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About the Role
Title: Electrical Engineer – Mixed-Signal Board Design
Location: Costa Mesa, CA — prefer on-site; limited remote only with multi-week consecutive on-site board bring-up and flexible return trips for test
Interview process: ~30–45 minute technical interview with the hiring manager
Security / clearance: Eligible for U.S. security clearance
Why hiring: Expand board design capacity for flight-critical and program electronics.
End product:
Mixed-signal boards combining digital interfaces, analog, and power.
Multi-layer boards, with complex clean-sheet work often in the ~8–10 layer class.
Tech / domain environment:
Altium is the primary CAD tool; schematic is required and layout depth is optional.
Interfaces include SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet up to GigE-class, RS-422/232/485, and USB.
Lab equipment includes oscilloscopes, DMMs, and logic analyzers.
Complex clean-sheet board cycles are roughly 2–4 months overall, with schedules that flex.
Job duties:
Capture and clarify imperfect requirements and turn them into a workable board architecture.
Own schematic design and component selection in Altium from scratch or through re-spin.
Guide layout through stack-up, placement intent, SI/PI constraints, and design reviews.
Bring up and debug assemblies in the lab using scope, DMM, and logic analyzer equipment, and drive issues across electrical/firmware boundaries.
Support board power through supplies, loading, and PDN-minded design.
Integrate with mechanical, systems, firmware, and test partners on a fast-moving, co-located team.
Participate in peer design reviews and document designs for manufacturability and qualification paths.
Must haves:
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
3+ years of production experience designing mixed-signal boards/PCBs with real circuit and schematic ownership, multi-layer designs, and collaboration with layout on impedance/stack-up.
Production proficiency in Altium schematic capture.
Hands-on microcontroller and board bring-up in production environments, not academic-only.
High competence with oscilloscopes and DMMs for bring-up and debug; logic analyzer experience strongly preferred.
Production familiarity with SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, UART, or RS-class buses.
Board-level power literacy covering regulators, power architecture, loading, and PDN awareness on mixed-signal boards.
Ability to own the full design ? bring-up ? debug ? integration loop without handing responsibility off.
Willingness to work on-site in Costa Mesa as required for bring-up and test, including multi-week stretches if remote/hybrid.
Eligible for U.S. security clearance.
Comfortable with a fast-paced, direction-driven team and changing requirements.
Nice to haves:
Personal Altium layout skill including BGA, controlled impedance, or denser stack-ups.
Military, aerospace, or high-reliability embedded electronics experience.
Deeper power systems experience with batteries, AC, or power conversion beyond on-board supplies.
Low-level firmware for bring-up and interface bring-up.
Experience with temperature, vibration, and environmental effects on electrical design.
EMI design awareness or EMI test exposure.
System interconnect diagrams or harness definition experience; Siemens Capital exposure is optional only.
Prior contractor success in thin-requirements, high-ownership environments.
Disqualifiers:
No production board or schematic design experience.
Academic-only microcontroller or lab experience.
Layout-only profile with weak circuit or schematic design.
Harness/EWIS or Siemens Capital-only profile without board EE depth.
Unable to support required on-site bring-up windows.
Not eligible for U.S. security clearance.
Expectation that test or bring-up is always someone else’s job.
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