Lead Electrical Systems Engineer

Edge Autonomy•San Luis Obispo, CA

4d•$155,000 - $195,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Electrical Systems Lead serves as the electrical engineering lead for the Air Vehicle Integrated Product Team (IPT), supporting the Air Vehicle IPT Lead with end-to-end technical leadership for the aircraft’s electrical architecture, power distribution, wiring systems, and electrical integration. This role owns the electrical systems technical baseline and ensures that power, signal, and grounding architectures are robust, safe, manufacturable, and fully integrated with all air vehicle subsystems. The Electrical Systems Lead acts as the primary technical authority for electrical system decisions, interfaces closely with, avionics/Flight Systems, systems engineering, manufacturing, and test teams, and translates vehicle-level requirements into a cohesive and producible electrical system design.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field required.
8–12+ years of progressive experience in aircraft or UAS electrical system design.
Demonstrated experience leading electrical system or power architecture development on complex aerospace systems.
Experience working within IPT or program-based engineering environments.
Strong expertise in aircraft electrical power systems and wiring architectures.
Proficiency with electrical CAD and harness design tools (e.g., Capital, Zuken, SolidWorks Electrical, or similar)
Experience developing power budgets, load analysis, and protection schemes.
Familiarity with EMI/EMC considerations and electrical safety standards.
Understanding of aerospace manufacturing and installation practices.
Technical authority with strong engineering judgment.
Ability to lead through influence rather than formal people management.
Strong systems-thinking mindset with attention to interfaces and failure modes.
Clear communicator capable of explaining complex electrical concepts.
Bias toward execution, risk identification, and practical solutions.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering.
Experience with UAV or small/medium aircraft electrical systems.
Prior ownership of electrical system baselines through flight test
Experience supporting certification, qualification, or military airworthiness processes.
Experience with Altium
Proven ability to balance performance, reliability, weight, and manufacturability.
Strong mentoring capability for developing electrical engineers.
Comfort operating in fast-paced, prototype-driven environments.

Responsibilities

Serve as the electrical engineering lead for the Air Vehicle IPT, owning electrical system architecture and technical decision-making.
Define and maintain the aircraft electrical system architecture, including power generation, distribution, protection, and grounding.
Own electrical requirements flowdown, trade studies, and system-level design margins.
Act as the technical authority for electrical system design reviews, change control, and configuration decisions.
Lead design of electrical power distribution systems, wiring harnesses, connectors, and electrical enclosures.
Ensure proper electrical integration of avionics, propulsion, payloads, sensors, and auxiliary systems.
Define interface requirements between electrical systems and airframe structures.
Ensure compliance with electrical safety, EMI/EMC, and environmental requirements.
Guide electrical system analysis including power budgets, load analysis, fault protection, and redundancy strategies.
Define electrical test strategies including continuity, insulation resistance, power-on testing, and system-level verification.
Support ground and flight test activities by troubleshooting electrical system issues and supporting anomaly resolution.
Own closure of electrical system discrepancies, test findings, and nonconformances.
Partner with manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure electrical designs are producible and scalable.
Support wiring harness fabrication, routing, installation, and inspection processes.
Drive design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) improvements for electrical systems.
Support production readiness reviews and transition to sustained production.
Serve as the primary electrical systems interface to airframe, avionics, propulsion, systems engineering, and program leadership.
Communicate electrical system risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations clearly to stakeholders.
Mentor electrical engineers and specialists through technical guidance and design reviews.