Principal Electronics Design Engineer

📍 Ukraine | Full-time | On-site / Hybrid /Remote
Level: Principal (Individual Contributor)

About Esper
Esper is a human-augmentation startup that builds advanced bionic limbs and digital health solutions. Our flagship product, the Esper Hand, empowers people with limb differences to live fuller and more independent lives.
We are growing fast, driven by deep engineering, empathy for users, and a long-term vision of bringing advanced healthcare technologies into everyday life.

About the Role
As a Principal Electronics Design Engineer, you will act as the technical owner of the electronics domain for one of our key hardware products. This is not a typical Senior Individual Contributor role — it is a high-ownership engineering position with a strong influence on product architecture, technical decisions, and long-term system evolution.
One of the core products is currently in the EVT stage, and your mission will be to lead the electronics part of the product through market launch, ensuring reliability, manufacturability, and readiness for certification. The product has a 2–3 year development roadmap, including post-launch improvements and next-generation versions.
You will work closely with the CPO and CTO, participate in architectural discussions across projects, and help shape the technical direction not only of the current product, but of future hardware initiatives.
This is not a people-management role, but a key engineering leadership position with significant autonomy, responsibility, and long-term impact.

What You Will Do
Own and evolve the electronics architecture from EVT stage through market launch and further product generations
Make key technical trade-off decisions between performance, power consumption, size, cost, reliability, and manufacturability
Lead the full hardware development cycle: from product requirements to validation and mass production readiness
Verify and validate hardware designs, troubleshoot complex issues, and drive them to resolution
Assemble prototypes or manage prototype production via EMS partners
Conduct schematic, PCB, and documentation design reviews
Create and improve manufacturing and test documentation
Design tools and solutions for QA, Test, and Manufacturing teams
Support EMC/ESD testing and certification activities
Identify and manage technical risks in the electronics domain
Work directly with the CPO and CTO on product architecture, roadmap planning, and critical decisions
Participate in cross-project peer reviews, sharing expertise and contributing to a strong engineering culture
Support manufacturing and continuously improve existing products and internal design processes

Desirable Experience and Skills
Proven experience delivering market-ready electronic products end-to-end
Strong background in schematic and PCB design using Altium Designer
Experience with SPICE simulation
Solid understanding of signal integrity, power integrity, and high-speed signal propagation
Experience with rigid-flex / FPC designs and dense multilayer PCBs (up to 12 layers)
Strong knowledge of analog electronics
Experience with SI/PI simulation and debugging
Scripting skills (Python, Matlab)
Product-oriented mindset and comfort working in environments with technical uncertainty
Proficiency in English (Upper-Intermediate+), Ukrainian (native)

Preferred Experience
Experience in bioengineering, wearables, BT/BLE, or IoT products
Background in high-growth startups or emerging technology companies
Awareness of CE / FDA certification requirements and IP protection considerations

Growth Opportunities
Long-term ownership of a product with multiple planned generations
Optional opportunity, after key milestones, to transition into leading electronics development for a new wearable device built from scratch
Close collaboration with executive leadership and influence on future hardware strategy

What We Offer
Work on products that meaningfully improve people’s lives
Well-equipped hardware lab and full engineering support
Fast decision-making and a strong culture of ownership
Competitive compensation
Opportunities for deep technical growth and long-term impact
A mission-driven, passionate team
The company provides military service deferment (reservation from mobilization) for eligible employees in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.