This post has two parts: One is about the job, the other is about the location. There are also some street photos I recently took in Taipei, so if you're not looking for a job, you can just scroll down and see a bit of Taipei.
The Job
Tibbo is the company who makes our keyboards. If you've got one of our boards, just look at the bottom — their logo is right next to our little Platypus. It's a strong partnership, and a company I really believe in (in fact, I used to work there myself).
And now they're hiring an on-site hardware engineer that will be dedicated to working full-time on ZSA keyboards and other future ZSA hardware products. If you've been curious to try out a new location with lots of support and nice people, this is a pretty great opportunity. Here's the listing:
Tibbo is Hiring a Hardware Engineer!
This is a full-time, on-site, in-person position in our beautiful office in Taipei. If you're hoping to move to Taiwan, this may be a great role for you: Tibbo helps the right candidate relocate (we'll share all the details and the exact process later on).
Contracts are 1-3 years in duration, though Tibbo thrives on long-term relationships and the contract can be extended. If you're local to Taiwan, this is simply a full-time position, not a contract.
The role:
You will be working full-time on exciting new hardware products we're creating with our partner, ZSA Technology Labs. ZSA's got a long lineup of future keyboards and other hardware to make, and you will be instrumental to making this happen. You will be working for Tibbo and collaborating directly with ZSA's team.
You will get to see your work going into production. Tibbo has in-house prototyping, certification, and manufacturing capabilities. You will actually be making hardware happen in a very tangible way, working with a talented and experienced team on site.
Requirements:
- You should be fully conversant in Altium or Circuit Studio, with actual projects to show in your portfolio.
- You should be able to work with your hands: Assemble prototypes; debug circuits; test; measure. This is a hands-on position. This is why this is not a remote position. We're looking for someone confident with a soldering iron.
- If you are not a Taiwanese resident, you also need a relevant college degree and/or working experience (for the work permit application).
Useful skills:
- If you're got any SolidWorks experience, that is a big plus.
- Coding experience, especially with PIC microcontrollers, is another great plus.
- If you're familiar with embedded Linux, such as Raspberry Pi, that can be quite helpful.
Hiring process:
- You'll begin by filling out an extensive Typeform linked below. Consider this your "initial interview". It takes time, but it ensures the right candidates stand out. BTW, we won't be using an AI or filtering "system" to review your submission — we'll actually be reading it ourselves.
- If you're one of these right candidates, we will reach out over email to discuss your work and share a second, more exclusive, Typeform.
- The next step would be a call.
- Out of this process, a single candidate will be selected for a fully paid test project, which will be done remotely if you're out of the country, or in our offices if you're local.
If you get this far and you're local to Taiwan and can work here, we'll hire you at this point.
If you're out of the country and got this far in the process, we will fly you to Taiwan (at our expense) for a couple of weeks, to meet the team and see our beautiful country. If this goes well, we will proceed with applying for a work permit for you, and offer logistical help for relocating you — we will discuss specifics when we meet.
Applying: Here is the initial application form. I'll be reading your application myself before relaying the good ones to Tibbo. :) Good luck!
The City
Okay, this is the fun part. :) Taipei rocks. I was just there for a few days, and I've been there quite a few times before, including one three-month stint back when I was working for Tibbo in the early aughts.
It is a City with a capital C. Dense, packed full of people, malls, electronics, and so, so much food. The street food and night markets are great. If (like me) you don't speak the language, they are also full of surprises.
I usually get by just fine by pointing and smiling — the people are very friendly and understanding as to my general cluelessness. In my most recent visit I went into a local hot pot ("shabu shabu") restaurant by myself. I got a menu that was entirely in Chinese, with no photos. It was a dry-erase menu — you had to just mark options and hand it back. I had shabu shabu before, how hard could it be? I consulted Chat GPT and marked a few semi-random options. I was not disappointed.
There's also fine dining, of course, and the shopping opportunities span a similar gamut — anything from street vendors to high-end shopping malls.
I knew all of this before my most recent visit, but I did have a "first" — a hike right outside the city. I took an Uber to the Yinhe Cave trailhead, maybe 20 minutes, and started walking. In a few moments I found myself at this beautiful waterfall, basically in the jungle, but Taipei is right there.
I kept going, and the trail took me through beautiful tea fields with a view of the city, ending up in a cable car to go back down. Going into the cable car I expected a short ride down, but it kept going, and going, and going some more. 20 minutes later I found myself in the Taipei Zoo.
It's a fun city to get lost and have these random adventures in because it feels safe. I'm sharing a few photos below. To take these, I went walking through the city with my camera, sometimes at night, sometimes through narrow city streets and alleys. It never felt sketchy — it was so pleasant.
I was surprised by how few tourists were around me, even when I went to more central locations like Xinyi or the big electronics markets. Of course there are some tourists — but much fewer than you'd expect.
Next are a few photos I took in the afternoon in Nangang. It's a dense area which quickly gets more low-key, with lots of little streets.
All of that is to say, if you've been curious about trying out life in a different location or even just checking out an interesting new city as a tourist, you won't go wrong with Taipei.
