Principal Electrical Engineer

Actalent; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer in Irvine, CA to lead design, validation, and lifecycle support of advanced medical device electronics. You will work across engineering disciplines, drive ECOs, and ensure safety and performance across regulated environments.

The role emphasizes hands-on analog/mixed-signal circuit design, design controls, and collaboration with Mechanical, Software, Quality, and Regulatory teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years electrical engineering experience, including 3+ years in regulated medical devices.
• Strong system-level troubleshooting and diagnostic skills.
• Hands-on analog/mixed-signal circuit design experience (motors, regulators, op-amps, EMC, wireless).

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and optimize electrical circuits for medical devices.
• Lead ECOs and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement design changes.
• Develop and validate PCB designs for new and sustaining projects.
• Support qualification, risk assessments, and regulatory documentation.

Skills

System-level troubleshooting

Embedded systems

Regulated medical device development

Electrical circuit design

ECO processes

Design controls

Mismatch/Diagnostics

Wireless technologies

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Location: Irvine, CA (Onsite)

Duration: Long-Term Contract (2-3+ Years)

Make an Impact Through Innovation

Are you an experienced electrical engineer who thrives on solving complex technical challenges and bringing life-changing products to market? Do you want your work to have a direct impact on patient care and outcomes?

We're seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to join a highly collaborative engineering team focused on developing and sustaining innovative medical technologies. This is a unique opportunity to lead critical technical initiatives, influence product strategy, and contribute to devices that improve and save lives every day. If you're passionate about engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and working alongside talented professionals committed to meaningful innovation, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Do

As a Principal Electrical Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in the design, enhancement, and lifecycle support of sophisticated electronic systems used in regulated medical devices. You will collaborate across engineering disciplines and work throughout the entire product development lifecycle to deliver high-quality, reliable solutions that meet the highest standards of safety and performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and optimize electrical circuits for advanced medical devices and critical-care technologies.
• Drive product sustainability efforts by evaluating and qualifying replacements for obsolete or end-of-life electronic components.
• Create, modify, and validate PCB designs supporting both new product development and sustaining engineering initiatives.
• Lead Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and partner with Mechanical, Software, Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory teams to implement design enhancements.
• Support prototype builds, laboratory testing, pilot production, verification and validation activities, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure successful design transfer and production readiness.
• Develop and maintain system-level and electrical design requirements documentation.
• Identify technical, compliance, reliability, and performance risks while driving effective mitigation strategies.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen product quality, engineering effectiveness, and operational excellence.
• Serve as a technical leader and trusted resource within the engineering organization.

What We’re Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of electrical engineering experience, including at least 3 years supporting regulated medical device development.
• Strong system-level troubleshooting and diagnostic skills.
• Experience with embedded systems and electronic product development.
• Demonstrated success managing electrical design documentation and ECO processes.
• Solid understanding of design controls, change management, root-cause analysis, and regulated product development environments.
• Hands-on experience with analog and mixed-signal circuit design, including:
  • Motor control systems
  • Switching regulators
  • Operational amplifiers (Op-Amps)
  • EMC design considerations
  • Wireless communication technologies

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced analog circuit design experience involving:
  • ADCs and DACs
  • Motor drivers and solenoids
  • Power conversion systems
  • Precision analog circuitry
  • Signal conditioning and amplification
• Experience developing products that meet medical safety, EMC, and wireless certification requirements.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex PCB assemblies down to the component level.
• Working knowledge of ISO standards and medical device regulatory frameworks.
• Experience supporting long-term product lifecycle management and sustaining engineering programs.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Self-motivated problem solver with a proven ability to identify root causes and implement effective, lasting solutions.

Why You'll Love This Opportunity

Work That Matters

Develop technology that directly improves patient care and helps save lives.

High Visibility & Influence

Shape technical direction, engineering standards, and product strategy.

Partner with leaders across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and Executive teams.

Collaborative Culture

Join a talented, close-knit team of engineers who value innovation, teamwork, and continuous learning.

Work in an environment where your ideas are heard and your contributions make a meaningful impact.

Growth & Innovation

Support next-generation ventilation and critical-care technologies.

Be part of a growing organization making significant investments in R&D, innovation, and future product development.

Help drive process improvements and engineering best practices during an exciting period of growth and expansion.

Team & Work Environment

• Full-time schedule with a standard 40-hour work week.
• Onsite collaboration five days per week in Irvine, California.
• Work alongside a highly skilled electrical engineering team of 3 to 5 engineers within a larger R&D organization of approximately 20 professionals.
• Join an organization experiencing significant growth and facility expansion, creating exciting opportunities for leadership, innovation, and long-term career development.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Irvine, CA.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $65.00 - $80.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Irvine,CA. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Aug 27, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.