As a Hardware Engineering Manager on the Laptops & Tablets (L&T) Platform Enablement team in San Jose, you will lead a specialized team of hardware engineers responsible for defining and enabling the next-generation laptop hardware ecosystem. Operating as both a people leader and a system architect, you will guide your team technically and personally while acting as the hardware authority when partnering with cross-functional Software, Firmware, Silicon, Product Management, and Partner Engineering teams.
You will drive multi-year platform roadmaps, establish scalable hardware design guides across major SoC architectures, and lead early reference validation platforms from concept and architecture through mass production. You will balance technical judgment—arbitrating complex system trade-offs across silicon vendors, ODMs, and OEMs—with dedicated people leadership, coaching, and career development for your engineering team.
The Platforms and Devices team encompasses Google's various computing software platforms across environments (desktop, mobile, applications), as well as our first party devices and services that combine the best of Google AI, software, and hardware. Teams across this area research, design, and develop new technologies to make our user's interaction with computing faster and more seamless, building innovative experiences for our users around the world.
US: $188000 - $274000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.
Responsibilities
- Manage, mentor, and grow a globally distributed team of hardware engineers at both a technical and personal level, setting clear goals, prioritizing resources across programs, and fostering individual career growth.
- Act as a lead hardware architect and technical authority across cross-functional teams (Software, Firmware, Silicon, Mechanical, Thermal, and Product Management), translating product and OS requirements into robust laptop system architectures.
- Drive the definition, architecture, and delivery of comprehensive hardware design guides, reference validation platforms, and platform enablement frameworks from early concept to launch.
- Guide the team through complex, multi-dimensional system design, bring-up, and validation challenges, arbitrating architectural trade-offs and driving root-cause resolution across hardware, firmware, and software domains.
- Lead strategic technical engagements with key silicon providers, ODMs, and ecosystem partners to align multi-year platform roadmaps and optimize system performance, power, quality, and cost.
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 6 years of experience in consumer electronics hardware engineering, including laptop or notebook system design and architecture.
- 3 years of experience in technical leadership and people management.
- Experience as a system architect across cross-functional domains (Software, Firmware, Silicon, Mechanical, Thermal) to resolve hardware and software co-design challenges.
Preferred qualifications:
- Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience managing hardware engineering teams within the laptop or PC industry.
- Experience in modern laptop platforms across x86 or ARM SoC architectures, including low-power system design, USB-C/PD, high-speed interfaces (PCIe, USB4/Thunderbolt, LPDDR/DDR, eDP/DP, MIPI), Embedded Controllers (EC), and hardware security.
- Experience collaborating with SoC vendors, ODMs, and OEMs to deliver platform design guides, reference platforms, and commercial laptop portfolios.