Hardware Development Engineer-Sensor Systems (with Power Electronics)

UnioTech is a contract engineering company delivering hardware and embedded systems for clients across Europe. We are looking for a Hardware Development Engineer whose primary focus is the design of PCBs and hardware for a wide range of sensor systems — microcontroller- and single-board-computer-based platforms integrating diverse sensors and low-power wireless communication. Strong experience in high-power power electronics (isolated DC/DC converters) is highly valued: this person will also be expected to contribute to, and ideally lead, power-stage design work.

Responsibilities:

Sensor system hardware (primary focus)

• Design, develop, and test hardware for sensor systems built around microcontrollers (MCU + sensors) and single-board computers (SBC + sensors).
• Translate system requirements into modular and scalable schematics, PCB layouts, and Bill-of-Material (BoM) selection.
• Design mixed-signal PCBs interfacing to a broad range of sensors, including analog front-ends and digital buses (I?C, SPI, UART, 1-Wire, CAN, RS-485).
• Specify signal-conditioning and data-acquisition chains: amplification, filtering, ADC/DAC selection, voltage references, and noise management.
• Integrate low-power radio communication into sensor nodes — typical transmit power up to ~10 W, operating frequencies up to 5 GHz (e.g., sub-GHz ISM, BLE / 2.4 GHz, Wi-Fi, LoRa). This includes RF front-end, impedance matching, and antenna integration and placement.
• Design power-supply and power-management sub-systems for sensor nodes (LDOs, switching regulators, battery / charge management, low-power and sleep-mode design).
• Ensure signal integrity, EMC/EMI robustness, sound grounding, and predictable thermal behavior across the layout.
• Perform prototype bring-up, hardware debugging, testing, and laboratory validation across the specified environmental operating range (e.g., -20 °C to +70 °C).

Power electronics (retained scope — highly desirable)

• Design, develop, and test complex power electronics hardware, specifically isolated DC/DC converters in the 700 W to 1 kW range, with input voltage up to 900 Vdc and output voltage up to 600 Vdc.
• Design power stages utilizing various topologies (Push-Pull, Half-Bridge, Full-Bridge).
• Apply expertise in magnetic-component design, including calculating and specifying high-frequency transformers and filter inductors.
• Implement hardware-based protection circuits (OVP, OCP, SCP, OTP).
• Verify functional performance of prototype hardware under all specified operating conditions, including extreme temperatures (-20 °C to +70 °C) and the full voltage range (input up to 900 Vdc, output up to 600 Vdc).
• Execute lab testing, including thermal profiling (baseplate conduction cooling), efficiency mapping, and high-voltage safety protocol execution.

Required Qualifications & Hard Skills

• 3+ years of professional hardware/PCB design experience: schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout for mixed-signal systems.
• Hands-on experience designing MCU-based and SBC-based hardware and interfacing it to sensors over analog and digital interfaces.
• Experience integrating low-power RF/wireless links (up to 5 GHz, up to ~10 W): RF-aware layout, controlled impedance (50 ?), matching networks, and antenna integration.
• Strong grasp of mixed-signal PCB layout: minimizing noise coupling, grounding strategy, power distribution, and EMC/EMI mitigation.
• Experience bringing up and debugging prototype hardware with standard lab equipment (oscilloscope, multimeter, spectrum analyzer, VNA, etc.).
• Familiarity with EMC and electrical-safety considerations and pre-compliance testing.
• Proficiency with a professional EDA toolchain (e.g., Altium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent).
• Working proficiency in English (client-facing role).

Highly Desirable — Power Electronics

• 5+ years of general experience in power electronics design, OR 2−3+ years of highly relevant experience focused specifically on high-power (>500 W) SMPS development.
• Deep understanding of hard-switching and soft-switching (ZVS) mechanisms in forward-derived topologies.
• Expertise in PCB layout for power electronics, with a strict focus on minimizing parasitic inductances, isolating «hot loops,» and adhering to strict creepage and clearance geometry rules (e.g., >10 mm gaps for 1000 V+).
• Experience conducting circuit modeling and simulations (LTspice, PSIM, Simulink, or PLECS) to validate and optimize converter designs.
• Extensive experience designing around hardware analog PWM controllers and tuning analog feedback-loop compensation.

We offer:

• Opportunity to work in an office in Khmelnitsky or ability to work remotely (only in Ukraine);
• Competitive remuneration;
• Constant professional growth and development;
• Provision of equipment as needed;
• A dynamic and supportive work environment, with access to cutting-edge tools and resources;
• The ability to work with the latest modern tools and technologies on different projects;
• 8-hour working day with flexible schedule;
• The company pays taxes, provides accounting and legal support;
• Opportunity to attend courses (English lessons or other related to professional activities)