Hardware Systems Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Shape the future of smart home technology as a Senior Hardware Systems Engineer on our product team. You’ll help create next‑generation connected security solutions that will be installed in millions of homes across North America. This is an opportunity to be at the forefront of connected smart locks and IoT access products. Candidates should have at least 6 years of experience and an interest in the IoT space and smart home devices. They enjoy solving problems, are flexible, and are open to quickly learning and adapting to new challenges and opportunities. Candidates should be able to work closely with other engineers to solve problems with varying degrees of complexity and scope. This role works with cross‑functional team members, including firmware and hardware engineers, mobile application and cloud developers, the software testing team, and non‑technical stakeholders.

• Lead hardware project execution for assigned products or major subsystems.
• Define system‑level interfaces, component strategy, and validation plans.
• Mentor hardware engineers and provide technical guidance on design quality.
• Drive complex debugging and root‑cause analysis across electro‑mechanical systems.
• Lead design and reviews for schematics, layouts, drawings, BOMs, tooling, and test results.
• Manage prototype assemblies, pilot builds, bring‑up, and design verification.
• Partner with firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, operations, and supply chain teams.
• Manage technical risks, tradeoffs, change control, and release readiness.
• Improve development, DFM/DFA, validation, and documentation practices.
• Ensure hardware quality, reliability, manufacturability, and compliance readiness.

• Strong hardware architecture, interface definition, and validation planning experience.
• Proven board‑level design, component selection, and electro‑mechanical debugging skills.
• Experience with DFM/DFA, FMEA/PFMEA, compliance, reliability, and manufacturing readiness.
• Practical experience with prototype builds, pilot runs, change control, and release documentation.
• Ability to mentor engineers and lead technical execution for hardware projects.
• Solid MCU layout skills including power and signal analysis.
• Experience with chip‑to‑chip communication protocols or interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, etc.).
• Ability to debug hardware, including hardware bring‑up, debugging RF, logic probing, and voltage measurements.
• Experience with multi‑Layer PCB layout & Schematics (Altium preferred).
• Familiarity with BOM’s and vendor component approval.
• Familiarity with issue‑tracking software such as Jira, collaboration tools such as Confluence, and version control.
• Organized, able to multitask, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with varying degrees of complexity, priority, and urgency.
• Keen sense of urgency, ownership, and follow‑through.
• Effective communicator who is passionate, flexible, collaborative, able to work independently, able to set goals, and brings a positive "can-do" attitude.
• Excellent documentation practices.

• Experience developing low‑power, battery‑operated consumer devices.
• Experience in mixed RF antenna design and performance.
• Experience in FCC testing and certification.
• Experience with IoT connectivity protocols and interoperability standards, including Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Z‑Wave, Thread, Matter, and Aliro.
• Scripting/Python skills supporting production testing and provisioning.

You will be joining the Americas Residential Electronics team within ASSA ABLOY located in Lake Forest, California. We are a leading global provider of well‑known brands such as Kwikset, Baldwin, Weiser and Level Lock. With decades of mechanical door lock expertise, we began incorporating electronics and wireless solutions 15 years ago to deliver increasingly advanced security products. From our global engineering office in Lake Forest, with supporting teams in Taiwan, China, and Mexico, our passionate engineers ship products used by millions.

Pay Range: $97,000-$152,000. This "base salary range" is a reasonable estimate for this position at the time of posting. Pay within each range is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, to primary work job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, business requirements and geographic location. ASSA ABLOY conducts regular review of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time. The above information in this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this job/classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

ASSA ABLOY is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

We are the ASSA ABLOY Group Our people have made us the global leader in access solutions. In return, we open doors for them wherever they go. With nearly 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries, we help billions of people experience a more open world. Our innovations make all sorts of spaces - physical and virtual - safer, more secure, and easier to access. As an employer, we value results - not titles, or backgrounds. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions - supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even internationally. As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.

We are the ASSA ABLOY Group Our people have made us the global leader in access solutions. In return, we open doors for them wherever they go. With nearly 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries, we help billions of people experience a more open world. Our innovations make all sorts of spaces - physical and virtual - safer, more secure, and easier to access. As an employer, we value results - not titles, or backgrounds. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions - supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even internationally. As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.

We are the ASSA ABLOY Group Our people have made us the global leader in access solutions. In return, we open doors for them wherever they go. With nearly 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries, we help billions of people experience a more open world. Our innovations make all sorts of spaces - physical and virtual - safer, more secure, and easier to access. As an employer, we value results - not titles, or backgrounds. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions - supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even international. As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.