Electrical Engineer

ZenaTech Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ZenaTech Inc. in Toronto, Ontario, seeks an experienced Electrical Engineer to lead wire harness design and internal component layout for next-gen unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Translate mechanical, power, and systems requirements into reliable electrical designs from camera payloads to propulsion and flight-critical stability control. You will collaborate with mechanical, embedded, and manufacturing teams to ensure proper wire, connector, and component placement supports flight safety, weight

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 5+ years of experience in electrical/harness design, ideally within UAS, aerospace, robotics, or automotive industries.
• Demonstrated experience integrating cameras, sensors, batteries, and propulsion electronics into a single system layout.
• Strong understanding of power distribution, current-carrying capacity, and connector selection for high-vibration, weight-sensitive platforms.
• Familiarity with flight control and stability systems (ESCs, flight controllers, IMUs) and their electrical interfaces.
• Proficiency with ECAD tools (e.g., Altium, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar) for harness and schematic design.
• Working knowledge of communication protocols common in drone systems (CAN bus, MAVLink, I2C/SPI).
• Understanding of EMI/EMC principles and mitigation techniques in compact electromechanical systems.
• Knowledge of high-voltage/high-current safety design practices for LiPo/Li-ion architectures, including pre-charge circuits, fused protection, and spark-mitigation techniques.

Responsibilities

• Design complete wire harness plans for multi-rotor and fixed-wing drone platforms, including routing diagrams, connector selection, and gauge/current calculations.
• Develop internal component layouts integrating cameras, sensors (IMU, GPS, LiDAR, gravimeters, etc.), batteries, propulsion systems (ESCs, motors), and flight controllers/stability systems.
• Balance electrical requirements against weight, center-of-gravity, thermal, and vibration constraints in tight airframe envelopes.
• Create and maintain wiring schematics, harness drawings, and BOMs in CAD/EDA tools.
• Select connectors, terminals, and cable types suited to aerospace/UAS environments (vibration resistance, temperature range, shielding).
• Conduct power budget analysis across payload, propulsion, and avionics subsystems.
• Support EMI/EMC mitigation strategies, including shielding, grounding, and cable separation planning.
• Implement electrical safety features (fusing, pre-charge, reverse-polarity protection) across high-energy battery and propulsion lines.
• Design harnesses and enclosures to withstand moisture, dust, and harsh field environments, applying IP65/IP67 ingress protection considerations to connector and seal selection.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineering on chassis/fuselage integration and with embedded/firmware teams on CAN bus, MAVLink, or similar protocol wiring.
• Support prototyping, bench testing, and first-article builds; troubleshoot wiring issues during flight test using multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and wire crimp pull-testers.
• Produce documentation and drawings suitable for manufacturing handoff and NDAA/Blue UAS compliance review

Skills

Wire harness design

UAS integration

EMI/EMC

CAN/MAVLink wiring

Electrical safety design

ECAD tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

SolidWorks Electrical

PCB design software

Job description

ZenaTech (Nasdaq: ZENA | FSE: 49Q) is a technology company specializing in AI drones, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and quantum computing solutions for mission-critical business applications. Since 2017, the company has leveraged its software development expertise and expanded its drone design and manufacturing capabilities through ZenaDrone to enhance customer inspection, monitoring, safety, security, compliance, and surveying processes. ZenaTech serves over 100 enterprise software customers across law enforcement, government, and industrial sectors, with drones deployed in agriculture, defense, and logistics. The company has offices across North America, Europe, and the UAE.

This position would be located at 69, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Electrical Engineer to lead wire harness design and internal component layout for our next generation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This role sits at the center of our drone platform architecture, responsible for translating mechanical, power, and systems requirements into clean, reliable, and manufacturable electrical designs - from camera and sensor payloads down to propulsion and flight-critical stability control.

You’ll work closely with mechanical, embedded systems, and manufacturing teams to ensure every wire, connector, and component placement supports flight safety, weight targets, EMI/EMC performance, and long-term serviceability.

Key systems you’ll work across: Cameras & Sensors (IMU, GPS, LiDAR), Power & Propulsion (Batteries, ESCs, Motors), and Flight Stability (Flight Controllers, CAN/MAVLink).

What You’ll Do

• Design complete wire harness plans for multi-rotor and fixed-wing drone platforms, including routing diagrams, connector selection, and gauge/current calculations
• Develop internal component layouts integrating cameras, sensors (IMU, GPS, LiDAR, gravimeters, etc.), batteries, propulsion systems (ESCs, motors), and flight controllers/stability systems
• Balance electrical requirements against weight, center-of-gravity, thermal, and vibration constraints in tight airframe envelopes
• Create and maintain wiring schematics, harness drawings, and BOMs in CAD/EDA tools
• Select connectors, terminals, and cable types suited to aerospace/UAS environments (vibration resistance, temperature range, shielding)
• Conduct power budget analysis across payload, propulsion, and avionics subsystems
• Support EMI/EMC mitigation strategies, including shielding, grounding, and cable separation planning
• Implement electrical safety features (fusing, pre-charge, reverse-polarity protection) across high-energy battery and propulsion lines
• Design harnesses and enclosures to withstand moisture, dust, and harsh field environments, applying IP65/IP67 ingress protection considerations to connector and seal selection
• Collaborate with mechanical engineering on chassis/fuselage integration and with embedded/firmware teams on CAN bus, MAVLink, or similar protocol wiring
• Support prototyping, bench testing, and first-article builds; troubleshoot wiring issues during flight test using multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and wire crimp pull-testers
• Produce documentation and drawings suitable for manufacturing handoff and NDAA/Blue UAS compliance review

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field (or equivalent hands-on experience)
• 5+ years of experience in electrical/harness design, ideally within UAS, aerospace, robotics, or automotive industries
• Demonstrated experience integrating cameras, sensors, batteries, and propulsion electronics into a single system layout
• Strong understanding of power distribution, current-carrying capacity, and connector selection for high-vibration, weight-sensitive platforms
• Familiarity with flight control and stability systems (ESCs, flight controllers, IMUs) and their electrical interfaces
• Proficiency with ECAD tools (e.g., Altium, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar) for harness and schematic design
• Working knowledge of communication protocols common in drone systems (CAN bus, MAVLink, I2C/SPI)
• Understanding of EMI/EMC principles and mitigation techniques in compact electromechanical systems
• Knowledge of high-voltage/high-current safety design practices for LiPo/Li-ion architectures, including pre-charge circuits, fused protection, and spark-mitigation techniques
• Familiarity with IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards for cable and wire harness assemblies, and IPC-2221/2222 for PCB design
• Hands-on experience with diagnostic and validation tools such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and automated harness testers

Nice to Have

• Experience with tethered power systems or high-current payload integration
• Background supporting NDAA/Blue UAS compliance programs
• Experience designing for carbon fiber airframes or heavy-lift multirotor platforms
• Familiarity with battery management systems (BMS) and thermal management for LiPo/Li-ion packs
• Prior work on gimbal, camera, or sensor payload integration
• Experience preparing component fitment and electrical envelope requirements for injection-molded housings/enclosures

We use artificial intelligence to review and screen applications and materials. However, every candidate we move forward with is reviewed and selected, and all final hiring decisions are made by a member of our hiring team.

"We are an equal opportunity employer committed to employment equity utilizing hiring practices on merit and business needs. We encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and all others of legally protected status."