Electrical Engineer

Talent ACQ; Clarksburg (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent ACQ client, a defense autonomy company, seeks a mid to senior Electrical Engineer to support design, bring-up, and production validation of electronic systems for autonomous vehicle platforms.

Responsibilities include designing hardware validation strategies, developing automated test systems, building custom test fixtures, and maintaining ECAD designs (Altium). Must be eligible for a U.S. security clearance; salary range $120,000–$165,000 with competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in hardware validation and automated test development
• Hands-on experience designing test fixtures, hardware test adapters, or validation systems
• Deep familiarity with hardware debugging and lab instrumentation
• Strong understanding of design-for-test (DFT) and validation methodologies
• Basic knowledge of networking configurations and protocols
• Strong problem-solving skills across mixed hardware/software issues

Responsibilities

• Design hardware validation strategies for boards and subsystems used in autonomous vehicle platforms
• Develop automated test systems for engineering validation, regression testing, and manufacturing screening
• Design and build custom test fixtures, harnesses, and interface boards
• Develop automated test scripts to exercise hardware interfaces (Ethernet, CAN, SPI, I2C, power systems)
• Design and debug digital/analog circuits for embedded systems, networking hardware, and power subsystems
• Lead board bring-up and hardware debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and power analyzers
• Perform root cause analysis on hardware issues found during validation and field testing
• Develop and maintain ECAD designs (Altium or equivalent), reviewing for signal/power integrity and testability
• Collaborate cross-functionally with firmware, manufacturing, and mechanical teams

Skills

Hardware validation

Automated test development

Test fixtures design

Lab instrumentation

Debugging

Design-for-test

Networking basics

Tools

Altium

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Power analyzers

Boundary Scan

Job description

Clearance: Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Salary Range: $120,000 – $165,000

Our client, a defense autonomy company, is seeking a mid to senior level Electrical Engineer with strong experience in hardware validation, automated test systems, and test fixture development to support the design, bring-up, and production validation of electronic systems used in autonomous vehicle platforms.

What You'll Do

• Design hardware validation strategies for boards and subsystems used in autonomous vehicle platforms
• Develop automated test systems for engineering validation, regression testing, and manufacturing screening
• Design and build custom test fixtures, harnesses, and interface boards
• Develop automated test scripts to exercise hardware interfaces (Ethernet, CAN, SPI, I2C, power systems)
• Design and debug digital/analog circuits for embedded systems, networking hardware, and power subsystems
• Lead board bring-up and hardware debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and power analyzers
• Perform root cause analysis on hardware issues found during validation and field testing
• Develop and maintain ECAD designs (Altium or equivalent), reviewing for signal/power integrity and testability
• Collaborate cross-functionally with firmware, manufacturing, and mechanical teams

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong experience in hardware validation and automated test development
• Hands-on experience designing test fixtures, hardware test adapters, or validation systems
• Deep familiarity with hardware debugging and lab instrumentation
• Strong understanding of design-for-test (DFT) and validation methodologies
• Basic knowledge of networking configurations and protocols
• Strong problem-solving skills across mixed hardware/software issues

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with automated hardware test systems (Python, Boundary Scan, or similar)
• Experience with automotive, defense, or high-reliability hardware systems
• Familiarity with networking hardware, embedded systems, or robotics platforms
• Exposure to signal/power integrity analysis
• Familiarity with ISO 26262, MIL-STD, or other reliability standards