Hardware Design and PCB Engineering Intern

Location

Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward No. 10, Patandhoka Road, Pulchowk, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Type

Paid internship, full-time

Duration

3 to 6 months, with the possibility of a full-time offer on successful completion

Openings

1

Application deadline

11-09-2026

About Nepal Digital Systems

Nepal Digital Systems is an engineering firm based in Lalitpur specializing in embedded systems, IoT product design, and deep technology. We design and ship production hardware for clients in Nepal and abroad, covering wireless mesh networks, industrial control, connected consumer devices, and payment systems.

Our engineers work on complete products rather than isolated modules. An intern here will follow a board from requirement and component selection through schematic, layout, fabrication, bring-up, and production.

Role SummaryWe are looking for hardware design interns who want to take circuits from concept to a working, manufacturable board. You will join a small team of engineers, work on live client and internal projects under the guidance of a senior hardware engineer, and own well-defined design and layout tasks from the first month.

This is a hands-on role. You will spend your time in schematic capture and PCB layout tools, reading datasheets, and working at the bench with the boards you designed.

What You Will Do

• Draw schematics for microcontroller based designs around ESP32, STM32, nRF52, and similar parts
• Select components against electrical requirements, cost, footprint, and local or regional availability
• Lay out multi-layer PCBs, including placement, routing, ground and power planes, and design rule checks
• Apply layout practice for mixed signal and RF designs, including antenna keep-out areas, impedance controlled traces, decoupling, and return path management
• Design and verify power supply sections such as linear regulators, switching converters, and battery charging circuits
• Create and maintain component libraries, including symbols, footprints, and 3D models
• Prepare manufacturing outputs, including Gerber files, drill files, pick and place data, and bills of material
• Coordinate with fabrication and assembly vendors, and review fabrication feedback before release
• Perform board bring-up and debugging with a multimeter, oscilloscope, logic analyzer, and bench power supply
• Support enclosure fit, mechanical constraints, and design for manufacturability and testability
• Maintain clear design documentation, revision history, and test records

Requirements

• Bachelor level study in Electronics, Electrical, Communication, or a closely related engineering discipline, either in the final year or recently completed
• Solid understanding of analog and digital electronics fundamentals, including passive components, transistors, op amps, and logic families
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, component datasheets, and application notes
• Working knowledge of at least one EDA tool such as KiCad, Altium or EasyEDA
• Understanding of common digital interfaces including UART, SPI, and I2C at the signal level
• Comfort with basic laboratory instruments and soldering
• Willingness to learn, ask questions, and work through difficult problems methodically

Preferred

• Personal, academic, or hackathon hardware projects, ideally with published design files, photographs of assembled boards, or a portfolio
• Experience taking a board through fabrication and assembly, including hand soldering of surface mount components
• Exposure to RF or antenna design, or to switching power supply design
• Familiarity with signal integrity and EMI or EMC considerations
• Basic scripting in Python for design automation, bill of material processing, or test fixtures
• Awareness of certification requirements such as FCC, UL, CE etc.
• Comfort with version control for hardware projects

We do not expect candidates to meet every point above. Strong fundamentals in electronics and clear evidence of curiosity about hardware design matter more than a long list of tools.

What You Will Gain

• A monthly stipend
• Direct mentorship from senior hardware engineers working on production designs
• Exposure to the full product cycle, from prototype to manufacturing
• Practical experience with commercial IoT hardware, including wireless and RF designs
• Your own designs fabricated, assembled, and tested during the internship
• A written performance review and a completion certificate at the end of the internship
• Priority consideration for a full-time hardware engineering position at NDS.

How to ApplySend the following to [email protected] with the subject line Hardware Design and PCB Engineering Intern Application:

• Your curriculum vitae in PDF format
• Links or attachments showing any relevant hardware work, such as schematics, layouts, board photographs, repositories, or a portfolio
• A short note, no more than one paragraph, describing a hardware project you have worked on and one problem you had to solve in it

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a technical discussion followed by a short practical exercise.