Principal Aircraft Electrical Engineer

Atropos•San Diego, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We’re a combat-tested group of engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs who believe America’s edge depends on autonomous airpower that’s trusted and deployable today not in 2040. Backed by tier-one investors, we’ve secured the runway - financial, regulatory, and literal - to move at startup speed while tackling a national-security mission that matters. We’ve structured the company for radical ownership: no silos, no “systems integrator” overhead, just tightly knit mission-focused IPTs that live and breathe the hardware and code they ship. If you thrive where hard-tech ambition meets national-security urgency, you’ll build faster here than anywhere else. Let’s get after it.

Requirements

B.S. EE or similar; >7 yrs aircraft electrical-power-system design.
CAD experience
Proven record of integrating air vehicle power conversion and generation
Proven record solving tricky grounding/noise issues on composite airframes.
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-voltage battery systems or hybrid-electric propulsion.
DER or ODA UM Experience for EWIS.

Responsibilities

Design HV/LV power architecture (28 VDC & 270 VDC), including generation, conversion, and distribution.
Create wiring diagrams & EWIS bundles per AS50881; run load-flow and failure-mode analysis.
Ensure compliance with MIL-STD-704,-461, & DO-160G sections 16-19.
Integrate autonomy compute racks with liquid-cooling or forced-air solutions.
Support EMI/EMC test campaigns and lightning-indirect effects analysis.

Benefits

Base Salary: $145,000 to 225,000 USD
Highly competitive equity grants
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with 100% employer-paid premiums
Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Atropos
Option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents
Unlimited PTO, with minimum of 15 days enforced
20 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave
Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage
Free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more
Work-life services, such as free legal and financial support
Tuition and professional development reimbursement for STEM, MBA, and licenses
Daily Lunch catered
Company-funded child care stipend
Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). 6% employer matching contribution