Principal Electrical Engineer

Sr. Electrical Engineer – SME

A Senior Electrical Subject Matter Expert within a multidisciplinary engineering team primarily composed of Mechanical Engineers. This role serves as the organization’s lead electrical authority, providing deep technical expertise, supporting cross-functional product development efforts, and ensuring electrical requirements are fully integrated into overall system design. The Principal Electrical Engineer is instrumental in evaluating requirements, guiding critical design decisions, developing test methodologies, and resolving complex technical challenges across multiple programs.

This is a highly hands-on and collaborative role that is essential to maintaining strong electrical engineering capabilities within a team where dedicated electrical expertise is limited.

Essential Functions

Electrical Technical Leadership

• Act as the primary electrical engineering expert for a multidisciplinary team, providing technical leadership during design reviews, troubleshooting activities, and engineering discussions.
• Support and guide Mechanical Engineers on electrical design intent to ensure proper integration within electromechanical assemblies.
• Deliver high-level technical insight and recommendations to support sound engineering decisions across programs.

Requirements Analysis & Feasibility

• Review customer requirements to assess electrical feasibility, identify technical risks, and recommend alternative solutions when necessary.
• Support quoting activities and early-stage design efforts by validating assumptions and identifying potential electrical challenges.
• Partner with Engineering Management and program teams to ensure requirements are clearly defined, understood, and aligned with product capabilities.

Electrical Design & Integration

• Lead the design and development of electrical systems, including circuits, PCBs, flex circuits, wiring assemblies, and test fixtures.
• Apply advanced electrical engineering principles such as transmission line behavior, signal integrity, and power analysis to ensure reliable system performance.
• Evaluate existing products and determine how they can be modified or adapted to satisfy new customer requirements.
• Ensure electrical considerations are effectively incorporated into both mechanical designs and manufacturing processes.

Testing, Validation & Documentation

• Develop comprehensive Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Design Validation Test (DVT), and qualification test procedures that directly validate customer requirements.
• Support test execution activities and assist the Test Lab with troubleshooting, data interpretation, and advanced measurement techniques.
• Produce complete and accurate engineering documentation, including schematics, BOMs, compliance matrices, and technical reports.

R&D, Troubleshooting & Continuous Improvement

• Lead research and development initiatives focused on enhancing existing products and developing new capabilities driven by customer needs and emerging technologies.
• Serve as a key technical resource for resolving issues encountered during design, manufacturing, and testing phases.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for complex electrical and system-level problems.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve products, processes, and testing methodologies.

Cross-Functional Support

• Provide electrical engineering support to Manufacturing, Sales, Quality, and customers as required.
• Support production builds, installation activities, and operational testing to ensure compliance with specifications and regulatory requirements.
• Assist in evaluating manufacturing processes and identifying opportunities to improve reliability, quality, and efficiency.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 10 years of experience in electrical design, product development, or similar engineering roles.
• Strong expertise in power, analog, digital, and serial communication systems, including RS-232/422/485 and Ethernet.
• Deep understanding of Electrical Theory & Signal Integrity, including transmission line behavior (impedance, reactance, phase relationships, coaxial and twisted-pair systems), communications theory (differential signaling, propagation, digital integrity), AC/DC power analysis, and EMI/EMC principles such as grounding and shielding.
• Proficiency with Test & Measurement equipment and methodologies, including oscilloscopes, VNAs, Kelvin/4-wire testing, and Hi-Pot testing (manual and automated).
• Knowledge of Fiber Optics, including multimode and single-mode fiber, connector types, transmission speed characteristics, and fiber-loss testing methods.
• Strong Systems Engineering & Documentation experience, including requirements interpretation, verification, traceability, and preparation of detailed engineering documentation and technical reports.
• Experience developing requirements-based test procedures, including FAT, DVT, and qualification testing.
• Proven experience with electro-mechanical system design and integration, including the ability to create and interpret schematics, BOMs, and compliance matrices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with rotary systems.
• Experience supporting low-volume, high-complexity custom products.
• Background in aerospace, defense, industrial, or medical device industries.