Lead Electrical Engineer

NEWSCO International; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

NEWSCO International is seeking a Lead Electrical Engineer in Houston to guide the design, development, validation, and sustained support of advanced downhole electronics. You will lead electrical engineering across multiple projects, ensuring reliability, manufacturability, and performance in HPHT environments.

The role collaborates with global teams, customers, suppliers, and operations to drive technology advances, improve field reliability, and profit. Extensive travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related discipline.
• Minimum 7–10 years of electrical engineering, R&D, or product development experience.
• Experience designing and validating electrical systems.
• Hands-on experience with board-level design and ruggedization, bring-up, and debugging.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Passport and ability to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, validation, and sustaining support of electrical/electronic systems for downhole drilling and measurement technologies.
• Develop system architectures, specifications, requirements, acceptance criteria, and technical documentation.
• Own PCB and electronic hardware development from concept through production release.
• Design and qualify electronic systems for HPHT, shock, and vibration environments.
• Lead technical decisions and guide cross‑functional teams through product lifecycle.
• Develop and execute verification, environmental, and reliability test programs.
• Lead root cause investigations and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage concurrent domestic and international engineering projects with schedule and budget objectives.
• Support field trials, product launches, customer demonstrations, and deployments.

Skills

Technical leadership

Electrical design

HPHT electronics

PCB development

Downhole systems

Project management

Customer collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering

Master’s degree in electrical engineering

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

The Lead Electrical Engineer serves as a technical leader responsible for the design, development, validation, commercialization, and sustaining support of advanced electronic systems for downhole drilling and measurement technologies. This position leads electrical engineering efforts across multiple concurrent projects, ensuring product performance, reliability, manufacturability, and survivability in harsh high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) downhole environments.

The role provides technical leadership throughout the product lifecycle, from concept development and system architecture through qualification, commercialization, and field support. The successful candidate will collaborate with global engineering teams, customers, suppliers, and operational groups to develop innovative technologies that enhance company capabilities, improve reliability, and drive profitability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITES:

• Lead the design, development, validation, commercialization, and sustaining support of electrical and electronic systems for downhole drilling, measurement, and control technologies.
• Develop system architectures, design specifications, requirements, acceptance criteria, and technical documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
• Own PCB and electronic hardware development from concept through production release, including schematic capture, component selection, layout review, testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturability considerations.
• Design and qualify electronic systems capable of reliable operation in harsh downhole environments including high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT), shock, and vibration conditions.
• Lead technical decision-making and provide engineering guidance throughout all phases of product development while collaborating with mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.
• Develop and execute verification, qualification, environmental, and reliability test programs to ensure product performance, durability, and commercialization readiness.
• Lead root cause failure investigations, reliability improvement initiatives, corrective actions, and continuous improvement efforts to enhance product performance and field reliability.
• Manage multiple concurrent domestic and international engineering projects, ensuring technical, schedule, and budget objectives are achieved.
• Support field trials, product launches, customer demonstrations, and operational deployments while providing technical support to customers, sales, manufacturing, and field operations personnel.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement new technologies, products, and intellectual property opportunities that support strategic growth objectives and expand the company's technology portfolio.
• Collaborate with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and strategic partners to ensure component availability, product quality, manufacturability, and long-term supportability.
• Serve as a technical liaison between global engineering teams, customers, and stakeholders while effectively communicating project status, technical risks, and development plans.
• Contribute to technology roadmaps, project planning, resource allocation, budget forecasting, and strategic business initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and development support to engineers and technicians while promoting a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with applicable company policies, engineering standards, quality systems, and regulatory requirements.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related discipline
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in electrical engineering, R&D, or product development
• Experience designing and validating electrical systems
• Hands-on experience with board-level design and ruggedization, bring-up, and debugging
• Valid driver’s license
• Valid passport and the ability to travel both domestically (frequently) and internationally (occasionally)

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS (PREFERRED):

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering or related discipline
• Experience with
• embedded electronics and microcontroller-based systems.
• high-temperature electronic component selection and qualification.
• power management, battery systems, and low-power electronics.
• EMC/EMI design and testing
• (PLM) systems and engineering change processes
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, CAN, RS-485, Ethernet, and telemetry systems.
• Experience with design for manufacturability (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), and design for testability (DFT).

For MWD/LWD specifically:

• Experience with downhole telemetry systems including mud pulse, electromagnetic, wired drill pipe, or rotary steerable technologies.
• Understanding of drilling dynamics, shock, vibration, and downhole environmental effects on electronics.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead technology development initiatives, manage technical priorities, and drive project completion
• Understanding of diagnostics, maintenance and repair of electrical systems
• Ability to balance technical performance, reliability, manufacturability, schedule, and cost
• Strong project planning, organizational, and time management skills
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively with a culturally diverse team
• Ability to influence technical decisions and drive alignment across engineering, operations, and manufacturing
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant electrical engineering design, analysis, testing, and documentation tools
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and capable of working independently or within multidisciplinary teams
• Strong customer focus with the ability to understand operational challenges
• Ability to multitask and work under pressure while achieving deadlines
• Highly approachable, collaborative, and supportive