Staff Electrical Hardware Engineer

Alten USA; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking an EE Staff Hardware Engineer in Palo Alto to architect, implement and design boards for our next-gen platform, spanning on-vehicle and off-vehicle components. Emphasis on PCB design, DC-DC converters, high-speed signaling, and data buses.

Requirements include a BS in Electrical Engineering and 10+ years of automotive board design, plus experience with Altium and working with contract manufacturers and OEMs. Leadership experience is desired.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering required.
• 10+ years of board design experience in automotive.
• Experience with Altium eCAD tools.
• Experience with contract manufacturers and OEMs.
• Knowledge of DC-DC converters, transmission lines, data buses, analog circuits.
• Experience in technical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Electrical design: schematic and layout of key boards.
• Bring up and validation of designs in-house and with JDM/OEM partners.
• Rapid prototyping with off-the-shelf parts to realize design vision.
• System integration with other engineering teams.
• Influence electrical architecture decisions.

Skills

Board design

Technical leadership

C/C++ coding

Python scripting

Hardware design

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium eCAD

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life‑saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

Workplace: On‑site, 4 days per week. Friday, Remote

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Our Design Concept Engineering team is looking for an EE Staff Hardware Engineer to join our fast‑paced development, working on cutting‑edge features with complex hardware, sensors and software. You would be responsible for architecting, implementing and designing boards for our upcoming product platform, including both on‑vehicle and off‑vehicle components. This work focuses on product‑differentiating, customer‑facing designs and circuits for new products features and development. A good candidate would have a strong background in printed circuit board design, schematics and layout, and a portfolio of shipping products in which they crafted the specifications, did schematic design, layout, bring up, and testing for. They would have knowledge of DC‑to‑DC converters, high speed digital signaling, common data buses (I2C, SPI…) and analog circuit design. Experience with working with oversea CMs and production processes are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Electrical Design – This would include schematic and layout of key electrical boards as well as providing guidance to JDM/OEMs on executing designs.
• Bring Up and validation – Bring up designs done in‑house and at JDM/OEM. Test designs for reliability and validity. Implement changes to address issues found.
• Rapid Prototyping – Create quick, simple designs to execute design vision of the studio team using off the shelf parts. Understand tradeoffs being made for velocity and mitigate risks that impact team progress.
• System Integration – Work with other engineering teams to integrate electrical designs into our vehicles.
• Influence design decisions - Help define electrical architecture and execution.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering
• 10+ years of experience with board design, specifically within the automotive industry
• Experience working with Altium eCAD tools
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and OEMs
• Knowledge of DC/DC converters, transmission lines, common Data buses, analog circuits, board design and layout best practices
• Experience in technical leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience with Systems/HW architectures experience
• Python scripting experience
• C/C++ coding experience
• Design experience using microprocessors and digital logic
• Knowledge in display, audio and camera technologies
• Experience in motors and encoders
• Experience using SI tools such as hyperlink
• Experience in ethernet networking
• Experience in automotive design (AECxxx, CAN, LIN, T1S)
• Experience with validation testing and production design processes

Salary Range

• $160,000 - 175,000
• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job‑related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug‑free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre‑employment drug screening as a condition of hire.