Founding Hardware / Embedded Engineer
- Recent grad/student
- Deep hands-on via personal projects
- Maritime predictive-maintenance sensors; zero-to-one
- Full lifecycle: PCB/schematic → firmware → bench testing
Philyron is hiring a founding hardware/embedded engineer to own much of the development of its industrial sensing hardware — the full lifecycle, from schematic capture through assembly, wiring, soldering, and bench testing, for robust deployment in harsh maritime environments. The near-term: the predecessor already built the PCB design and enclosures, so month one is largely assembling what’s already shipped (they have ~20 sensors and need many more, fast, to meet signed paid pilots in Seattle, Florida, New York). From there it ramps into the real work: post-deployment adjustments and sensor improvements based on operator needs, developing new sensors that integrate with the existing system, and eventually building toward the first ASV prototypes — which is why the long-term bar is someone who can build zero-to-one from hardware to firmware.
The person Heon wants is unusual: ideally a recent grad or current student who nonetheless has real hands-on hardware depth (his last hire was a Berkeley junior with ~7 years of freelance hardware experience — built hardware out of high school, enrolled at 24–25). Logos (Tesla intern, etc.) matter mostly for fundraising optics — he cares far more about personal projects they fully owned (team projects obscure who actually did the PCB work). This is framed as a potential CPO / co-founder seat: he wants someone who brings their own vision, not just executes his, and after ~6–7 months of mutual fit would move them into CPO with 5–10% equity. Hard requirement: US citizen or green-card holder (defense/government work).
What You’ll Own
- Full hardware lifecycle: schematic capture → PCB design → assembly, wiring, soldering, bench testing
- Near-term: assemble and ship the existing sensor fleet to meet signed paid pilots
- Sensor integration (accelerometers, thermal cameras, IMUs), power regulation, connectors, enclosure integration
- Embedded systems / microcontrollers (ESP32, Raspberry Pi) and firmware
- Post-deployment: improve sensors to operator needs; develop new sensors on the existing system
- Long-term: zero-to-one hardware→firmware toward the first ASV prototypes; help shape product direction (CPO path)
Requirements
- PCB design and schematic capture (core)
- Sensor integration — accelerometers, thermal cameras, IMUs
- Embedded systems / microcontrollers (ESP32, Raspberry Pi) + firmware
- Hands-on assembly, wiring, soldering, bench testing
- Power regulation, connectors, enclosure integration
- Can build zero-to-one, hardware through firmware (the long-term bar)
- Bonus: industrial IoT, robotics, marine, automotive, or other harsh-environment hardware
Background
- Recent grad or current student preferred — but with genuinely deep hands-on hardware experience (non-traditional, freelance, or years-before-school paths very welcome)
- Logos (Tesla, etc.) are a fundraising nice-to-have, not the bar — many big-name interns can’t actually do PCBs
- Potential CPO / co-founder for the right person after ~6–7 months
Who Will Thrive Here
- A young but deeply hands-on hardware engineer who’s owned full sensor builds solo, hardware→firmware
- Someone who wants a real shot at CPO/co-founder and brings their own product vision
- Thrives on critical feedback and radical transparency; separates work from ego
- All-in, fast, Bay-Area-based, ready to start now
- Excited by defense-adjacent maritime hardware and an ASV endgame
No benefits listed yet.