Electrical Engineer, PCB Design

WORK LOCATION:

San Luis Obispo, CA

FLSA STATUS:
Exempt

SALARY RANGE:
The anticipated salary range for this role is $157,000 to $176,000 annually. This range reflects a good faith estimate based on the targeted level for the role and typical compensation benchmarks across U.S. locations. Actual compensation may vary depending on the selected candidate’s qualifications, experience, geographical location, and internal alignment.

Redwire Defense Tech is seeking a Staff Electrical Engineer, PCB Design to join our team in San Luis Obispo, CA, to support the development of next‑generation unmanned aircraft systems.

The Staff Electrical Engineer, PCB Design plays a critical leadership role in the architecture, design, and integration of embedded electrical systems for unmanned aircraft platforms. This position is responsible for developing and validating flight‑critical hardware, including high‑reliability power systems, avionics signals and processing, communication networks, and embedded compute subsystems that operate in demanding aerospace environments.

As a subject matter expert, this engineer drives end‑to‑end PCB development—from system architecture and schematic capture through layout, stack‑up definition, signal and power integrity, and design for manufacturability and test. The role ensures robust, scalable hardware solutions that meet performance, reliability, and environmental requirements while integrating seamlessly with mechanical, software, and GNC systems.

This role is ideal for an experienced aerospace or UAS electronics engineer who thrives in a hands‑on, fast‑paced environment and is passionate about solving complex technical challenges across sensors, RF systems, power management, embedded processing, and flight‑critical communication buses.

• Lead the design and development of complex, multi‑layer PCBs supporting avionics, power systems, sensor interfaces, and embedded compute platforms.
• Own end‑to‑end PCB development, including requirements definition, architecture, component selection, schematic capture, layout, and design documentation.
• Drive high‑speed and high‑reliability design practices, including signal integrity, impedance control, EMI/EMC mitigation, and thermal management.
• Define PCB stack‑ups and ensure designs meet aerospace environmental and reliability requirements (vibration, thermal, electrical).
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Electrical, Mechanical, Software, GNC, Autonomy, Production, and Test teams to translate system requirements into robust hardware solutions.
• Integrate and validate subsystems including sensors, radios, GPS, datalinks, autopilots, payload interfaces, and embedded processing platforms (e.g., Jetson, STM
  32, PIC).
• Lead and participate in formal design reviews (CoDR, PDR, CDR), risk assessments, and hardware validation activities.
• Support prototype bring‑up, debugging, and failure analysis at the board and system levels.
• Partner with manufacturing to drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT), including vendor coordination and board bring‑up support.
• Support environmental and functional testing, including benchtop validation, HIL/SIL testing, and flight test readiness.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across avionics, power systems, and embedded electronics in both development and field environments.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership within the hardware engineering team.

The following are a non‑exhaustive list of qualifications for the position:

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field, with typically 8+ years of PCB design experience.
• Extensive experience with multi‑layer PCB design and layout using Altium Designer (or equivalent tools). Strong expertise in high‑speed digital, mixed‑signal, and power electronics design, including controlled impedance routing and differential pairs, signal and power integrity principles, EMI/EMC mitigation techniques, deep understanding of PCB stack‑up design, material selection, and thermal/mechanical considerations for ruggedized hardware.
• Familiarity with IPC standards and best…