WHAT DOES A HARDWARE DO?

Published: Jun 13, 2025 - The Hardware Professional designs and develops physical components such as circuit boards, processors, and electronic interfaces. This role involves ensuring functional integration, manufacturability, and compliance with safety and quality standards. The individual performs testing, debugging, and continuous improvement to optimize hardware performance and reliability.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Hardware

1. Hardware Design Engineer Duties

  • System Design: System design in collaboration with other project members, with a special focus on PCB, packaging, mechanics, and firmware
  • Hardware Development: Develop analog and digital hardware boards/solutions from the design phase to production release
  • Layout Supervision: Layout supervision from first scratch to series production, considering EMC-conform design
  • Firmware Integration: Integrate firmware for embedded DSPs or controllers in C and C++
  • Debug and Testing: Debugging and testing with a hands-on mentality
  • Product Maintenance: Product care of the existing product portfolio to ensure long-term availability, competitive production cost, quality, and producibility
  • Market Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of developments and trends in the semiconductor market
  • Prototype Development: Develop, build, and set up prototypes, as well as coordinate and execute functional tests
  • Team Collaboration: Active collaboration in comprehensive committees along the development process (project teams, FMEA teams, etc.)

2. Hardware Development Engineer Details

  • Optical Collaboration: Develop/review optical parts and sub-assemblies (cameras, lighting, and so on) with vendors or manufacturers
  • Drawing Review: Review all technical camera and sub-optical system drawings of vendors
  • System Input: Input on vendor or internal optical system design with cameras, lighting, and their positions
  • Technology Research: Research emerging optical technologies, conduct in-depth analysis, infer conclusions, and drive the optics roadmap
  • Optical Innovation: Conceive, design, and create entirely new optical components and systems to enable a compelling customer experience
  • Prototype Testing: Pursue rapid optics prototyping and characterization to identify and mitigate technical and product risks
  • Specification Definition: Define key optical specifications and testing methodologies to drive suppliers to establish manufacturing readiness

3. Senior Hardware Development Engineer Responsibilities

  • Requirements Definition: Develop a comprehensive set of technical requirements for all of ELAM’s charging hardware and ancillary systems
  • Benchmark Testing: Benchmark and develop test cases for commercially available systems at ELAM’s Center of Excellence lab and prototype new ideas
  • Vendor Development: Lead all aspects of vendor-based charging system hardware development, vendor management, and testing
  • Vendor Coordination: Conduct weekly vendor meetings, pacing calls, and lead third-party activities such as UL certification
  • Strategy Support: Provide all technical background for ELAM’s hardware vendor strategy
  • System Development: Lead all aspects of vendor-based ancillary system development, vendor management, and testing
  • Hardware Testing: Drive lab setup and testing of new hardware assets through all development phases, from prototyping and testing to UL certification and production ramp
  • Project Tracking: Establish a project management and milestone tracking system with hardware vendors and report progress to ELAM management
  • Quality Feedback: Provide technical feedback and input to ELAM’s quality team
  • Cross-Team Support: Provide technical feedback and input to other non-engineering teams within ELAM, such as operations, strategy, government affairs, and business development

4. Hardware Engineer Job Summary

  • Hardware Architecture: Design a secure hardware architecture related to the development, operation, and maintenance of complex technology systems
  • Protection Analysis: Conduct and lead program protection analyses for hardware systems
  • System Integration: Analyze the integration of hardware components and methodologies to ensure the effectiveness of total system performance
  • Critical Identification: Identify Critical Program Information (CPI) and Critical Components (CC) while developing a Program Protection Plan (PPP) to ensure secure and reliable operation of government systems
  • Engineering Practices: Implement engineering best practices to ensure the development and delivery of secure and resilient capabilities
  • Security Documentation: Document security approaches for electrical and computer hardware in the Program Protection Plan
  • Firmware Analysis: Analyze software and firmware operation related to the control of sensors, actuators, electro-mechanical components, and computer systems
  • I/O Analysis: Analyze communications and input/output aspects of electrical and computer hardware systems
  • Cryptographic Hardware: Analyze cryptographic hardware components and communications links
  • Circuit Analysis: Analyze printed circuit boards, analog circuits, digital circuits, integrated circuits, FPGA logic, etc.

5. Hardware Engineering Manager Accountabilities

  • Team Management: Manage members of the Hardware Engineering Team in North Reading
  • Technical Mentoring: Provide mentoring and technical guidance
  • Project Leadership: Lead teams during projects, such as instrument redesigns due to defects or discontinued components, and feature enhancements
  • Case Tracking: Track and report on cases assigned to the team using the Bug Tracking database
  • Cross-Site Coordination: Work with Engineering Teams in Buffalo Grove, IL and San Jose, Costa Rica
  • Global Integration: Integrate with Global Support Organization, Marketing, Application, Operations, and Supply Line Management, responsible for Semiconductor Test products
  • Status Communication: Communicate the status of projects, cases, and issues to Customers and Senior Management

6. Hardware Engineering Manager Functions

  • Prototype Testing: Arrange testing of the prototype and modify the design
  • Requirement Assessment: Assess product requirements, costs, manufacturing feasibility, and market requirements
  • Design Objectives: Establish product design and performance objectives in consultation with business functions
  • Task Management: Monitor work schedules, assign tasks, and delegate responsibilities to the development team
  • Production Liaison: Liaise with the production team to investigate and resolve manufacturing problems
  • Offshore Support: Support the offshore development team at eInfochips

7. Hardware Technician Job Description

  • Hardware Tasks: Perform daily hardware tasks as assigned by the Hardware Management Team
  • Stock Control: Perform basic ordering and stock control functions as assigned by the Hardware Management Team
  • Project Support: Champion sub-tasks of larger projects under the guidance of the Hardware Management Team
  • Operational Support: Provide hardware-related support to the Operational Teams and Remote Support under the guidance of the Support and Maintenance Assistant Manager
  • Fault Analysis: Provide analytical information about hardware faults, investigation, and alternative solutions
  • Housekeeping Duties: Responsible for the general housekeeping of the Production Floor and other utilised areas
  • Time Logging: Responsible for the reporting and logging of time spent on projects
  • Logistics Coordination: Coordinate with the Logistics Team regarding logistical queries

8. Hardware Test Engineer Overview

  • Platform Integration: Custom detector test platform design, integration, and debugging
  • System Documentation: Configuration, documentation, and setup instructions to support the specific test systems provided to manufacturing
  • Work Instruction: Provide complete packages and work instructions suitable for use by production operators
  • Test Support: Maintain test systems and provide technical production support
  • Infrastructure Deployment: Support manufacturing with the deployment of new detector test infrastructure and technology process transfer (from initial prototype to standard production)
  • Capability Expansion: Contribute to the scale-up and expansion of characterization and testing capabilities including automation and troubleshooting for various x-ray and gamma-ray applications
  • Software Debugging: Develop and debug test system software and firmware
  • PCB Design: Design circuits and layout PCBs for production equipment
  • Circuit Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot electronic circuitry using diagnostic tools such as multimeters and oscilloscopes
  • Data Reporting: Collect large amounts of data from the production database and summarize results in reports
  • R&D Assistance: Assist in various material and device R&D experiments
Relevant Information
What Does A Hardware Engineer Do?
What Does A Hardware Test Engineer Do?