Senior Electrical Engineer

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) is headquartered in Clarksburg, MD and offers a range of defense technologies including tactical handheld radios, expeditionary satellite terminals, helmet‑mounted displays, optics, advanced radars, undersea sensing and missile systems. TDSI supports U.S. Joint Services, special operations forces and multinational partners with communication, visualization, signal intelligence, electronic warfare and sensor capabilities.

We have an opening in our Aurora, IL office for a Senior Electrical Engineer reporting to the Visionix Electrical Engineering Manager. The role focuses on electrical design of small, lightweight, helmet‑mounted display equipment, including detailed designs in Altium, prototype builds, verification testing, bills of material, and supplier support during procurement.

• Design, simulate, analyze and test analog and digital circuits for helmet‑mounted display equipment.
• Create electronic circuit schematics and lead PCB design/layout activities.
• Document designs for manufacture of printed wiring assemblies and transition to production.
• Write technical documents: test procedures, datasheets, and memoranda.
• Lead junior electrical product design staff on new product development or performance enhancements.
• Verify product performance against predictions for prototypes and production hardware.
• Develop detailed design specifications, test plans and procedures.
• Analyze failure data and trends, troubleshoot yield issues and recommend improvements.
• Participate in continuous improvement and team‑building activities and maintain productive relationships with team members.
• Generate documentation for programming components and loading firmware onto circuit card assemblies and fully assembled products.
• Troubleshoot problems by defining issues, collecting data and drawing conclusions, then implementing solutions.
• Identify alternate components and perform qualification testing to replace obsolete parts.
• Plan, design and manage PWB re‑layout for obsolete component replacement.
• Support test yield improvement activities in a manufacturing environment.
• Act as liaison between manufacturing diagnostic technicians and engineers during product transfer.
• Evaluate effects of modified firmware on existing hardware platforms.
• Support R&D efforts and continuous process improvements.
• Complete assigned tasks with quality and timeliness under minimal supervision.
• Communicate status, issues, needs and ideas to management effectively.

• U.S. Citizenship required; applicants may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet classified information access requirements.
• BSEE/MSEE in Electrical Engineering.
• 4+ years of experience in detailed circuit card design, analysis and test.
• Extensive lab experience in design optimization, board bring‑up and testing of prototypes and production designs.
• Experience with digital design of assemblies containing PSoCs, microprocessors, FPGAs/CPLDs, CODECs, USB drivers/switches, HUBs, RS‑232/RS‑485 drivers and switches, and low‑EMI clocks/distribution (14.4 MHz–48 MHz).
• Ability to analyze a design to meet technical requirements.
• Experience with DoD standards and practices (MIL‑STD, ASTM, ANSI, DO‑160, etc.).
• Proficiency in schematic capture tools, preferably Altium Designer, Siemens/Mentor Xpedition or OrCAD.
• Experience with Microsoft Office tools such as Excel, Word, Visio and Project.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to comply with all company guidelines, policies, procedures and core values.

Annualized pay range: $101,837–$130,125 USD with a ~5% target incentive compensation plan.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact talent acquisition at

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. is committed to non‑discrimination as applicable under federal, state and local laws. We are an E‑Verify Employer.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales Defense & Security, Inc., please call Human Resources at 202‑961‑1016.