Electrical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Second Order Effects, Inc.; El Segundo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary: 70,400 annual prorated

Flexible work hours

100% employer-paid health insurance

Paid time off and holidays

401(k) retirement account and employer

Job summary

Second Order Effects, Inc. seeks an Electrical Engineering Intern to design, develop, and test customer-facing hardware.

You will take technical ownership of key components, prototype ideas quickly, and contribute across the hardware development lifecycle from ideation to production. You will work on PCB layout, firmware debugging on prototype boards, and embedded systems integration, gaining practical engineering experience and applying fundamentals learned in college.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a relevant college program (EE/CS/Physics/Math).
• Fundamentals of circuits and electrical engineering.
• Familiarity with at least one programming language (Python/C/C++) or HDL (Verilog/VHDL).
• Curiosity for electrical engineering and problem-solving.
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Experience with analog/mixed-signal circuits, embedded programming, RF, or power electronics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own design of electrical and embedded systems for customer projects.
• Prototype hardware: PCB layout, component selection, prototyping.
• Use lab equipment to test, debug, and validate boards and systems.
• Write and debug embedded C code or HDL for prototypes.

Skills

Electrical engineering fundamentals

Python

C/C++

HDL (Verilog/VHDL)

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Current enrollment in college (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, or related field)

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

Cadence

LTspice

Job description

Role Overview:

As an Electrical Engineering Intern, you will play a hands-on role in designing, developing, and testing solutions for customer-facing projects. In this role, you will take technical ownership over key components, rapidly prototype ideas, and participate in the hardware development process from ideation to production. Whether it's laying out a custom PCB, debugging firmware on a prototype board, or integrating embedded systems, you'll have the opportunity to apply what you know, and quickly level up on what you don't. This internship is designed to accelerate your technical growth, giving you the chance to make measurable contributions while building a strong foundation in professional engineering practices.

What You Will Do:

• Ownership: Contribute to the design of electrical and embedded systems for customers across various industries
• Hardware Development: Perform schematic capture, PCB layout, component selection, and electrical prototyping
• Test & Validation: Utilize standard lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, etc.) to perform board bring-up, troubleshooting, and system-level debugging
• Embedded Systems: Write and debug embedded C code or HDL (e.g., Verilog/VHDL)

What You Will Need:

• Current enrollment in college (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, or related field)
• First or second year circuits classes and knowledge of electrical engineering fundamentals
• Familiarity with at least one programming language (e.g., Python, C, C++, R, etc.) or hardware description language (e.g., Verilog, VHDL)
• Demonstrated passion and curiosity for electrical engineering
• Strong problem-solving skills and initiative to overcome technical challenges
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain design decisions and component selections
• Experience with one or more of the following: analog circuits, mixed-signal designs, embedded programming, RF, power electronics, or optical systems development

What Would Be Useful:

• Experience in team-based design and build projects (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, CubeSat, Rover Challenge, etc.)
• Experience with analog small-signal circuit design (filters, op-amp circuits, signal conditioning) and/or power electronics designs: regulators, load drivers, supply filters, protection circuitry
• Experience in any common ECAD tool, such as Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence, PADS, EAGLE, etc.
• Experience with circuit simulation using LTspice, Pspice, or similar programs

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: $70,400 annual salary, prorated for length of internship
• Flexible work hours and work from home policy
• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Accrued paid time off policy, accrued sick days policy, and paid company holidays
• 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Housing stipend bonus
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports
• Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

Preferred application deadline:

August 31, 2026

Final application deadline:

October 15, 2026