Electrical Engineering Manager

Allen Control Systems; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

ACS Equity Package

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Allen Control Systems in San Jose, CA is seeking an Electrical Engineering Manager to lead and grow our electrical engineering team. This player-coach role blends hands-on design with strategic leadership, as you contribute to schematic capture, PCB layout, and hardware development while guiding the group in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

You will work closely with mechanical, firmware, and systems engineering to ship reliable hardware for field deployments, mentor engineers, and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Hands-on schematic capture and PCB layout experience.
• Deep knowledge of power electronics, motor drivers, embedded computing, and networking.
• Experience leading engineers in a matrix organization with strong communication.
• Mentoring junior engineers and fostering collaborative culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow the electrical engineering team.
• Contribute hands-on to schematic capture and PCB layout; review designs.
• Drive development across power electronics, motor drives, embedded computing, and networking subsystems.
• Partner with mechanical, firmware, and systems engineering to integrate designs.
• Work with manufacturing to communicate designs and resolve issues.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring junior engineers

Project management

Tools

Altium Designer

EDA tooling

Schematic capture tools

Job description

Company Overview

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting‑edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones.

With an engineering‑first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real‑world impact.

About The Role

We are looking for an Electrical Engineering Manager to lead and grow our electrical engineering team in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment. This is a player‑coach role: you will carry real technical responsibility alongside your direct reports, contributing hands‑on to schematic design, layout, and hardware development while setting direction and removing obstacles for the team. You will operate comfortably in a matrix organization, partnering closely with mechanical, firmware, and systems engineering to ship hardware that performs in the field.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of electrical engineers; manage workload, priorities, and career development across a cross‑functional, matrix‑style organization.
• Contribute hands‑on to schematic capture and PCB layout; review and approve designs across the team, maintaining high standards for quality and reliability.
• Drive development across power electronics, motor drives, embedded computing, and networking subsystems.
• Partner with mechanical, firmware, and systems engineering to ensure electrical designs integrate cleanly across subsystems and meet program requirements.
• Work with manufacturing to communicate engineering designs and intent and to find and resolve issues.

What You’ll Need

• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience, including direct management of electrical engineers in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment.
• Hands‑on experience with schematic capture and PCB layout; ability and willingness to stay technically active alongside management responsibilities.
• Solid technical depth across power electronics, motor drivers, embedded computing, and networking; comfort making and defending design decisions in these domains.
• Experience leading engineering in a matrix organization; strong communication and coordination skills across mechanical, firmware, and systems engineering counterparts.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior electrical engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, and career development while fostering a collaborative engineering culture.

You’ll Stand Out

• Background in defense, robotics, autonomous systems, or other high‑reliability embedded hardware environments.
• Proficiency with Altium Designer or equivalent EDA tooling for both schematic and layout work.
• Experience bringing hardware from prototype through qualification and into field deployment.
• Familiarity with MIL‑SPEC or other environmental qualification standards relevant to defense or field‑deployed hardware.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• ACS Equity Package
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.