Sr HW Design Engineer
Real Ventures
San Jose, CA · $161k–$241k a year · Posted November 5, 2026
Just laid off? Start here: a plan for the first weeks
More in California job market · Technology & Software · Engineering jobs
More roles at Real Ventures
- Principal Software Development Engineer
- Senior, ML Engineer - VLM · Ann Arbor, MI
- Senior Director, Agentic Engineering
- Director, Global Accounts
- Principal Engineer · San Jose, CA
- Head of Product · San Francisco, CA
Similar jobs
- Application Engineer – Semiconductor 3D X-ray Solutions · Applied Materials · Benicia, CA
- Mechanical Engineer · Chariot Defense · San Bruno, CA
- Mechanical Build Engineer · Booz Allen Hamilton · El Segundo, CA
- Test Engineer - Secret Clearance Required · American Systems · March Air Reserve Base, CA
- Product Engineer, Front End · Flux · San Francisco, CA
- Mechanical Engineer III - Actuation · Crane · Burbank, CA
Where San Jose, CA ranks
Where San Jose, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for marketing pay after cost of living$204k · of 16
- #1Best cities for aerospace and defense pay after cost of living$187k · of 19
- #2Best cities for security pay after cost of living$220k · of 10
- #3Best cities for technology pay after cost of living$205k · of 80
- #5Best cities for technology jobs1,449 openings · of 100
- #5Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast162 jobs · of 47
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among mechanical engineers is little observed so far. Measured exposure for mechanical engineers: 8% (little observed).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation.
Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.
F5 is seeking an accomplished Sr Hardware Design Engineer to lead the development of advanced hardware solutions for high-performance electronic systems. As a key member of the Hardware Development Team, you will drive the design of complex electrical subsystems from concept through production release, providing technical leadership, mentoring, and strategic input across projects. This role requires deep expertise in multiple areas of hardware design and the ability to influence architecture decisions, ensure design excellence, and foster innovation.
Key Responsibilities:
Uphold F5’s Business Code of Ethics and promptly report violations of the Code or other company policies.
Act as a technical authority, independently determining methods and procedures for new or complex assignments.
Lead system-level hardware design for new products, including architecture definition, functional specifications, and requirements development.
Collaborate with architecture teams to define system requirements and author functional specifications for hardware subsystems.
Drive design for manufacturability, testability, and reliability across all phases of development.
Research and evaluate emerging technologies to enhance existing products and guide new product directions.
Oversee and mentor engineers, providing technical guidance and reviewing work to ensure quality and efficiency.
Conduct internal and external technical presentations and disseminate knowledge within the hardware team.
Develop and maintain schedules for deliverables, ensuring timely and high-quality documentation and testing.
Interface with suppliers and manufacturing partners for validation and issue resolution.
Author and implement designs for programmable logic devices (CPLDs) using Verilog HDL when required.
Support sustaining engineering for legacy products and assist in manufacturing training for new designs.
Participate in design reviews and contribute to continuous improvement of design processes and standards.
Qualifications:
Required:
Understand and comply with F5 internal processes and requirements.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
10+ years of experience in electrical hardware design for high-speed digital, analog, and mixed-signal systems.
Proficiency with schematic capture and hardware design tools (e.g., Cadence, Altium, Mentor Graphics).
Strong understanding of signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, and thermal considerations.
Proficiency with Verilog HDL programming for CPLD design.
Advanced troubleshooting skills at board and system levels.
Expertise with the following: Intel x86 motherboard design
high-speed interfaces (DDR4/5, PCIe g5, Ethernet 100G/ 400G/ 800G)
electrical design for Altera and Xilinx FPGAs
CPU VR power supply design
signal and power integrity
system-level integration.
Familiarity with relevant industry standards and compliance requirements.
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred:
Experience with regulatory compliance (UL, CE, FCC) and reliability testing.
#LI-ZB1
The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.
The annual base pay for this position is: $160,800.00 - $241,200.00
F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, geographic locations, and market conditions, as well as to reflect F5’s differing products, industries, and lines of business. The pay range referenced is as of the time of the job posting and is subject to change.
You may also be offered incentive compensation, bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. More details about F5’s benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.f5.com/company/careers/benefits . F5 reserves the right to change or terminate any benefit plan without notice.
Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with @f5.com) or auto email notification from Workday (ending with f5.com or @myworkday.com ) .
Equal Employment Opportunity
It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. F5 offers a variety of reasonable accommodations for candidates . Requesting an accommodation is completely voluntary. F5 will assess the need for accommodations in the application process separately from those that may be needed to perform the job. Request by contacting accommodations@f5.com .