Hardware Engineer

Who we are

OTIV is a Ghent-based company leading the autonomous revolution in rail. We are on a mission to increase safety and efficiency of railway operations by teaching rail vehicles to drive autonomously. By making trains more efficient and safer, we actively contribute to a modal shift and a greener future. We bring this vision to life by a unique focus on the most challenging environments such as cities, shunting yards and industrial sites. Thanks to high-profile partners and world-leading clients such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF Group, ArcelorMittal and CAF we deliver the future of railway operations today. 

OTIV  is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals and in which personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, military service status, citizenship, or other protected characteristic. OTIV strives to create an environment in which all employees feel confident in their ability to bring their authentic selves to work and secure collaborating with colleagues and customers.

What you will do

As a Hardware Engineer it is crucial in bringing products to market, by guaranteeing the proper management of production with our manufacturers, testing & carrying out QA, developing new more efficient processes as well as creating prototypes for solving new challenging real world problems. 

You will interact with machinists, battery manufacturers, electrical engineers, use CAD tools to create, modify & improve products, carry out compliance testing (IP, explosion, vibration etc) and go in the field to observe your work being used. You will be responsible for creating all types of documentation, including "Electrical and Mechanical" and "Technical Specification" documents.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Managing our hardware room together with our Operations team— including researching improvements for hardware/tooling/storing etc.;
• Generating documentation such as BoMs, "Overview of Electrical and Mechanical Interfaces," and "Technical Specification" documents.
• Researching, ordering & testing hardware components (any type of hardware: electrical / electronics / mechanical / etc. taking railway standards into account);
• Assembling & testing certain components (e.g. HMI, 24V cables for tram integration, custom connectors, etc.);
• Designing hardware mounts for large elements like computing units (using metal cutting/bending experience) and casing for smaller electronics components (e.g. 3D-printed HMI case around HMI PLC & I/O components) using 3D models of the trams and/or onsite measurements;
• Managing communications & collaborating with hardware/engineering suppliers (e.g. prototyping company for engineering and/or manufacturing sensor mounts);
• Engineering electrical integration & corresponding diagrams (taking into account parameters such as components’ power consumption & railway standards) — including determining physical cabling routes in vehicles;
• Participating in installations (physical work) and other client visits for pre-installation measurements sessions or discussions with clients’ hardware/systems engineers, or post-installation revision sessions;