Senior Electrical Engineer

Hernshead Recruitment; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Hernshead Recruitment seeks a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead hardware design for unmanned systems, guiding from concept to fielded product. You will own PCB design end to end and collaborate with mechanical, software, and test teams to deliver safety-critical electronics.

This hands-on role operates within a fast-moving engineering team building next-generation UAS and C-UAS technology, with opportunities across multiple U.S. locations and a path to production readiness and cost optimization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Experience designing PCBs from concept to production, including schematic capture and layout.
• Hands-on hardware bring-up, testing, and debugging.
• Experience with safety-critical electronic systems.
• US citizenship and eligibility for security clearance.
• Experience in the defense industry or defense programs preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and validate PCBs for embedded electronic systems used in unmanned aerial platforms.
• Own hardware design from concept through schematic capture, layout, prototyping, and production release.
• Conduct hands-on testing, debugging, and validation of electronic hardware, including bring-up and failure analysis.
• Collaborate with mechanical, software, and systems engineering teams to integrate electronics into full platform designs.
• Apply safety-critical design practices throughout the development lifecycle.
• Support design reviews, documentation, and compliance with relevant defense and safety standards.
• Work with manufacturing and supply chain teams to support production readiness and cost optimization.

Skills

PCB design

Schematic capture

Hardware bring-up

Debugging

Safety-critical design

Defense industry experience

Unmanned systems

Team collaboration

Security clearance eligibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

This role is for a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead hardware design for unmanned systems, from early concept through to fielded product. The engineer will own PCB design end to end and work closely with mechanical, software, and test teams to bring safety-critical electronics from prototype into production. This is a hands‑on position within a fast-moving engineering team building next‑generation UAS and C‑UAS technology, with opportunities available across multiple locations in the United States.

Job Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and validate PCBs for embedded electronic systems used in unmanned aerial platforms
• Own hardware design from concept through schematic capture, layout, prototyping, and production release
• Conduct hands‑on testing, debugging, and validation of electronic hardware, including bring‑up and failure analysis
• Collaborate with mechanical, software, and systems engineering teams to integrate electronics into full platform designs
• Apply safety‑critical design practices throughout the development lifecycle
• Support design reviews, documentation, and compliance with relevant defense and safety standards
• Work with manufacturing and supply chain teams to support production readiness and cost optimization

Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
• Demonstrated experience designing PCBs from concept through production, including schematic capture and layout
• Hands‑on experience with hardware bring‑up, testing, and debugging
• Experience working on safety‑critical electronic systems
• Prior experience in the defense industry or on defense‑related programs
• Familiarity with unmanned systems, autonomous platforms, or related aerospace/defense hardware strongly preferred
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, startup‑like environment with evolving requirements
• US citizenship and eligibility for security clearance required