Senior Principal Electrical Engineer (Aerospace)

TL;DR

Senior Principal Electrical Engineer (Aerospace): Leading the design and technical authority for high-reliability digital electronics in defense and aerospace applications with an accent on high-speed board design, signal integrity, and power integrity. Focus on guiding cross-disciplinary teams through the full product lifecycle, from architecture and PCB design to verification and production transition.

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California. Relocation assistance is available.

Salary: $190,000–$260,000 (base salary only).

Company

A defense technology company building multi-product portfolios powered by Coherent Distributed Networks to provide domain dominance for warfighters and commercial operators.

What you will do

• Act as the primary technical authority for high-speed digital circuit design, signal and power integrity across multiple product lines.
• Lead the architecture, design, and review of complex PCBAs involving FPGAs, processors, and high-speed serial interfaces.
• Define design standards, layout constraints, and verification practices for high-reliability electronics.
• Resolve complex cross-disciplinary issues involving RF coexistence, EMI/EMC, thermal behavior, and mechanical packaging.
• Mentor engineering staff and coordinate technical activities across digital, FPGA, software, RF, and mechanical teams.
• Serve as the senior technical interface for customers, vendors, and internal leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with 15+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated technical leadership in complex high-speed digital hardware.
• Deep expertise in digital design fundamentals, including timing, clocking, and return-path management.
• Hands-on experience with board bring-up, system integration, and qualification testing.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
• Proven ability to lead teams through ambiguous, high-consequence hardware challenges.

Nice to have

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Experience with avionics platforms and aerospace standards (e.g., DO-160, MIL-STD-461).
• Proficiency with Altium Designer and SI/PI analysis tools like HyperLynx, Sigrity, or Ansys SIwave.
• Experience with high-speed interfaces such as PCIe, Ethernet, JESD204, or SERDES.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision) 100% paid by the company.
• Financial perks including 401k with 50% match up to 6%, FSA, and HSA.
• Unlimited PTO and 'No meeting Fridays' policy.
• Free daily lunch and casual dress code.
• Generous pre-IPO stock option grants.