Lead UAV Electrical Engineer: FPGA & RF Systems

avav; Moorpark (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Job summary

AeroVironment seeks a Principal Electrical Engineer to lead advanced circuit design for UAV systems, including FPGA, RF, video processing, and battery power. The role involves cross‑functional team leadership, design analysis, and ensuring reliability.

The individual will guide testing, documentation, and design decisions with significant impact on costs and schedules. Requirements include 12–15 years in R&D (aerospace preferred), Altium expertise, and strong fundamentals in electrical

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field or equivalent.
• 12–15 years of R&D experience, aerospace preferred.
• Expertise in circuit design including RF, embedded control, FPGA, and power distribution.
• Proficiency with LVDS, I2C, HDMI, UART, SPI, CAN, USB, MIPI.
• Knowledge of Battery Management and Battery Charging Systems.
• Experience with PCB design and battery-powered UAVs.
• Proficiency with Altium Designer for schematic capture and PCB layout.

Responsibilities

• Operate CAD tools and perform electronic engineering tasks on R&D projects.
• Inspect installations to ensure conformance with design specs and safety standards.
• Collaborate with avionics, embedded systems, and RF teams; support flight test ops.
• Troubleshoot complex systems; document designs with drawings and descriptions.
• Contribute to budgets and estimating labor and materials.
• Identify root causes to improve reliability and sustainability.
• Lead small teams or projects and provide cross‑disciplinary technical supervision.

Skills

Circuit design

RF

Embedded control

FPGA design

Video processing

Battery tech

Power distribution

Leadership

System-level design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Advanced degree

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

AeroVironment seeks a Principal Electrical Engineer to lead advanced circuit design for UAV systems, including FPGA, RF, video processing, and battery power. The role involves cross‑functional team leadership, design analysis, and ensuring reliability.

The individual will guide testing, documentation, and design decisions with significant impact on costs and schedules. Requirements include 12–15 years in R&D (aerospace preferred), Altium expertise, and strong fundamentals in electrical