Hardware Design & Manufacture Lead

What You'll Do

• Hardware Design & Technical Leadership Own the hardware product roadmap for VT Electron’s device portfolio and next-generation platforms.
• Define hardware architecture decisions - component selection, modular design, wireless connectivity (cellular, BLE, mesh), power management, and sensor integration.
• Serve as the technical authority for complex hardware engineering challenges across the product line.
• Drive strategic technical direction for product development, leading innovation in design methodologies and testing approaches.
• Coordinate with ADI’s internal design teams (schematic capture, PCB layout, signal integrity, EMC, QS) to execute designs - managing the design process.
• Establish and enforce hardware design standards, review processes, and documentation practices.
• Design for Manufacture at Scale Embed DFM, DFT (Design for Test), and DFA (Design for Assembly) principles into every hardware programme.
• Work with contract manufacturers and EMS partners to ensure designs are optimised for automated assembly, test coverage, and yield.
• Own the transition from prototype and low-volume production to scalable manufacturing processes.
• Drive BOM cost reduction and component rationalisation while maintaining product reliability and performance.
• Manage BOM governance and parts lifecycle, ensuring traceability and revision control as the organisation moves toward ERP implementation.
• Lead production optimisation methodologies - improving manufacturing efficiency, quality, and throughput.
• Product Reliability & Qualification Own the product reliability engineering strategy - ensuring hardware meets the demanding requirements of outdoor utility network deployments.
• Define and oversee qualification testing programmes, including environmental, mechanical, and electrical stress testing.
• Establish test strategies, fixtures, and pass/fail criteria for volume manufacturing.
• Drive continuous improvement in product reliability based on field data, failure analysis, and design iteration.
• Cross-Functional Coordination Act as the primary hardware engineering interface between ADI’s broader engineering organisation.
• Collaborate with the firmware/software team on hardware-software co-design, particularly around wireless connectivity, sensor interfaces, and power management.
• Work with the Electron Cloud platform team to ensure edge hardware and cloud architecture are aligned.
• Support customer-facing technical discussions with utility network operators and contribute to tender and proposal responses where hardware specifications are required.
• Coordinate with regulatory and certification bodies (CE, UKCA, utility-specific standards) on hardware compliance.
• Collaborate with senior ADI leadership on product strategy and technology roadmap alignment.
• Supplier & Manufacturing Partner Management Manage relationships with EMS and contract manufacturers, driving quality, delivery, and cost targets.
• Oversee component qualification, second-sourcing strategies, and supply chain resilience.
• Work with ADI’s supply chain organisation to leverage corporate procurement where advantageous.
• Team Development Mentor and develop hardware engineering talent within ADI.
• Build a culture of engineering rigour, design review discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Influence the broader ADI engineering organisation’s approach to complete hardware solution development.
• What You Bring 10+ years of experience in hardware design and development for connected devices or IoT products, with a significant portion in a leadership or architecture role.
• Proven track record of taking products from concept through to volume manufacturing - you have shipped hardware at scale, not just designed prototypes.
• Deep understanding of DFM, DFT, and DFA principles and practical experience working with EMS and contract manufacturers.
• Strong knowledge of electronic design principles - mixed-signal design, power management, embedded systems hardware (MCU/MPU selection, sensor integration).
• Experience with wireless and cellular IoT hardware - cellular (LTE-M, NB-IoT, CAT-1), Bluetooth Low Energy, mesh networking, GNSS, and antenna design considerations.
• Demonstrated expertise in product reliability engineering and qualification testing - defining test strategies, environmental/mechanical stress testing, and failure analysis.
• Experience with production optimisation - improving manufacturing yield, quality, and cost efficiency at scale.
• Experience managing product BOMs, ECO processes, and parts lifecycle in a production environment.
• Excellent communication skills - ability to bridge hardware engineering detail with business and commercial stakeholders.
• Degree in Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems, or related discipline.
• For positions requiring access to technical data, Analog Devices, Inc. may have to obtain export licensing approval from the U.S.
• Department of Commerce - Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the U.S.
• Department of State - Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
• As such, applicants for this position – except US Citizens, US Permanent Residents, and protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) – may have to go through an export licensing review process.
• We foster a culture where everyone has an opportunity to succeed regardless of their race, color, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, social or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, union membership, and political affiliation, or any other legally protected group.
• Job Req Type: Experienced Required Travel: Yes, 10% of the time Shift Type: 1st Shift/Days