Electrical Systems Design Engineer – Defense Prototyping

Kform; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Kform is a next‑generation defense manufacturer partnering with leading defense and dual‑use startups to transform advanced ideas into production‑ready hardware. We span design, engineering, prototyping, manufacturing, quality, and production readiness so critical products make it from whiteboard to real‑world use.

If you thrive on building, learning at speed, and delivering under demanding timelines, you’ll fit right in. Our customers can’t wait years—our work helps them win in weeks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related technical field.
• 3–5 years in product design, hardware development, prototyping, test, or multidisciplinary engineering.
• Strong capability in at least one core discipline (ideally electrical or mechanical).
• Working knowledge spanning embedded software, electronics, mechanical design, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Advanced proficiency in Altium or a comparable primary design tool.
• Hands‑on experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication tools, electronics, test equipment, and physical hardware.
• Clear documentation skills across design intent, revisions, results, and decisions.
• Proven problem solving and the ability to operate independently within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end development of multidisciplinary hardware: mechanical subassemblies, electronic architectures, embedded controls, fixtures, test assets, and production‑ready components.
• Design electronics in ECAD (primarily Altium), collaborating tightly with mechanical and firmware teams.
• Bridge decisions across mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, and quality to optimize the full system.
• Rapidly prototype proof‑of‑concepts using hands‑on fabrication, electronics, test equipment, and iterative build‑measure‑learn loops.
• Develop, integrate, or support embedded software to connect electromechanical systems into functioning prototypes and products.
• Plan and execute verification for performance, reliability, durability, manufacturability, and safety—then analyze results, isolate failure modes, and drive evidence‑based design changes.
• Create clear documentation of intent, revisions, test results, tradeoffs, and lessons so designs transfer smoothly into production.
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams to improve designs for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, cost, schedule, and reliability.
• Model strong engineering practice while mentoring junior teammates in problem solving, documentation, and ownership.
• Independently lead smaller projects from ambiguous requirements to delivered outcomes.
• Continuously improve Kform’s engineering and manufacturing systems.

Skills

Electrical design literacy

Embedded development

Prototype build and test

Design for manufacturability

Technical documentation

Problem solving

Ownership and accountability

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering or Mechatronics

Tools

Altium

ECAD

Job description

Design systems that move from concept to the field—fast

Kform is a next‑generation defense manufacturer partnering with leading defense and dual‑use startups to transform advanced ideas into production‑ready hardware. We span design, engineering, prototyping, manufacturing, quality, and production readiness so critical products make it from whiteboard to real‑world use.

If you thrive on building, learning at speed, and delivering under demanding timelines, you’ll fit right in. Our customers can’t wait years—our work helps them win in weeks.

A day in this role

Morning: you sketch a concept, jump into CAD, translate it into an ECAD design in Altium, and align on interfaces with embedded teammates. Midday: you’re on the bench with a prototype—probing signals, iterating layouts, and capturing test notes. Afternoon: you walk the shop floor to gather manufacturability feedback, update documentation, and brief suppliers. Before you wrap: you push a design review, mentor a junior engineer through a debug plan, and log lessons learned so production can move cleanly.

What you’ll tackle

• Own end‑to‑end development of multidisciplinary hardware: mechanical subassemblies, electronic architectures, embedded controls, fixtures, test assets, and production‑ready components.
• Design electronics in ECAD (primarily Altium), collaborating tightly with mechanical and firmware teams.
• Bridge decisions across mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, and quality to optimize the full system.
• Rapidly prototype proof‑of‑concepts using hands‑on fabrication, electronics, test equipment, and iterative build‑measure‑learn loops.
• Develop, integrate, or support embedded software to connect electromechanical systems into functioning prototypes and products.
• Plan and execute verification for performance, reliability, durability, manufacturability, and safety—then analyze results, isolate failure modes, and drive evidence‑based design changes.
• Create clear documentation of intent, revisions, test results, tradeoffs, and lessons so designs transfer smoothly into production.
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program teams to improve designs for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, cost, schedule, and reliability.
• Model strong engineering practice while mentoring junior teammates in problem solving, documentation, and ownership.
• Independently lead smaller projects from ambiguous requirements to delivered outcomes.
• Continuously improve Kform’s engineering and manufacturing systems.

Who will excel

You Bring Deep Technical Strength In One Core Discipline—often Electrical Or Mechanical—and Genuine Curiosity Across The Rest. You Like To Understand The Entire Machine, Make Smart Tradeoffs With Imperfect Data, And Turn Ambiguity Into Momentum. You Can

• Develop designs at a workstation and reason through schematics and system implications.
• Debug prototypes methodically at the bench.
• Walk the production floor to capture actionable feedback.
• Inspect parts, run tests, and communicate your reasoning clearly.

Best fits are curious, practical, disciplined, and biased toward action.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related technical field.
• 3–5 years in product design, hardware development, prototyping, test, or multidisciplinary engineering.
• Strong capability in at least one core discipline (ideally electrical or mechanical).
• Working knowledge spanning embedded software, electronics, mechanical design, manufacturing, quality, test, and systems integration.
• Advanced proficiency in Altium or a comparable primary design tool.
• Hands‑on experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication tools, electronics, test equipment, and physical hardware.
• Clear documentation skills across design intent, revisions, results, and decisions.
• Proven problem solving and the ability to operate independently within a multidisciplinary team.

Preferred qualifications

• Early‑stage, founding, or high‑ownership startup experience.
• Background in defense, aerospace, robotics, industrial automation, advanced manufacturing, or other regulated sectors.
• Familiarity with AS9100, quality systems, configuration control, production documentation, and design release.
• Experience with DFM/DFA/DFI, reliability, and cost optimization.
• Track record of taking hardware from prototype to production readiness.
• Ownership of small engineering projects from concept through build or release.
• Demonstrated interest in manufacturing, American industry, defense technology, and tough technical problems.
• Strong communication with engineers, operators, customers, suppliers, and leadership.

Skills that matter here

• Deep strength in one discipline with range across the full product lifecycle.
• Electrical design literacy and ECAD collaboration in Altium.
• Embedded development, integration, or debug.
• Prototype build, assembly, instrumentation, and test.
• Design for manufacturability and production readiness.
• Technical documentation and configuration discipline.
• Analytical thinking, practical judgment, and attention to detail.
• Urgency matched with engineering rigor.
• Ownership, follow‑through, and a drive to build products that matter.

Working environment

• Frequent hands‑on work with prototypes, electronics, tooling, machinery, test and inspection equipment, and production hardware.
• Regular time on your feet assembling, testing, troubleshooting, and operating near active manufacturing and prototyping areas.
• Use of PPE as appropriate for tasks, equipment, and workspace.
• Occasional travel for customers, suppliers, testing, or program needs.

How we operate

We prize continuous improvement, aggressive value creation, and extreme ownership. We’re building the infrastructure and execution engine to bring advanced defense products to production faster—by caring about details, respecting the customer, and delivering, every time.

Tools and proficiencies

• Electrical Schematics
• CAD Software
• Electrical / Electronic Systems
• Engineering Degree
• Electrical Engineering
• IoT Engineering

Machines & technologies:

Altium, ECAD