Embedded Electrical Engineer Intern Rugged Flight Hardware

WindBorne Systems; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

WindBorne Systems in California seeks an Embedded Electrical Engineer to design, bring up, test, and support flight and ground hardware for our balloon constellation. You will build boards that operate from -70°C to +40°C, count grams and milliwatts, and ship fast with robust, testable designs.

The role covers PCB layout, firmware bringup, environmental testing, and close collaboration with mechanical engineers to ensure proper integration on a vehicle with many PCBs and components.

Qualifications

• Strong fundamentals in embedded circuit and system design.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting circuit boards and electronic assemblies.
• Proficiency with reading schematics and datasheets.
• Familiarity with embedded firmware development (C/C++).
• Familiarity with common communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART).
• Experience with PCB layout and design tools (Altium).
• Comfort with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, multimeters, and logic analyzers.
• Interest in the underlying physics.
• Being the type of person who enjoys applying increasingly cursed out of the box solutions in order to reduce part count and complexity.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and test PCBs for critical new flight and ground systems
• Develop firmware for initial bringup of new boards and custom testing of existing boards
• Troubleshoot and resolve (only the most pressing) issues on existing hardware
• Conduct comprehensive bench and environmental testing to validate electrical systems under extreme conditions
• Work closely with mechanical engineers to ensure proper integration on a vehicle with about as many structural PCBs as custom 3D parts
• Support flight operations with troubleshooting of deployed hardware via realtime telemetry
• Coordinate PCBA manufacturing for both R&D and production

Skills

Embedded circuit design

Troubleshooting boards

Reading schematics

C/C++ firmware

SPI I2C UART

PCB layout

Lab equipment

Interest in physics

Out-of-the-box solutions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Job description

WindBorne Systems in California seeks an Embedded Electrical Engineer to design, bring up, test, and support flight and ground hardware for our balloon constellation. You will build boards that operate from -70°C to +40°C, count grams and milliwatts, and ship fast with robust, testable designs.

The role covers PCB layout, firmware bringup, environmental testing, and close collaboration with mechanical engineers to ensure proper integration on a vehicle with many PCBs and components.