Sr. Electrical Engineer

Universal Electronics Inc.; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is seeking aSenior Electrical Engineer to design, develop and validate high-performance embedded hardware for connected-home products. You will own complex design activities from requirements through production transfer, collaborating across software, mechanical, RF and manufacturing teams.

You will lead component selection, PCB layout and test plans, ensuring regulatory readiness and cost optimization while sustaining high yield for high-volume production.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of related electrical engineering experience.
• Hands-on with microcontrollers or application processors and interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, USB).
• Experience with wireless technologies such as Bluetooth/BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee or Thread/Matter.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex electrical hardware development for wireless control, smart-home, thermostat and embedded consumer-electronics products.
• Translate product requirements into electrical architectures, BOMs and schematics.
• Design and review digital, analog, mixed-signal, power-management, battery-powered, sensor and wireless circuitry.
• Guide PCB placement, routing and signal/power integrity considerations.
• Plan prototype bring-up, verification, and reliability testing; support regulatory certs.

Skills

Electrical design

Schematic capture

PCB layout

RF/EMI/EMC

Wireless tech

Debugging/ troubleshooting

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

ECAD tools

Oscilloscopes

Network analyzers

SPICE/EDA tools

Job description

At UEI you will be part of a world class team that is working to innovate and revolutionize the meaning of ‘wireless control’. Whether it’s via chips, software licenses or turnkey products, we are continuing to reinvent how consumers interact with devices and services in their home.

Each day we make the connected home smarter, easier to connect and use, and more sustainable. Wedelight our Fortune 100 customers such as Comcast, Apple, Samsung, Google, Vivint and Daikin with ground breaking wireless technology solutions such as advanced, voice-enabled remote controls, cloud control solutions, extreme low power Bluetooth silicon with energy harvesting capabilities, smart thermostats and sensors and many other IoT solutions.

Position Summary

The Sr. Electrical Engineer is a senior individual contributor who independently designs, develops, integrates, and validates electrical hardware for connected-home and consumer-electronics products. This position owns complex electrical design activities from requirements and system architecture through schematic capture, prototype bring-up, design verification, regulatory support, cost optimization, and transfer to high-volume production. The engineer works closely with software, mechanical, RF, test, applications, program management, sourcing, quality, and manufacturing teams across UEI locations and with customers and suppliers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead complex electrical hardware development for wireless control, smart-home, thermostat, sensing, and other embedded consumer-electronics products.
• Translate product and customer requirements into electrical system architectures, block diagrams, component-level schematics, design specifications, interface definitions, and electrical bills of material.
• Design and review digital, analog, mixed-signal, power-management, battery-powered, sensor, display, audio, infrared, and wireless-support circuitry as applicable to the product.
• Select and qualify components based on performance, cost, availability, lifecycle, reliability, regulatory, and manufacturability requirements; evaluate alternate and second-source components when needed.
• Guide PCB placement and routing, including signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, EMI/EMC, RF coexistence, antenna-interface, thermal, testability, and design-for-manufacturing considerations.
• Plan and execute prototype bring-up, debugging, characterization, design verification, tolerance analysis, worst-case analysis, and reliability testing using appropriate laboratory equipment.
• Diagnose complex product and system issues across hardware, firmware, software, RF, mechanical, manufacturing, and test boundaries; drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions to closure.
• Perform design reviews and provide clear technical recommendations, risk assessments, trade-off analyses, and documentation for project and business decisions.
• Support regulatory and product-safety certification activities, including test readiness, technical investigation, and resolution of compliance issues.
• Partner with global manufacturing and test engineering teams to define electrical test coverage, support pilot builds, resolve production issues, improve yield, and release designs into high-volume production.
• Collaborate with applications and program teams on customer RFQs, feasibility studies, technical responses, preliminary schematics, and BOM development when required.
• Provide technical guidance to other engineers and cross-functional team members; may lead the technical work of a project team without direct supervisory responsibility.
• Maintain accurate engineering records and release documentation in accordance with UEI development and change-control processes.
• Travel domestically or internationally as needed to support customers, suppliers, UEI engineering teams, certification activities, and manufacturing sites.

Supervisory Responsibilities – List Teams/Groups

• The engineer may serve as a technical or project lead and guide other engineers, technicians, and cross-functional team members.

Qualifications - Knowledge & Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of related electrical engineering experience developing embedded or consumer-electronics products.
• Demonstrated ability to work highly independently and solve complex technical and business problems with limited direction.
• Strong knowledge of circuit design, schematic capture, design optimization, design review, prototyping, electrical validation, reliability analysis, and requirements analysis.
• Hands-on experience with microcontrollers or application processors, memory, serial interfaces such as I2C, SPI and UART, USB, power supplies, battery systems, sensors, and mixed-signal circuitry.
• Experience using ECAD and engineering-analysis tools for schematic design, PCB collaboration, simulation, component research, and design documentation.
• Proficiency with laboratory equipment such as digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, function generators, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers as applicable.
• Working knowledge of EMI/EMC, product safety, design for manufacturing, design for test, tolerance analysis, reliability, and high-volume product development.
• Experience with wireless technologies such as Bluetooth/BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread/Matter, sub-GHz RF, or Cellular is preferred.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to engineering and non-engineering audiences, including customers, suppliers, and global teams.
• Strong analytical, organizational, collaboration, documentation, and problem-solving skills.

Education, Licenses & Certification

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university is required.
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline is preferred.

Work Conditions

• 40 hours plus per week.
• Work is performed in an office, electronics laboratory, and occasionally a manufacturing or customer environment.
• Frequent use of a computer and engineering software; regular hands-on work with electronic assemblies, prototypes, test fixtures, and laboratory equipment.
• Ability to travel as needed and to perform the essential functions.

$140,000 - $160,000 a year

Compensation and Benefits Disclosure

In accordance with pay transparency laws in the State of California, UEI provides a good-faith compensation range for this position which the company reasonably expects to pay upon hire, based on good-faith and reasonable estimate at the time of posting. The final compensation within this range will depend on the candidate’s qualifications, education, training, experience and location. In addition to the compensation, UEI offers comprehensive health and welfare as well as retirement plan benefits which are not reflected in the pay range above.

Universal Electronics Inc. (NASDAQ: UEIC) is the worldwide leader in universal control and sensing technologies for the smart home. Its broad portfolio of patents includes QuickSet® software that utilizes the world’s most complete knowledge graph to detect and interact with thousands of entertainment and smart home devices. The company designs, develops, and manufactures innovative products that are used by the world’s leading brands in the audio, video, subscription broadcasting, connected home, home energy management, and mobile device markets. UEI’s many first-to-market innovations have helped transform the home entertainment control, home security, and home energy management and sensing industries.

Universal Electronics Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We are proud of our diverse workforce and we believe having diverse teams that everyone brings their whole self to work everyday is key to all of our success. We welcome all people of different experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and abilities.