What does a hardware engineer do? Duties, skills, how the role differs from its neighbours, and a job description template

Every piece of software runs on a physical machine that somebody designed, tested and got into production. What does a hardware engineer do? They are that somebody: the engineer who turns a requirement into a processor, a circuit board, a memory system or a device, proves on the bench that it works, and sees it through manufacture.

This article explains the job using two primary sources, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics handbook and the O*NET occupational database, sets out six duties, the tools and skills, how the role differs from electrical engineers, software engineers and technicians, walks through a typical project, and ends with a job description template. The sources are American; the work is the same anywhere hardware is designed.

Hardware projects live by specifications and milestones, and an engineer's own objectives should be as clear as the spec. See how New Dynamics Goals & OKRs keep targets and progress in one place, from the programme's release date down to each engineer's next prototype.

What is a hardware engineer?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines computer hardware engineers as people who “research, design, develop, and test computers and related equipment, such as processors, circuit boards, and memory devices.” O*NET uses almost the same words and widens the scope: “Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.” Its sample titles are design engineer, hardware engineer, physical design engineer, systems integration engineer and field service engineer.

Two ideas define the job. First, the hardware engineer is responsible for the physical computer, from a chip to a finished device, and for the peripherals and support hardware around it. Second, the job is inseparable from software. The BLS says these engineers work closely with software developers so that hardware and software work together, and O*NET's tasks include conferring with engineering staff “to evaluate interface between hardware and software”. A hardware engineer who cannot talk to the software team is designing in the dark.

Hardware engineer duties: six responsibilities

The BLS duty list and the O*NET tasks, grouped for a job description, give six areas of work.

1. Design new hardware and draw the schematics. O*NET: “Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs)”. The engineer turns a requirement into an architecture, then a schematic and a board layout.
2. Build and test prototypes. O*NET: “Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models”, and “Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure specifications are met”. This is bench work: instruments, test rigs and long days finding out why a signal is not where it should be.
3. Analyse results and change the design. The BLS lists analysing test results and modifying the design accordingly. Most designs go round this loop several times before they are right.
4. Write specifications and documentation. O*NET: “Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process”. The specification is what the software team, the manufacturer and the next engineer rely on.
5. Update existing equipment for new software. The BLS lists updating existing hardware so that it works with new software. Products live longer than the code that first ran on them.
6. Oversee manufacturing. The BLS lists overseeing the manufacturing process; O*NET adds selecting hardware and materials that comply with requirements, weighing cost constraints and directing technicians and support staff. The design is not finished until it can be built at volume, at cost, and tested on the line.

Running through all six is the joint work with software developers on the interface between the two, and O*NET's first task, which is easy to forget in a job advert: “Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.”

Hardware engineer vs electrical engineer vs software engineer vs technician

The titles overlap and the job adverts often confuse them. The table gives the usual division.

Computer hardware engineering grew out of electrical engineering and the two still share a great deal; many hardware engineers hold electrical or electronic engineering degrees. The difference is focus: the electrical engineer job description covers power and electrical systems broadly, while the hardware engineer is concerned with computing equipment specifically. Firmware, the low-level code closest to the hardware, is where hardware and software engineers meet, and some hardware engineers write it.

Skills, tools and qualifications

Qualifications. The BLS says most entry-level positions require “a bachelor's degree in computer engineering or a related field”, with coursework in circuit design, operating systems and computer programming, and a strong background in mathematics and science. O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone Four, where a bachelor's degree is the norm and a master's is common.

Tools. O*NET's technology list includes CAD software such as AutoCAD, CATIA and Creo Parametric; programming and scripting languages including C++, Python and Java; analysis tools such as MATLAB and Simulink; and version control with Git or SVN. Add the tools of your own stack, such as schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation and hardware description languages, and say which ones matter.

Skills. The BLS names communication skills, computer skills including CAD, critical-thinking skills and problem-solving skills as the important qualities. O*NET's essential skills list runs to critical thinking, reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, writing, active learning, mathematics and monitoring. In practice a hardware engineer needs to:

• read a specification and find what it does not say;
• reason from a failed test back to a cause, with instruments and patience;
• write documentation that another engineer can build from;
• explain a trade-off between cost, power, performance and time to people who are not engineers;
• keep learning, because the technology moves faster than most careers.

A hardware project, phase by phase

The work changes character over a project. A job description that describes only the design phase misleads candidates about the rest.

1. Requirements and architecture. With product management and the software team, decide what the hardware must do, at what cost and power, and by when. Choose the architecture and the main components.
2. Design. Schematics, board layout, component selection and simulation. Reviews with peers before anything is built.
3. Prototype and test. Bring up the first boards, write and run tests, find the faults, change the design, repeat. Work closely with firmware engineers to get the interface right.
4. Release to manufacture. Documentation, test procedures for the line, cost and supplier confirmation, and support for the first production runs and the field.

Hardware engineer job description template

Job title: Hardware Engineer (Computer Hardware Engineer, Electronics Design Engineer)

Reports to: Hardware Engineering Manager or Lead Engineer

Purpose: Design, prototype, test and release to manufacture the hardware for the company's products, working with software and manufacturing teams so that the product works, can be built and meets its cost and performance targets.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop hardware from requirements: architecture, component selection, schematics and board layout.
• Build, bring up and test prototypes; analyse results and revise the design.
• Write functional specifications, design documentation and test procedures.
• Work with firmware and software engineers on the interface between hardware and software.
• Select materials and components to meet cost, performance and compliance requirements.
• Support manufacture: line test, first production runs, supplier questions and field issues.
• Update existing products for new software and components.
• Keep skills current with developments in the technology.

Skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in computer, electrical or electronic engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Schematic capture, PCB layout and simulation tools; state which.
• C, C++ or Python for test and tooling; version control.
• Bench skills with oscilloscopes, logic analysers and test rigs.
• Clear written documentation and the ability to explain trade-offs to non-engineers.

Working pattern: Laboratory and office based; some time at manufacturing sites during release. State the split.

Frequently asked questions

What does a hardware engineer do day to day?

Depending on the project phase: designing schematics and board layouts, building and testing prototypes on the bench, analysing failures and revising the design, writing specifications and test procedures, working with software engineers on the interface, and supporting manufacture. The BLS summarises the job as researching, designing, developing and testing computers and related equipment.

What is the difference between a hardware engineer and a software engineer?

The hardware engineer designs and tests the physical computer: processors, boards, memory and devices. The software engineer writes the code that runs on it. They meet at firmware and the hardware-software interface, and O*NET lists evaluating that interface among the hardware engineer's tasks.

Is a hardware engineer the same as an electrical engineer?

No, though they overlap. Electrical engineering covers electrical and power systems in general; computer hardware engineering is the part concerned with computing equipment. Many hardware engineers hold electrical or electronic engineering degrees.

What qualifications does a hardware engineer need?

The BLS says entry-level roles usually require a bachelor's degree in computer engineering or a related field, with strong mathematics and science; O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone Four. Employers also look for experience with CAD, simulation and version-control tools.

What skills make a good hardware engineer?

Critical thinking and problem-solving to reason from a failed test to its cause, clear written documentation, communication with software and manufacturing teams, and active learning, because the technology changes quickly.

Your next step: write the advert for the whole project

1. Say which phase the role spends most time in: architecture, design, test or manufacture.
2. Name the tools and the stack, not a generic CAD list.
3. State how the role works with firmware and software engineers.
4. Set objectives per phase, so progress is visible between releases.

For a way to write those objectives so they can be measured, read and download our SMART goals guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want engineers' objectives, feedback and reviews in one place across the programme? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current process. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.