Chief Electronics Architect

Job Title: Hardware Design Manager

This role focuses on leading the overall hardware design function, ensuring the successful development of high-quality, reliable, and cost-effective hardware solutions.

The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, deep technical expertise in electronic hardware design, and proven experience in managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Hardware Design and Development: Define long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for hardware design. Align hardware design goals with business objectives and market requirements.
• Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of power electronics, schematic capture, PCB design tools, and hardware simulation. Understanding of manufacturing processes, DFM/DFT principles. Familiarity with EMI/EMC compliance, thermal management, and reliability Testing.
• Design Review and Optimization: Design and review PCBs, and BOMs for air conditioning control systems. Ensure EMI/EMC compliance, protection circuitry, and thermal management in hardware design. Lead design optimization for cost, manufacturability, and performance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with firmware teams to define hardware-software interfaces, including ADC/DAC ranges, digital IO behavior, and communication protocols. Perform system-level debugging during development and field issues.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure robust design verification and validation processes are followed. Mitigate design risks through FMEA, simulations, and rigorous testing. Oversee resolution of field failures and continuous product improvement.

Main Deliverables:

• Finalized hardware architecture - Inverter Drive and logic controllers, communication modules, and power boards – for VRF/Residential AC's/Chiller/Commercial Refrigeration products.
• Approved schematic designs and Bill of Materials (BOM) for each model/variant. Close coordination with PCB layout and part development team.
• Design calculation sheets for power electronics, control circuits, and protection systems. Updated design standards library (component database, reference designs, PCB stack-up guidelines).
• Functional test reports for control boards, inverter boards, and sensor interfaces. EMI/EMC compliance test reports in accordance with HVAC and regional standards. Thermal performance and reliability test documentation.

Benefits:

• Component cost-reduction proposals without compromising performance or reliability. Approved list of alternate components for high-risk/long lead-time parts. Standardization plan for components across product families to reduce procurement complexity.
• DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and DFT (Design for Test) guidelines incorporated into all hardware. Manufacturing test jig designs and test procedure documentation. Supplier qualification reports for PCB fabricators, component vendors, and assembly houses.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Compliance with HVAC safety standards (e.g., IEC 60335, UL 60335, IS standards for India). Documentation and approvals for electrical safety, energy efficiency, and environmental requirements (RoHS/REACH). Grounding, insulation, and surge protection strategies validated and documented.

Cross-Functional Teamwork:

• Regular hardware progress updates to program management and product teams. Hardware support for field trials and customer evaluations. Root cause analysis and corrective actions for field issues related to hardware. Training plan for hardware design team on new technologies (e.g., high-efficiency inverters, IoT modules). Implementation of design review and approval processes. Continuous improvement of hardware development workflows and tools.