Lead Electrical Engineer

Palomar Products, Inc.; Rancho Santa Margarita (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 work schedule with every other FR

Competitive compensation and benefits

Job summary

Palomar Products, Inc. is seeking a Lead Electrical Engineer in California to own complex electronic hardware from concept to production.

You will collaborate with Systems, FPGA, Software and Test teams in a hands‑on role delivering high‑reliability aerospace and defence electronics. The ideal candidate has 6+ years in aerospace/defence, strong digital and mixed‑signal design, and hands‑on PCB and schematic experience using Altium or Cadence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• 6+ years of experience developing electronic hardware in aerospace, defence or high-reliability electronics.
• Strong experience in digital and mixed-signal hardware design.
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB development and board-level design.
• Experience with embedded processors and communication interfaces (Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, CAN Bus).
• Proficiency with ECAD tools such as Altium, Cadence Allegro or OrCAD.
• Strong debugging and analytical skills with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
• Excellent communication across multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop electronic hardware from concept through verification, validation and production release.
• Own schematic capture, component selection, PCB development and design reviews.
• Build, integrate, test and debug prototype hardware, driving root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Systems, Software, FPGA, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering teams to ensure successful product integration.
• Develop verification and validation plans supporting qualification, testing and product release.
• Support design reviews, technical documentation and engineering best practices throughout the product lifecycle.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership where appropriate.

Skills

Digital & mixed-signal design

Schematic capture

PCB design

Embedded processors / ARM MCUs

Ethernet, SPI, I2C, UART, CAN Bus

ECAD tools

Debugging with test equipment

Cross-functional communication

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro

OrCAD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

Join Palomar Products, a global leader in secure military communications, developing next-generation communication systems used across fighter aircraft, helicopters, naval platforms, and mission-critical defence programs worldwide.

As a Lead Electrical Engineer, you'll take ownership of complex electronic hardware, leading designs from concept through production while working alongside Systems, FPGA, Software and Test Engineering teams. This is a hands-on technical role where your work will directly support cutting-edge aerospace and defence technologies.

Candidates from aerospace, defence, medical devices, industrial automation, automotive, telecommunications and other high-reliability electronics industries are encouraged to apply.

What You'll Do as a Lead Electrical Engineer :

• Design and develop electronic hardware from concept through verification, validation and production release.
• Own schematic capture, component selection, PCB development and design reviews.
• Build, integrate, test and debug prototype hardware, driving root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Systems, Software, FPGA, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering teams to ensure successful product integration.
• Develop verification and validation plans supporting qualification, testing and product release.
• Support design reviews, technical documentation and engineering best practices throughout the product lifecycle.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership where appropriate.

As a Lead Electrical Engineer You'll Bring :

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or a related discipline.
• 6+ years' experience developing electronic hardware within aerospace, defence or other high-reliability electronic products.
• Strong experience in digital and mixed-signal hardware design.
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB design, component selection and board-level development.
• Experience working with embedded processors, ARM-based microcontrollers and communication interfaces such as Ethernet, SPI, I²C, UART or CAN Bus.
• Experience using Altium, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD or similar ECAD tools.
• Strong debugging and analytical skills using oscilloscopes, logic analysers and other electronic test equipment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Why Join Palomar as a Lead Electrical Engineer?

• Develop cutting-edge secure communications technology supporting mission-critical aerospace and defence programs.
• Take ownership of technically challenging hardware designs from concept through production.
• Work alongside highly experienced Systems, FPGA and Software Engineers in a collaborative engineering environment.
• Join a business backed by TransDigm, a multi-billion-dollar aerospace group offering excellent long-term career progression.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits and a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off.

If you're passionate about solving complex hardware engineering challenges and want to work on products that genuinely make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.