Hardware Operations Engineer in Berlin

Full Time Berlin-Mitte, on-site €50,000–80,000 (depending on level)

Hardware Operations Engineer

Location: Berlin-Mitte, mostly on-site | Type: Full time, permanent | Range: €50,000–80,000 depending on level | Languages: German + English (B2+) | Start: as soon as possible

About Spine

Spine (Spine Technology GmbH, Berlin) builds perimeter security for critical infrastructure. Our Spine Node fuses radar, RF/SDR, acoustic arrays, thermal and visible cameras with edge AI on NVIDIA Jetson hardware, and is assembled in Germany.

We deliver our first pilot units in early 2027 and then scale to series production. Our customers are KRITIS/NIS2-regulated operators, so we know where every component comes from and why it is there.

The Role

This is a hybrid role between hardware engineering and operations. You help shape what we build, making build-or-buy calls and choosing parts alongside our hardware engineers, and you own everything that has to happen so parts arrive and units get built, tested, shipped and returned.

Our hardware engineers design boards, enclosures and mechanics and set up production. You make sure they never have to chase a supplier, pack a box, book a courier or hunt for a connector. When something operational lands on the hardware team, it lands on you by default.

This is a hands-on engineering role, not an admin job. You need enough electronics knowledge to read a schematic and a BOM, judge whether an alternate part is a real substitute, and spot a bad solder joint at incoming inspection, and you'll take on design work yourself where it fits.

What You'll Do

Design and build-or-buy

Work with our hardware engineers on design decisions where sourcing, cost and manufacturability matter

Make build-or-buy calls: when to use an off-the-shelf module or sub-assembly, and when to build our own

Choose parts and alternates with lead time, cost, lifetime and provenance in mind

Take on design tasks yourself where they fit, such as cabling and harnesses, sub-assemblies, test fixtures and packaging

Procurement and supply chain

Turn engineering BOMs into orders: request quotes, place POs, track lead times and confirmations

Find second sources and alternates; flag long-lead, end-of-life and single-source parts before they hurt us

Build and maintain our supplier base, with a growing share of European suppliers

Keep provenance records for every component (country of origin, manufacturer, datasheets) so we can prove our supply chain to NIS2/KRITIS customers and exclude restricted vendors

Collect compliance documents from suppliers (RoHS, REACH, conformity declarations, export classifications)

Inventory, lab and build support

Run stock: parts, sub-assemblies, finished units, consumables; know what we have and what we need for the next build

Kit builds for prototypes and pilot units; do incoming inspection and simple rework

Keep the lab running: tools, test equipment, ESD, storage, ordering

Maintain serial numbers, build records and test records so every unit is traceable

Logistics

Ship units, samples and parts to customer sites, partners and contractors, inside the EU and abroad (incl. UK)

Handle customs paperwork, incoterms, couriers and freight forwarders

Check export-control questions for RF and sensing hardware and escalate early

Pack-out and delivery for customer deployments, coordinated with our deployment team and installation partner

Production operations

Be the day-to-day contact for our assembly and manufacturing partners: schedules, material supply, open questions, delivery

Keep production documentation current: assembly instructions, packing lists, work orders

Run returns and repairs: receive, diagnose to board level where you can, route to engineering or supplier

Keeping the hardware team unblocked

Pick up any operational task the hardware engineers raise, so they stay on design and production setup

Track your work in Linear so everyone can see what is ordered, built, shipped and stuck

What This Role Is Not

You won't lead hardware architecture, PCB or enclosure design, or production process design; our hardware engineers do, and you'll be part of those decisions. You won't own node software, flashing or OTA; our platform engineers do. You will work closely with both and catch everything around them that keeps their work moving.

Your First 90 Days

First 30 days: take over all open orders, shipments and supplier threads from the hardware team; set up a single inventory and order tracker

By day 60: BOM for the Spine Node fully sourced with lead times, alternates and provenance data for every line; first pilot build kitted from your stock

By day 90: pilot units shipped to customer sites with complete build and test records; the hardware engineers spend no meaningful time on purchasing, shipping or supplier chasing

What We're Looking For

Degree or vocational training in electronics, electrical engineering, mechatronics or similar (e.g. Elektroniker/in, Techniker/in, B.Eng.)

3+ years in a hardware company doing procurement, supply chain, production support or hardware operations

You read schematics, BOMs and datasheets, and can judge whether a part is a valid substitute

Hands-on with soldering, multimeter and oscilloscope; comfortable with inspection and simple rework

Experience ordering from distributors (Mouser, Digi-Key, Farnell, etc.) and working with EMS/assembly partners

Experience with international shipping and customs paperwork

Organised to the point that others rely on your trackers

German and English at working level (B2+)

Nice to Have

Some design experience: schematic/PCB tools, CAD, harness design or test fixtures

Startup or small-team background where you built processes from scratch

Experience with export control (dual-use, RF hardware) or supply-chain security requirements

Familiarity with ERP/inventory tools, Linear or similar

Background in security, defence, telecom or industrial outdoor hardware

Driving licence (class B) for site and supplier runs

What We Offer

Full-time, permanent role in Berlin-Mitte, mostly on-site (lab, stock and builds are here)

A key role at the point where a deep-tech product goes from pilots to series production

Competitive salary within our engineering bands, plus equity participation

Small, senior team; direct line to the founders

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