a whole.
  • Evidence of end-to-end design and implementation of one or more hardware designs with circuits in the 20GHz to 200GHz range.  Demonstrates knowledge of good hardware development practices to deliver quality and robustness with appropriate test strategy to prove performance.  Evidence of excellent troubleshooting and issue resolution skills.
  • Ability to quickly learn to correctly set up optical and electrical measuring instruments to make the desired acquisition of a sampled signal waveform.  Enjoys hands-on exploration to find correct instrument setups to measure your hardware designs.
  • Enjoy working with and being a technical leader in a multi-functional team to deliver prototype designs into volume manufacturing on a global scale
  • Demonstration of excellent communication and teamwork skills, enjoying working with a diverse and global team
  • Strong problem-solving and quantitative data analysis skills
  • Ability to quickly learn new technologies
  • Excellent time management, and ability to work independently in supportive team of available mentors
  • Significant pluses:
    • Experience with hardware design involving optical components, such as photodiodes, optical-to-electrical converters and knowledge of optical communication signal transmission
    • Specific examples of hands-on experience with using electronics test equipment to set up signal sampling, test scenarios and verify measurement integrity
    • Evidence of skill in using high-frequency and/or optical circuit simulation tools, such as ADS
    • Demonstrate experience of working with technology partners.  Defining specs and description of new technologies needed, such as new ICs or inventing leading edge fab processes
    • Evidence of designs realized in PC board, high-frequency medium such as thin film, and optical structures.
      Demonstrate knowledge of design to preserve signal integrity, minimize noise to meet performance specs.
    • Evidence of experience developing new IP and translating invention into end-user valued capabilities.  Ability to represent technical expertise to end-use customers is highly desired

Other Information
This position is on-site in Santa Rosa, California
Relocation is available for this position

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position

Santa Rosa, CA Pay Range: MIN $138,960.00 - MAX $231,600.00

Most offers will be between the minimum and the midpoint of the Salary Range listed above.

Note: For other locations, pay ranges will vary by region

Careers Privacy Statement***Keysight is an Equal Opportunity Employer.***

US Employees may be eligible for the following benefits:

  • Medical, dental and vision
  • Health Savings Account
  • Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Life, Accident, Disability insurance
  • Business Travel Accident and Business Travel Health
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Discounts, Perks
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Adoption Assistance
  • ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

#LI-CS1

Education:UNAVAILABLEEmployment Type: UNAVAILABLE

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