Embedded Hardware Engineer

About Ixana

Ixana is a Purdue University spinoff pioneering brain-inspired wearable computing. We’ve developed Wi-R, a patented communication technology that is 100x more energy-efficient than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Join our team building the next era of real-time, AI-powered human-computer interaction.

The Wi-R Revolution

Wi-R is our patented non-radiative near-field communication technology that creates secure, wire-like wireless experiences through small E-field bubbles around the body or device surface. This breakthrough enables unprecedented energy efficiency and low latency, making all-day wearable and other power-constrained devices finally practical.

See our website for demos of high-speed data streaming through skin contact.

What you’ll do

• Design and develop embedded hardware systems around Ixana’s Wi-R SoCs for next-generation wearable and connected devices
• Own hardware development from concept through schematic capture, PCB layout, board bring-up, debug, and validation
• Work on low-power mixed-signal and digital designs including sensors, interfaces, power management, and high-speed connectivity
• Bring up and characterize prototype boards in the lab using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power analyzers, and other bench equipment
• Collaborate closely with IC, firmware, software, mechanical, and test teams to enable fast iteration from silicon to product demos
• Support design-for-test, reliability, manufacturability, and system integration across development builds
• Contribute to reference designs, internal tools, documentation, and patentable innovations

What we’re looking for

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics, or a similar field plus 2+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree in a similar field
• Hands-on experience with embedded hardware design, PCB development, board bring-up, and lab debugging
• Familiarity with schematic capture and PCB design tools such as Altium or KiCad
• Strong understanding of low-power electronics, digital interfaces, and hardware-software integration
• Comfortable working on-site in West Lafayette 5 days per week

Preferred:

• Experience with wearable, consumer electronics, IoT, or other compact embedded systems
• Experience with mixed-signal design, sensors, PMICs, batteries, and embedded interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, USB, or BLE/Wi-Fi companion systems
• Familiarity with firmware bring-up and embedded C/C++ or Python for scripting and test automation
• Experience debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, or power analyzers
• Knowledge of DFM, DFT, EMI/EMC considerations, and early-stage product development
• Startup experience or a track record of shipping hardware in fast-moving teams

Compensation & benefits

• Base salary: $95,000-$125,000 USD, aligned to early-career embedded hardware hiring in West Lafayette while remaining competitive with broader U.S. electrical engineering benchmarks
• Approximate San Francisco equivalents: $95k ≈ $164k, $100k ≈ $173k, $110k ≈ $190k, $120k ≈ $208k, $125k ≈ $216k (https://www.apartments.com/cost-of-living/lafayette-in-vs-san-francisco-ca/)
• Cash bonus: 8%-20% annual bonus based on impact and performance
• Meaningful early-stage equity
• Relocation bonus and partner job-search help
• Full visa sponsorship including STEM-OPT transfer / H-1B / TN / future green card support
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, inventor cash awards

Why Ixana

• Build world-first products that cannot be enabled by conventional wireless approaches
• Work across silicon, hardware, firmware, and systems in a deeply collaborative environment
• Startup upside without seed-stage risk
• Daily access to Purdue’s ecosystem and a high-talent technical team
• Publish, patent, present. We celebrate technical excellence and named inventorship

Location

West Lafayette, IN. Based at our HQ near Purdue University. Relocation and local area orientation provided.

Ready to build the future of low-power connected devices?

Ixana is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.