Volunteer Position: Hardware Integration Engineer

Volunteer Position:
Hardware Integration Engineer

Join to apply for the Volunteer Position:
Hardware Integration Engineer role at Loop Root Foundation
.

The Loop Roots Foundation is a nonprofit, tax‑exempt organization dedicated to supporting justice‑impacted families through transportation, therapy, and technology‑driven programs. Our mission is to remove the physical, financial, and emotional barriers that prevent families from maintaining meaningful connections with incarcerated loved ones, accessing mental health care, or navigating reentry.

Founded in 2025, the Loop Roots Foundation operates nationally, with an initial focus on underserved communities in Maryland, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, California, and Virginia.

Our key initiatives include:

• Loop Connect – A ride‑credit sponsorship platform that provides free or subsidized rides to prison visitation facilities, allowing families to stay in contact during incarceration.
• Loop Talk – A HIPAA‑compliant virtual therapy program offering trauma‑informed mental health care to justice‑impacted individuals and caregivers, including children.
• Loop Troop Rideshare Partnership – Collaboration with the Loop Troop rideshare platform to ensure families have access to safe, reliable, and culturally competent transportation services.

Loop Roots Foundation is committed to using community‑based, technology‑enabled tools to restore dignity, promote healing, and reduce generational harm. All of our programs are offered without discrimination.

Loop Roots Foundation is seeking a Hardware Integration Engineer to assist with the development and testing of the Loop Troop in‑car vending system
, allowing riders to purchase snacks and essentials directly from vehicles. This role focuses on building, testing, and refining hardware prototypes, including sensors, vending mechanisms, and connectivity systems that link the vending unit to the Loop Troop mobile app and Loop Locker hubs.

• Collaborate with product and software teams to design and prototype the in‑car vending machine hardware.
• Assist in selecting and testing sensors, microcontrollers, and vending components.
• Support hardware‑software integration with the app (QR code/PIN unlocking, payment trigger).
• Help design safe, compact layouts suitable for vehicle installation.
• Participate in testing cycles for power, connectivity, and inventory sensors.
• Provide documentation for the final MVP hardware build.

• Experience with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or similar microcontrollers.
• Knowledge of IoT (Internet of Things) systems and hardware integration.
• Familiarity with electrical prototyping, sensor configuration, and data transmission (Bluetooth, WiFi).
• Strong problem‑solving and collaboration skills.
• Background in mechanical or electrical engineering preferred but not required.

• Real‑world hardware engineering experience in a social impact tech startup.
• Portfolio and resume credit for an innovative smart vending + mobility system.
• Potential for a paid contract role after MVP launch.

Please send your resume, Linked In, or portfolio link to info with the subject line "Hardware Integration Engineer – In‑Car Vending System".

• Location: Remote / Hybrid (collaboration via video and shared design platforms)
• Commitment: 10–15 hours per week (Volunteer – MVP Phase)
• Seniority Level: Associate
• Employment Type: Volunteer
• Industry: Civic and Social Organizations, Non‑profit Organizations