Senior Hardware Engineer
Summary
Senior hardware engineer at Laminar (Somerville, MA) doing R&D on new inline sensor systems for industrial 'self-driving factories': designing and prototyping PCBs (KiCAD, PSPICE), mechanical housings (SolidWorks), running sensor experiments and data analysis, and integrating sensors on Zephyr RTOS for field trials.
Machines learned to understand language. We’re teaching them to understand matter.
Forty percent of global manufacturing happens through physical and chemical processes inside pipes, tanks, and reactors. Despite decades of industrial automation, much of what happens inside them remains remarkably invisible. Manufacturing is the most ubiquitous and foundational sector in global economy, yet the way factories are fundamentally run have used the same control philosophies, manual operations, and legacy software for the past 60 years.
Laminar deploys novel sensors and edge hardware directly into live production environments, generating data that didn’t previously exist to build foundation models deployed in factory floors that understand chemistry, composition, quality, and material state in real time. We use that understanding to run autonomy and rethink how things are made.
The last generation of industrial automation taught machines to execute instructions reliably. The next will teach them to understand the processes they control and run autonomously, adaptively, and agentically: higher quality, safety, more efficiently, sustainably, and productively.
That future is already taking shape. Today, Laminar works with 7 of the world’s 10 largest food and beverage manufacturers and operates across hundreds of factories globally. Our systems have materially reduced waste, cut manufacturing downtime, saved water, chemicals, energy, and helped prevent safety and quality failures.
We are backed by tier-one investors in physical AI to make intelligent, self-improving production the new standard for industry.
Join us to build what makes matter intelligible, and the intelligible controllable.
We’re seeking a senior-level Hardware Engineer whose work will focus on new sensor system Research and Development. You will work closely with other engineers across both the Hardware and Embedded Systems teams to rapidly evaluate new technologies, test performance of sensing systems, and integrate them into field prototypes. This role will directly perform circuit and PCB design and evaluation, sensor experimental design and data analysis. You will work closely with colleagues to fabricate R&D systems and implement them for field trials. We value a self-sufficient, hands-on engineer who isn’t afraid to ask questions and learns new skills quickly. Your work will directly impact our hardware product design, improve prototype iteration speed, and help Laminar to save more resources every day.
What You Will Do
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Design and protype PCBs from commercially available and custom sensors using KiCAD, SolidWorks, and simulation software such as PSPICE
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Design mechanical housings using Solidworks tailored to difficult industrial deployment environments
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Develop and implement test strategies alongside the Laminar Data Analysis team. Collect and present this data in informal and formal reviews to allow for rapid analysis and sensor comparisons.
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Lead internal teams working on new system design, with a focus on quick evaluation and an extremely high level of system ownership.
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Integrate sensors to established testing platform using Zephyr RTOS
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Bring new ideas and creatively pursue new approaches to product sensing to solve critical problems for our clients.
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Contribute to the overall hardware team by providing design, assembly, and debug assistance on multiple projects.
About You
Required
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5+ years (senior level) experience in electronics design, mechanical design, and data analysis
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Significant Electrical OR Mechanical Experience along the following tracks
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Electronics experience: PCB SMD and THT soldering, rework, troubleshooting, oscilloscope use, digital signal analysis, switch mode power supply design, EMI troubleshooting
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PCB design experience with advanced microcontrollers, low noise analog sensor systems, industrial comms protocols and high density design
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Mechanical Experience: Generalist design principles for CNC machined housings, watertight sealing and customer UX in industrial products
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Significant product development experience, with a focus on new product bringup and R&D. Expect to talk about previous design projects in your interviews with the team
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Embedded system coding experience, preferably in Zephyr RTOS or similar
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Generalist mindset: comfortable working with all parts of electromechanical assemblies, data logging, as well as system-level topics
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Clear, efficient, and respectful communicator, good at balancing multiple projects and shifting priorities
Preferred
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Significant Electrical AND Mechanical Experience
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Full stack product development experience. Have taken multiple products from concept through to volume production and sunsetting and comfortable working throughout that lifecycle.
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Experience working with PCB contract manufacturers, machine shops both domestic and international, and a strong level of experience with DFM concepts
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Significant prior experience navigating the balance between “move fast and break things, but not the important things”
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Mechanical design experience in difficult environments: Sensor housings in ATEX zones, automotive or similar
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Experience with Zephyr RTOS
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RF experience, especially around antenna design and tuning or RF spectroscopy
Benefits
- Direct impact on product and culture.
- Comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Disability, Transportation benefit, Health and Wellness benefit, and more.
- 401k plan with employer matching
- Equity
- Competitive salary and bonus opportunities.
- Dynamic and inclusive work environment.
- Opportunities for growth and professional development.
- Access to Greentown Labs' extensive network of cleantech startups.
Learn How We Think
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Learn about our startup journey: Our Journey
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How we're combating climate change: AI-Powered Climate Tech
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A customer story: Ben & Jerry's uses H2Ok's precision automation to cut time & water usage
There are many easier places to work on AI. Laminar is for people who want the hardest version of their discipline.
Models here must survive contact with physics. Hardware must survive years of continuous industrial operation. Software must integrate with machinery built decades ago. Everything we build ultimately has to work on a factory floor.
We believe exceptional people should be given exceptional amounts of ownership. At Laminar, you will have the context to form your own view, the permission to challenge ours, and the resources to pursue the right answers, whatever technical or organizational boundaries stand in the way. There are few layers between identifying something important and changing it.
We’re fortunate to work with a small team of people who are unusually capable, curious, rigorous, ambitious, and low-ego. If that sounds like you, we’d love to meet you.- Work with real recognition: 2026 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Gold 2026 Edison Award, Unilever Startup of the Year, Innovator Awards by both Coca-Cola and ABInBev, and more
- Health, dental, and vision coverage, plus short- and long-term disability and life insurance
- Competitive salary, equity, and a 401(k) with company match
- A team that celebrates together from rooftop lunches, ping pong matches, Lunch & Learns, and regular team events
- Flexible time off and 12 company-paid holidays
- A conference and learning budget to keep growing your craft
- Transportation benefit for your commute
Our Interview Process
Skills
As published by lever · 5 questions · 2 written answers
Basics
Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, Twitter URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio URL
Pick from a list (3)
- Are you authorized to work lawfully in the United States for Laminar?
- Are you able to work in-person at least 3-4 days a week in Somerville, MA?
- Will you now or in the future require Laminar to commence (“sponsor”) an immigration case in order to employ you (for example, H-1B or other employment-based immigration case)? This is sometimes called “sponsorship” for an employment-based visa status.
Written answers (2)
- Would you like to share who referred you to this opportunity? If so, please include here. optional
- What interests you about this role, and how do your skills or experience make you a good fit?
