Six Figure Work

Principal Hardware Systems Engineer

d-Matrix

Company websited-matrix.ai (d-Matrix, opens in new tab)

Base salary $195K  to $285K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Santa Clara, CA

Apply (opens in new tab)

You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.

  • LocationSanta Clara, CA
  • WorkplaceHybrid
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since

About this job

Join d-Matrix and help build the future of AI inference. We’ve pioneered a memory-centric architecture that brings compute directly into memory, making AI faster, more energy efficient, and accessible on a global scale. From chips and software to rack-scale systems, our team is tackling some of AI infrastructure’s hardest challenges — and shipping breakthrough technology today. If you want to create what comes next and help make infinite inference possible, we’d love to hear from you.

Our culture is built on respect, collaboration, and direct communication. We value humility, we believe our different perspectives lead to better solutions, and we’re looking for people who are driven by execution and energized by hard problems.

Role Overview

d-Matrix is looking for a Principal Systems Hardware Engineer to own system architecture end-to-end — from concept through specification, design review, and production deployment. In this role, you'll act as the technical anchor for hardware decisions across interconnect, board, chassis, and rack-scale design, writing the specifications that partners and internal teams build against. You'll work independently against your objectives — setting technical direction without needing explicit guidance — while partnering closely with cross-functional teams and software groups to align hardware decisions with performance and workload needs. You'll review partner and vendor designs against requirements, surface misalignment and schedule risk early, and drive trade-off analysis across adjacent domains like interconnect, power, thermal, and mechanical. You'll also help establish the spec standards, review practices, and AI-assisted workflows that shape how d-Matrix builds systems at scale.

What You Will Do

  • Own system architecture end-to-end — from concept through specification, design review, and production deployment — as the technical lead across teams and partners

  • Author system, board, and rack specifications, and review partner designs against them — surfacing misalignment and schedule risk early

  • Set direction for interconnect architecture — scale-up and scale-out fabrics, NICs, switches, optics, and topology — partnering with domain specialists to execute

  • Set direction for board, chassis, and system architecture — component placement, PCB design, connectors, power, and thermal — at chassis, rack, and data-hall scale, partnering with domain specialists to execute

  • Evaluate competing design options through trade-off analysis and "what-if" scenario planning

  • Define validation, bring-up, and qualification strategy for new platforms

  • Partner with software teams to align hardware decisions with performance and workload needs, and help establish spec standards and review practices for the org

What You Will Bring

  • 8+ years of experience in hardware systems architecture, including deep, hands-on expertise in one core domain (interconnect, power, or thermal) for large-scale compute or networking systems

  • Experience owning hardware system architecture at scale (machine, rack, row, or cluster) — from specification through bring-up and high-volume production deployment

  • Experience reviewing partner designs and holding vendors to specification

  • Ability to reason about trade-offs across adjacent domains (interconnect, power, thermal, mechanical)

  • Track record of technical leadership — owning directional decisions and driving alignment across teams and partners

  • Degree in EE, CE, ME, CS, or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in hardware systems architecture for hyperscale, HPC, AI/ML, or high-end networking platforms

  • Experience with AI accelerator systems and their scale-up/scale-out fabrics

  • Chip-package-system co-design experience

  • Expertise in one or more of: high-speed SerDes/PCIe/CXL/optics; BMC/firmware/secure boot; 48V/HVDC power delivery/liquid cooling; fleet-scale RAS; signal and power integrity

  • Experience establishing new engineering functions or practices

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

d-Matrix is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and affirmative action employer. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and empowered to do their best work. We hire the best talent for our teams, regardless of race, religion, color, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, or veteran status. Our focus is on hiring teammates with humble expertise, kindness, dedication, and a willingness to embrace challenges and learn together every day.

d-Matrix does not accept resumes or candidate submissions from external agencies. We appreciate the interest and effort of recruitment firms, but we kindly request that individuals interested in opportunities with d-Matrix apply directly through our official channels. This approach allows us to streamline our hiring processes and maintain a consistent and fair evaluation of all applicants. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Source: d-Matrix on Ashby · View original posting (opens in new tab)

Pay in context

This role's base floor ($195,000) is above 85% of the 2,036 Engineering (non-software) roles in California listed on this site; 12 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $146,100; the middle half runs from $124,000 to $173,000.

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 6, 2026.

This range next to 6 other live d-Matrix roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live d-Matrix roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Principal Hardware Systems Engineer (this listing)$195K - $285K
Principal Test Automation Engineer$195K - $285K
Director, Quality and Reliability Engineering – AI Hardware$195K - $285K
Director Site Reliability Engineer, AI Infrastructure$195K - $285K
Principal Architect, Performance Analysis and Modeling$195K - $285K
Technical Program Manager - Hardware/Systems, Principal$196K - $300K
Director of Sales$200K - $250K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All d-Matrix roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. First observed on the employer's board
  2. Began meeting the published-salary criteria
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-04-01
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: Santa Clara

USD 195,000 – 285,000 · 1 YEAR · Salary

Method
Structured pay field published by the employer
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The employer's job board publishes this pay as a dedicated data field. We read the field directly; no interpretation was needed.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.