Avionics Electrical Engineer

About the Position

SpektreWorks is seeking an Electrical Engineer with strong printed circuit board design experience to support the development of advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems, payloads, avionics, and related electronic products.

In this role, you will design and develop electrical systems from initial concept through prototype testing, production release, and field support. You will work closely with mechanical, software, systems, manufacturing, and flight operations personnel to create reliable, lightweight, and manufacturable electronics for demanding aerospace and defense applications.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with schematic capture, PCB layout, component selection, prototype bring-up, and electrical troubleshooting. Experience developing embedded software or firmware is highly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Design electrical and electronic systems for UAS platforms, payloads, ground equipment, and related products.
• Develop circuit schematics and multilayer PCB layouts for digital, analog, power, communication, and sensor applications.
• Select electronic components, processors, sensors, connectors, communication devices, and power-management hardware.
• Prepare complete PCB manufacturing packages, including Gerber files, bills of materials, pick-and-place files, fabrication drawings, and assembly documentation.
• Apply appropriate design practices for signal integrity, grounding, power distribution, thermal management, and electromagnetic compatibility.
• Coordinate PCB fabrication and assembly with internal teams and outside suppliers.
• Build, modify, test, and troubleshoot prototype circuits, PCB assemblies, cable harnesses, and electrical subsystems.
• Perform hardware bring-up and bench testing using oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, and related equipment.
• Develop test procedures, fixtures, and acceptance criteria for electrical assemblies.
• Integrate avionics, sensors, payloads, communication equipment, and electrical systems into unmanned aircraft.
• Support aircraft ground testing, systems checkout, developmental flight testing, and functional check flights.
• Analyze data logs and system performance to identify electrical issues and improve product reliability.
• Support the transition of electrical designs from prototype development into repeatable production.
• Assist with component obsolescence, supply-chain constraints, alternate-part selection, and supplier qualification.
• Investigate production or field failures and support root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Create and maintain schematics, wiring diagrams, interface documents, bills of materials, specifications, and test records.
• Support Engineering Change Requests and Engineering Change Orders.
• Participate in design reviews, configuration-control activities, and product-release reviews.
• Collaborate with embedded software developers to define and troubleshoot hardware and software interfaces.
• Support customer demonstrations, field testing, and technical evaluations when required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Three or more years of relevant electrical engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience taking PCB designs from schematic capture through layout, prototype testing, and production release.
• Experience using professional schematic-capture and PCB-layout software.
• Strong understanding of analog and digital circuit design, power distribution, electrical interfaces, and component selection.
• Experience developing PCB bills of materials and manufacturing documentation.
• Hands-on experience assembling, testing, troubleshooting, and repairing electronic systems.
• Proficiency with oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, power supplies, and other electrical laboratory equipment.
• Ability to read and develop schematics, wiring diagrams, interface documentation, and technical specifications.
• Understanding of design for manufacturability, design for testability, and electronic-component lifecycle management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple technical priorities in a fast-paced engineering and production environment.
• Ability to work effectively with engineering, production, software, and flight operations teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Embedded software or firmware development experience using C, C++, Python, or similar languages.
• Experience with microcontrollers, embedded processors, real-time systems, or system-on-module architectures.
• Experience with Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD, Cadence, or similar PCB-design tools.
• Experience developing electronics for aerospace, unmanned systems, robotics, defense, or other safety-critical applications.
• Familiarity with flight controllers, autopilots, avionics, navigation systems, communication systems, or payload integration.
• Familiarity with ArduPilot, PX4, or similar autonomous vehicle software.
• Experience with CAN, UAVCAN, UART, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, or similar communication interfaces.
• Experience designing power-conversion, battery-management, motor-control, or high-current power-distribution systems.
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC design practices and environmental qualification testing.
• Familiarity with IPC standards for PCB design, fabrication, assembly, and inspection.
• Experience developing automated test equipment or production test fixtures.
• Experience supporting Department of Defense or other government programs.
• Active U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• Work is primarily performed in office, electronics laboratory, production, and aircraft-integration environments.
• Regular hands-on work involving electronic assembly, soldering, inspection, and troubleshooting is expected.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.
• Must be comfortable working around aircraft, batteries, propulsion systems, electronic test equipment, and production machinery.
• Must be able to support both indoor integration activities and outdoor flight testing.
• Occasional travel to customer sites, supplier facilities, test ranges, and field locations may be required.