Installer and Automotive Electrical Specialist

Freedom Forged 4x4 is a family-owned, multi-division specialty shop in North Aurora, Illinois, built on two things: the highest quality of work and customer service that people talk about. We run four divisions under one roof — Freedom Forged 4x4 (custom off-road builds and accessories), Auto Repair & Service, Patriot Spray Lining (spray-on bedliners and undercoating), and Freedom Forged Upfitters (commercial, fleet, and emergency vehicle upfitting).

We have deep ties to the military and first responder community, and a growing share of our work is building out the vehicles those crews depend on. That means the wiring has to be right the first time, every time. This role exists because electrical is the backbone of nearly everything we build — and we want one person who owns it.

Location: 609 Airport Rd, Suite A, North Aurora, IL 60542 Division: Freedom Forged 4x4 / Freedom Forged Upfitters Reports to: Shop Foreman Employment type: Full-time, W-2

The 12V Installer & Automotive Electrical Specialist is our in-house wiring and electrical expert. You will plan, install, wire, and program aftermarket electronics across everything that rolls through our bays — from premium audio and head units in a customer's daily driver, to full lighting, siren, and controller packages on police, fire, and EMS vehicles, to auxiliary power and switching systems on overland builds and commercial fleet trucks.

This is a hands‑on, high‑trust role. You will diagnose electrical problems other shops gave up on, integrate aftermarket equipment with factory CAN bus systems without breaking them, and leave every harness looking like it came from the factory. You will also be the person our Foreman, Service Advisors, and technicians come to when a job has wires in it.

We are looking for someone who takes real pride in clean work, documents what they build, and understands that a loose ground on an emergency vehicle is not a comeback — it is a safety failure.

Audio & In-Cab Electronics

• Install head units, amplifiers, DSPs, speakers, and subwoofer systems in a wide range of vehicles, from base‑model trucks to premium factory sound systems
• Integrate aftermarket head units with factory steering wheel controls, backup cameras, and vehicle data using interface modules (iDatalink Maestro, Axxess, PAC, or equivalent)
• Install remote start, security, dash cams, backup cameras, and sound deadening
• Tune systems by ear and by meter so they sound right before the customer hears them

Emergency Vehicle Upfitting

• Wire and install emergency lighting, sirens, light bars, consoles, controllers, partitions, push bumpers, and gun locks on police, fire, and EMS vehicles (Ford PI Utility, Chevy Tahoe PPV, Dodge Durango Pursuit, F-Series, and similar)
• Program lighting controllers and siren systems (Whelen, Federal Signal, Sound Off Signal, Code 3, or equivalent) to each department's flash patterns and switching requirements
• Integrate with factory upfitter interfaces, ignition‑sense, and CAN bus systems without disrupting factory functions
• Build and label power distribution: fuse blocks, relays, battery isolation, and idle‑management or secondary battery systems

Overland, Off‑Road & Commercial Fleet Electrical

• Install auxiliary switching systems (sPOD, Switch‑Pros, or equivalent), LED light bars, rock lights, winches, air compressors, and accessory power
• Build dual‑battery and DC‑DC charging systems, inverters, 12V fridge circuits, and auxiliary fuse blocks for overland builds
• Wire work lights, strobes, backup alarms, inverters, telematics, and ladder racks on commercial fleet vehicles

Diagnostics, Quality & Documentation

• Diagnose and repair electrical faults on customer vehicles and on our own builds,…