Staff Electrical Engineer - Industrial Controls & UAV Hardware

Ara; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Research Associates, Inc. seeks a Staff Electrical Engineer in Arlington, VA to drive design, integration, and controls for large-scale industrial equipment on defense programs.

The role is on-site (hybrid after 6 months) with monthly travel to the Government client site in Indian Head, MD. Salary range is $105K–$123K, with PCB and wire harness design exposure and unmanned systems hardware involvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of relevant electrical engineering experience on industrial equipment.
• Hands-on experience with wiring diagrams, schematics, and control panel design.
• Experience with Allen Bradley PLC/controls programming and equipment automation.
• Ability to work onsite and support hardware integration, testing, and commissioning.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance (U.S. citizenship required).

Responsibilities

• Design electrical systems for large machinery including power distribution and control architecture.
• Develop and integrate controls (PLC/HMI programming, panels, interlocks, safety circuits).
• Produce wiring diagrams, schematics, and design packages for equipment integration.
• Support PCB design and wire-harness scope.
• Design wire harnesses for unmanned systems and drones.
• Coordinate with mechanical and process teams to ensure electrical designs fit the overall system.
• Support vendor coordination, FAT, and commissioning activities.
• Prepare technical documents and design deliverables.
• Support proposal efforts with technical input and LOE estimates.

Skills

Electrical design

Controls integration

Allen-Bradley PLC

On-site work

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

PCB design tools

Wire harness design tools

Job description

Applied Research Associates, Inc. seeks a Staff Electrical Engineer in Arlington, VA to drive design, integration, and controls for large-scale industrial equipment on defense programs.

The role is on-site (hybrid after 6 months) with monthly travel to the Government client site in Indian Head, MD. Salary range is $105K–$123K, with PCB and wire harness design exposure and unmanned systems hardware involvement.