{"id":2631313,"url":"https://alion.io/job/proto-hardware-engineer","title":"Hardware Engineer","company":{"id":4416196,"name":"Proto","domain":"proto.town","url":"https://alion.io/company/proto-7","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Lockhart, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":100000,"max_usd":226000,"period":"year","method":"role_country_seniority_unknown","sample_n":2687},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-04-24T08:49:06Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-04-24","last_verified_at":"2026-10-16T07:10:25Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":175,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":174},"description":"Proto-Experiments runs ambitious projects. Our current focus is ML-driven crystal growth systems that close the loop between sensors, ML-driven control, and physical hardware. We're looking for a tinkerer whose core strengths are sensors, microcontroller programming, and breadboard-level fabrication. A lot of this role is figuring out how to prototype and build. Materials science or ML background is a plus but not required. Hiring ASAP.\nCrystal growth is the immediate project, but Proto-Experiments has other unusual builds in the pipeline. If it is a good fit, there is real opportunity to keep working together on what comes next.\nWhat you'll do\nBuild the sensing side of our growth rigs: thermocouples, optical sensors, cameras, pressure sensors - selecting them, wiring them cleanly, and getting clean signals out of noisy environments.\n\nProgram the microcontrollers running the rigs: sensor sampling, control loops, motor sequencing, and host comms.\n\nBreadboard and prototype-level fabrication: protoboards, harnesses, simple carrier boards, plus 3D-printed brackets and basic mechanical scaffolding.\n\nPower side: heater control, motor drives, PID loops, MOSFETs, isolation, grounding.\n\nTake rigs from \"works on the bench\" to \"runs reliably for a 72-hour growth,\" and debug across the stack when they don't.\n\nWe're looking for\nA natural tinkerer - someone who learns quickly, stays deeply curious, works extremely hard, and brings creativity to the bench.\n\nStrong sensor integration experience\n\nSolid microcontroller programming\n\nReal breadboard and prototype-fab skills\n\nLight mechanical fab: basic CAD, 3D printing\n\nYou don't need every one of these. We care more about mindset and attitude.\nLogistics\nContract: Hours flexible. Hiring ASAP. Potential to convert to full-time.\n\nOn-site in Lockhart, TX.\n\nTo apply: email ","description_format":"text","description_chars":1850,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-15T16:16:11Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":5,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.172,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":174,"expected_fill_days":21,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-16T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/proto-hardware-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/proto-hardware-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-16T09:48:50Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":8074,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-17T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":4416196},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=4416196"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fproto-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fproto-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fproto-hardware-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/proto-hardware-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fproto-hardware-engineer"}]}