Senior Electrical Engineer

Darwin Recruitment; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment seeks a Senior Electrical Engineer – Design to own hardware from schematic through PCB design, bring‑up, testing and production. You will work on highly integrated aircraft electronics focusing on power electronics, battery systems, motor control and high‑speed digital design.

The role requires hands‑on ownership of schematic and PCB design, experience with Altium/OrCAD/Cadence, and a background in aerospace/high‑reliability hardware.

Qualifications

• 5+ years designing and releasing real‑world electrical hardware that has shipped, flown or been fielded.
• Strong hands‑on experience with power electronics and/or high‑speed digital hardware.
• Proven ownership of schematic and PCB design – not just PCB layout.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop embedded electrical hardware from concept through production and flight test.
• Own schematics, PCB design, board bring‑up, debugging and validation.
• Develop power distribution/conversion, BMS, battery charging and motor‑control/ESC electronics.
• Design multilayer, HDI, flex and rigid‑flex PCBs for demanding SWaP environments.
• Apply signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC and thermal design principles.
• Perform circuit modeling, simulation, worst‑case analysis and root‑cause investigations.
• Create BOMs, ECOs, fabrication drawings and production release documentation.
• Work closely with firmware, software, mechanical, test and manufacturing teams.
• Support DFM, component selection, supplier engagement and production scaling.

Skills

Power electronics

High‑speed digital hardware

Schematic ownership

PCB design

Signal integrity

EMI/EMC

Tools

Altium

OrCAD

Cadence

Job description

Senior Electrical Engineer – Design

South California | Full-time | In-office | $145,000-$170,000 + equity + relocation

Join a fast-growing defense technology company developing mission-adaptable aerial systems at the intersection of aerospace and Silicon Valley.

We’re looking for a hands‑on Electrical Engineer who can take ownership of hardware from schematic through PCB design, board bring‑up, testing and production. This is an opportunity to work on highly integrated aircraft electronics where power electronics, battery systems, motor control and high‑speed digital design are central to the role.

What you’ll be doing

• Design and develop embedded electrical hardware from concept through production and flight test.
• Own schematics, PCB design, board bring‑up, debugging and validation.
• Develop power distribution/conversion, BMS, battery charging and motor‑control/ESC electronics.
• Design multilayer, HDI, flex and rigid‑flex PCBs for demanding SWaP environments.
• Apply signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC and thermal design principles.
• Perform circuit modeling, simulation, worst‑case analysis and root‑cause investigations.
• Create BOMs, ECOs, fabrication drawings and production release documentation.
• Work closely with firmware, software, mechanical, test and manufacturing teams.
• Support DFM, component selection, supplier engagement and production scaling.

What we’re looking for

• 5+ years designing and releasing real‑world electrical hardware that has shipped, flown or been fielded.
• Strong hands‑on experience with power electronics and/or high‑speed digital hardware.
• Proven ownership of schematic and PCB design – not just PCB layout.
• Experience with Altium, OrCAD or Cadence.
• Strong understanding of SI/PI, grounding, EMI/EMC and high‑speed PCB design.
• Experience with BMS, motor control, batteries, CAN, Ethernet, SPI, I2C or similar embedded interfaces is highly valuable.
• Background in aerospace, UAVs, robotics, automotive, satellites or other high‑reliability hardware is advantageous.
• U.S. Person status required for ITAR compliance.

The opportunity

This is a highly hands‑on environment where engineers are expected to figure things out, take ownership and solve problems independently. You’ll have meaningful influence over the electrical architecture and hardware as the company continues to scale.