Senior Electrical Engineer, Design

Firestorm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Firestorm in San Diego is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead hardware development for our aircraft. You will own the full hardware lifecycle—from concept through production, with emphasis on power electronics, distribution, and system integration.

The role requires deep expertise in analog/digital/mixed-signal circuits, PCB design, and flight‑test readiness. Collaboration with cross‑functional teams and adherence to ITAR are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience designing and releasing electrical hardware for fielded products.
• U.S. Person status (Citizen or Permanent Resident) required under ITAR.
• Strong fundamentals across analog, digital, mixed‑signal, power, sensing, and communication circuits.
• Proficiency with Altium Designer or Cadence Allegro/OrCAD.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and solve systems engineering problems to meet design requirements.
• Own full hardware development cycle from concept to production.
• Design embedded control electronics from concept to production and flight test.
• Create multilayer PCBs (HDI, flex) for space/weight/thermal constraints.
• Produce engineering documentation: ECOs, drawings, BOMs, release packages.
• Perform root-cause analysis of PCB design/layout issues and implement fixes.
• Interface with vendors to source components and ensure timely delivery.
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, software, firmware, and test teams to deliver products.

Skills

Power electronics

Electrical system design

Circuit analysis

Root-cause analysis

PCB design

System-level integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or related technical field

Tools

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro/OrCAD

Job description

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission‑adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world‑class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting‑edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost.

About The Role

As a Senior Electrical Engineer, you will play a central role in developing critical electrical hardware for our aircraft. The role spans complex technical challenges including power distribution, power conversion, battery charging, high-performance processing, high-speed network communications, and system‑level electrical integration. This is a hands‑on engineering role for someone with deep technical expertise in power electronics and electrical system design who is comfortable moving between detailed circuit development, system‑level tradeoffs, and difficult hardware debugging.

What You’ll Do

• Evaluate, interpret and resolve systems engineering problems to meet the design requirements
• Full-cycle hardware development: Own the entire flow — concept, modeling, worst case analysis, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, design reiteration for improving design maturity, testing and validation
• Design embedded control electronics from concept to production, including hardware selection, schematic & PCB design, board bring‑up, system‑level integration, and flight test
• Design multilayer, HDI, flex, and rigid‑flex PCBs for space-, weight-, and thermally constrained applications
• Generate comprehensive engineering documentation, including ECOs, fabrication drawings, BOMs, and release packages
• Conduct root cause analysis of PCB design or layout issues, identify corrective actions, and implement solutions to improve performance, manufacturability, or reliability
• Design and maintain cable harness documentation using Altium Harness Designer
• Interface with vendors to source and select appropriate components for designs, ensuring quality and timely delivery
• Project Management: Support project timelines and ensure that technical milestones are met, reporting on progress to senior management
• Work closely with other electrical, mechanical, software, firmware, and test engineers to deliver fully functional products

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field
• Minimum 5+ years of experience designing and releasing electrical hardware for products that have shipped, flown, operated in the field, or otherwise seen real‑world use
• U.S. Person status (Citizen or Permanent Resident) required due to ITAR regulations
• Strong electrical engineering fundamentals across analog, digital, mixed‑signal, power, sensing, and communication circuits
• Strong proficiency with industry‑standard EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD)
• Working knowledge of PCB layout tradeoffs, signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, EMI/EMC, thermal behavior, and manufacturability
• Familiarity with signal integrity and transmission line concepts (e.g., phase matching, crosstalk, insertion/return loss, termination, and BGA breakout strategies)
• Strong root‑cause analysis skills and the ability to move from ambiguous symptoms to clear technical conclusions and practical corrective actions
• Clear communication and documentation habits, especially when decisions affect safety, reliability, production, or fleet operations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with avionics, aerospace, drones, robotics, automotive electronics, satellites, or other high‑reliability hardware.
• Experience designing for weight, power consumption, thermal limits, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, environmental exposure, or high-volume manufacturing.
• Familiarity with signal integrity simulation and analysis tools
• Experience with CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, GNSS, radios, motor‑control electronics, battery systems, or sensor interfaces.