Senior Hardware Engineer

Department: Hardware

Employment Type: Permanent employee

Schedule: Full-time

Seniority: Experienced

Location: Delft Headquarter

As a Senior Hardware Engineer, you will play a key role in designing, developing, and validating the physical systems that power Kitepower’s technology. You will work hands-on across mechanical, electrical, and mechatronic systems, contributing directly to the performance, reliability, and safety of our kite power systems.
You’ll collaborate closely with software engineers, aerodynamicists, and field operations, taking designs from concept through prototyping, testing, and real-world deployment.

What you will be doing? 

The hardware team is responsible for designing, developing and maintaining all physical components of our systems, for example the Kite Control Unit (KCU), kites and groundstation. Tasks of the Senior Hardware Engineer are:

Electrical & Electronics Engineering

• Design robust electrical circuits and PCB layouts, including multi-layer boards
• Consider EMC, signal integrity, grounding, protection, and manufacturability
• Integrate electrical systems at system level, including sensors and actuators
• Support electrical installation and system-level integration

Hardware & Mechanical Engineering

• Design and develop multi-component mechanical systems, considering loads, tolerances, interfaces, and DFM/DFA principles
• Create production-ready CAD assemblies (Onshape) with proper tolerancing and manufacturing methods
• Define and implement test setups for components and subsystems
• Design experiments, analyze data, and identify root causes of failures

Software & Systems

• Contribute to embedded and system-level software, primarily in C++
• Support integration of hardware and software, including diagnostics and fail-safes
• Collaborate on control systems and system interfaces
• Analyze field data and failure cases to improve system robustness

You will work on

• Kite Control Units (KCU)
• Ground station hardware
• Mechatronic subsystems and structural components
• Integrated hardware-software systems deployed rapidly in the field

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, or a related field
• Strong experience in hardware development across mechanical and/or electrical domains
• Hands-on mindset with the ability to take designs from concept to deployment
• Proficiency in CAD (preferably Onshape)
• Experience with testing, validation, and troubleshooting
• Programming experience in C++ (embedded or system-level)

Nice to have

Experience with renewable energy systems (AWE is a strong plus)
Knowledge of aerodynamics and performance analysis
Experience with battery systems, energy storage, or power electronics
Embedded software development (bare-metal or SoC)At Kitepower, we believe that changing the world should be an exciting and rewarding journey. We invest in our team members' growth and well-being, offering a package that includes: 

• An attractive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. 
• A key role in a pioneering company at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution. 
• High impact: the direct opportunity to see your work materialize and make a tangible difference in accelerating the world's transition to clean energy. 
• A dynamic culture: a flat, open, and collaborative work environment where your ideas are valued and your voice is heard. 
• Innovation-driven work: the chance to tackle unique, complex challenges with cutting-edge technology, from simulation to flight. 
• Professional growth: continuous learning opportunities in a multidisciplinary field that blends aerospace, mechatronics, power systems and software.