Senior Electrical Engineer

Willow Laboratories; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Willow Laboratories is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead the design of electronics and wireless subsystems for mobile medical devices. You will own the hardware architecture, drive RF performance, and mentor junior engineers to ensure reliable product success.

The role emphasizes collaboration with firmware and software teams, advancement of system-level design, and adherence to EMI/EMC and electrical safety standards for scalable manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering.
• Demonstrated track record leading complex Bluetooth/NFC/RF solutions.
• Experience with regulated medical devices is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Architect and lead PCB schematics and multi‑layer layouts for BLE and NFC/RF.
• Define and optimize RF performance and antenna design for medical devices.
• Own system integration and debug strategies across hardware and firmware.
• Collaborate with firmware/software to finalize system architecture and interfaces.
• Develop validation/test plans complying with EMI/EMC and safety standards.
• Drive timelines, manage vendor relationships, and document BOMs.
• Diagnose complex issues and act as final escalation point.
• Qualify key component vendors and contract manufacturers.

Skills

BLE

NFC

RF systems

PCB design

Altium Designer

EMI/EMC

System integration

Firmware collaboration

Technical leadership

Education

Electrical Engineering (B.S./M.S.)

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

Senior Electrical Engineer, Electronics/Wireless Systems

This position will be an integral part of our medical technology company that develops and manufactures innovative world-class medical technologies. The Senior Electrical Engineer will provide design expertise and technical leadership in the area of Electronics/Electrical Engineering development. The Senior Electrical Engineer will lead the technical design and architecture of new products and accessories for mobile medical devices from concept through production, often serving as the technical owner for key electronic systems.

The Role

We're looking for a talented, highly motivated, and experienced Senior Electrical Engineer with an expert-level background in wireless communication technologies, specifically Bluetooth, NFC, and related RF systems. In this critical role, you will be the technical lead responsible for the end-to-end electrical hardware design and successful integration of our next-generation products. You will drive technical decisions, mentor junior engineers, and work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the architecture is innovative, highly reliable, and optimized for performance and manufacturability at scale.

What You'll Do

• Architect, lead, and execute the design and development of complex PCB schematics and multi-layer layouts for products, specializing in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and NFC/RF systems.
• Define, simulate, and optimize RF and antenna design for demanding wireless performance and coexistence in a mobile medical environment.
• Own system-level integration, root-cause complex electrical and firmware issues, and define robust debugging strategies for the entire product lifecycle.
• Establish and lead collaboration with firmware and software teams to define and finalize system architecture, communication protocols, and interface specifications.
• Develop, review, and execute comprehensive validation and verification test plans, ensuring strict compliance with medical device standards, including advanced EMI/EMC and electrical safety requirements.
• Drive project technical timelines, manage critical vendor relationships, and oversee the creation of complete technical documentation, including detailed Bills of Materials (BOM) and manufacturing specifications.
• Analyze, diagnose, and resolve highly complex or ambiguous technical challenges across electrical, firmware, and manufacturing processes, often acting as the final point of escalation.
• Qualify and manage key component vendors and contract manufacturers to ensure component supply, quality, and manufacturability targets are met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 6+ years of progressive professional experience in electrical hardware design, preferably within a regulated industry (e.g., medical devices).
• Demonstrated track record of leading the design and successful production release of multiple products incorporating complex Bluetooth and NFC/RF solutions.
• Expert proficiency with professional‑grade schematic capture and PCB layout tools (e.g., Altium Designer).
• Deep theoretical and practical understanding of RF principles, advanced impedance matching, and antenna design/tuning for optimized performance and regulatory compliance.
• Full understanding of microcontroller‑based systems, low‑power digital design, and precision analog circuit design.
• Advanced experience with complex test equipment such as vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and protocol analyzers for deep‑level system diagnostics.
• Exceptional technical leadership, project ownership, and communication skills, with a proven ability to define technical direction and mentor others.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Significant experience with other wireless technologies (e.g., Wi‑Fi, Zigbee, cellular) and their coexistence strategies.
• Expert knowledge of ultra‑low power design, battery management systems, and safety‑critical power architectures for portable devices.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements (e.g., FCC, CE, IEC 60601) and experience in leading products through compliance testing.
• Proficiency with Embedded C/C++ or other programming languages for hardware bring‑up and verification.
• Physical requirements/Work Environment:
• This position primarily works in an office environment and on an electronics workbench. It requires frequent sitting, standing and walking. Daily use of a computer and other computing and digital devices is required. May stand for extended periods when facilitating meetings or walking in the facilities. Some local travel is necessary; therefore, the ability to operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid Driver’s license is required.
• The physical demands of the position described herein are essential functions of the job and employees must be able to successfully perform these tasks for extended periods. Reasonable accommodation may be made for those individuals with real or perceived disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job described.

*This salary range represents the full compensation band for this role. Most new hires are typically placed toward the middle of the range based on experience, skills, education, and job‑related qualifications. Compensation at the upper end of the range is reserved for candidates with exceptional experience or those who significantly exceed the role’s core requirements.*