Embedded Electrical Engineer — Rapid Flight Hardware Bringup

WindBorne Systems; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 38,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

WindBorne Systems in Redwood City, CA is seeking an Embedded Electrical Engineer to design, bring up, and debug flight and ground hardware for high-performance weather balloons. The role blends PCB design in the morning with firmware debugging and parts sourcing in the evening, aiming for rapid, reliable hardware turnarounds.

You will create systems that survive -70°C to +40°C, selecting components carefully for weight and reliability.

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.

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

Circuit board troubleshooting

Schematic and datasheet reading

Embedded firmware development (C/C++)

SPI I2C UART protocols

PCB layout tools (Altium)

Lab equipment operation

Interest in physics

Out-of-the-box problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Altium

Job description

WindBorne Systems in Redwood City, CA is seeking an Embedded Electrical Engineer to design, bring up, and debug flight and ground hardware for high-performance weather balloons. The role blends PCB design in the morning with firmware debugging and parts sourcing in the evening, aiming for rapid, reliable hardware turnarounds.

You will create systems that survive -70°C to +40°C, selecting components carefully for weight and reliability.