Application Engineer, Hardware/Firmware (OEM Integrations)

Karman is an NVIDIA-backed AI company developing technology to help AI data centers dynamically orchestrate power and increase compute capacity from existing energy infrastructure. The Application Engineer will serve as the technical bridge between Karman and customer hardware environments, designing, implementing, validating, and deploying hardware and embedded firmware integrations while leading customer-facing technical execution.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with Product and GTM teams pre-contract to assess customer hardware environments and build proof-of-concept integration layers that demonstrate Karman's value
• Design and implement the hardware integration layer between Karman and customer infrastructure; review both Utilidata and customer hardware designs to identify integration points and gaps
• Write and modify embedded firmware to adapt Karman to each customer's platform
• Own end-to-end technical execution for customer hardware integrations, from kick-off through design, validation, release, and deployment
• Lead customer-facing technical calls, on-site visits, and requirements reviews with customer engineering, IT, and operations teams
• Create and maintain customer integration artifacts, including HW Design Review Checklists, Validation and Test Checklists, Installation and Power-Up Guides, HW Release Timelines, KPI trackers, and After-Action Reports
• Develop HW Design Collaterals covering layout, schematic, power, IO, signal integrity, thermal, and RFI requirements
• Produce SOM and metrology bring-up documentation, including HW Bring-Up and Power-Up Guides and design reviews for schematics, layouts, and test results
• Track hardware KPIs and risks; escalate and coordinate resolution across engineering teams
• Take an AI-first approach to automating processes and generating integration and deployment artifacts
• Participate in roadmap meetings, sprint planning, and design reviews with the HW team to maintain current product knowledge
• Serve as the feedback loop between field deployments and core engineering, translating integration learnings into product improvements
• Build out repeatable processes, templates, and best practices to scale the Application Engineering function

Requirements:

• 6+ years of hands-on hardware and embedded firmware engineering experience, with a demonstrated ability to independently design, implement, and validate hardware solutions from concept through production
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, computer science or similar field OR equivalent training and on the job experience
• Proven experience designing hardware integration points, including PCB-level design, interface definition, and system bring-up, owned end-to-end
• FPGA development experience spanning both hardware design/RTL and firmware
• Proficiency writing, modifying, and debugging embedded firmware independently
• Working knowledge of embedded and data center interfaces and protocols (e.g., I2C, UART, PCIe, Ethernet)
• Ability to read and critically review schematics, PCB layouts, and test results
• Demonstrated ability to produce structured engineering artifacts, including design review checklists, test plans, validation procedures, and deployment documentation
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical content to both engineering and non-engineering audiences
• High learning agility in fast-moving, early-stage product environments
• Experience in data center infrastructure, power electronics, or energy management hardware
• Willingness to travel  for customer kick-offs, on-site reviews, and deployment validation
• Regular travel to OEM partner sites and the company's HQ in Ann Arbor, MI is required
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineer or related field
• Familiarity with System-on-Module (SOM) platforms or metrology hardware
• Knowledge of power quality, thermal management, or power sequencing
• Experience with embedded Linux, BSP bring-up, or Yocto-based OS customization
• Familiarity with on-device messaging and serialization patterns (e.g., ZeroMQ, Protobuf, gRPC, REST APIs)
• Prior experience in a customer-facing technical role such as Field Application Engineer or systems integration engineer
• Preference will be given to candidates based in or around the Bay Area, CA