Principal Staff Electrical Engineer

Astronics Corporation • Lake Zurich, IL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Astronics is hiring a Principal Staff Electrical Engineer to develop electrical system architectures and perform PCBA-level design, including bill-of-materials management, debugging, and configuration control. The engineer will design for EMI/EMC compliance, troubleshoot qualification-testing issues, and support product verification, regulatory compliance, and transfer of design files into manufacturing. The role also provides technical leadership, mentorship, and direction to engineers, interns, technicians, and Ukraine-based engineering and CAD staff. This is a 100% onsite position primarily in Lake Zurich, Illinois, with occasional travel (less than 25% of the time) to laboratories in the Chicago region.

The engineer will lead programs of varying complexity, including multiple programs concurrently, serve as a subject matter expert for technical design reviews and manufacturing, and contribute to cross-functional project management and the development of electrical engineering design processes. The position requires familiarity with relevant quality-management standards and support for audits. Other duties may be assigned as necessary.

The listed base salary is $120,000–$150,000, with compensation based on factors including experience, skills, education, certifications, market conditions, and business needs. All employees are eligible for a quarterly profit-sharing incentive program. Employment is contingent on passing a background screen and drug test. The position may involve access to items subject to U.S. export-control laws, and employment is contingent on legal authorization to access those items; the company does not guarantee it will seek authorization where needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and/or Computer Engineering from an accredited university program.
• At least 20 years of experience.
• Experience with ECAD schematic capture and layout; Altium Designer is preferred.
• Experience designing for EMI, lighting, pin-injection, and other qualification testing in accordance with DO-160, Boeing, and Airbus standards.
• Experience generating qualification test procedures and setup diagrams for EMC qualification testing.
• Experience reviewing board-level and system-level designs for grounding techniques and design practices that support passing EMC qualification tests.
• Experience troubleshooting and resolving failed EMI/EMC tests, including preparing documentation and deviation requests.
• Board-level and system-level experience implementing RF design principles for RF and/or high-speed digital signals.
• Software experience with languages or environments such as C/C++, Python, Linux, Bash, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi to support troubleshooting and engineering evaluation.
• Team-oriented, methodical self-starter able to complete projects in a timely manner.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work 100% onsite primarily in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and make occasional travel of less than 25% of the time to laboratories in the Chicago region.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment background screen and drug test.
• Authorization under applicable law to access any U.S. export-controlled items involved in the position.

Nice To Haves

• ECAD experience with Altium Designer.
• Software experience with C/C++, Python, Linux, Bash, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi.

Responsibilities

• Complete PCBA-level design, including BOM management, revision control, configuration management, hardware bring-up and debugging, and issue tracking.
• Design multilayer PCBs supporting high-speed communications up to 10 Gbps; wireless functions such as 802.11 b/g/n/ac, BTLE, RFID/NFC, and LTE; microcontroller or microprocessor circuits; power management; and serial/peripheral interfaces.
• Perform product verification and testing, including final analysis and development of tests, reports, and programming scripts.
• Develop electrical system architectures.
• Select and use test equipment, including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, meters, and power supplies.
• Provide direction to an Engineering Technician and, when needed, directly support PCBA assembly, rework, and changes using soldering irons, heat guns, hot plates, and similar equipment.
• Mentor interns and engineers.
• Provide direction to Ukraine-based engineers and CAD specialists.
• Develop and review the creation and evolution of the electrical engineering design process.
• Support transfer of design files into manufacturing.
• Support regulatory compliance testing.
• Serve as the electrical engineering subject matter expert for the manufacturing team.
• Lead programs of all complexity levels, including multiple concurrent programs.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in technical design reviews for programs of all complexity levels.
• Perform project management and engineering on cross-functional programs.
• Maintain working knowledge and awareness of ISO 9001, ISO 14000, ISO 13485, and AS9100 processes.
• Support ISO and internal audits of electrical engineering processes.
• Perform other duties and functions as assigned.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible spending account (FSA)
• Health savings account (HSA)
• Voluntary life and AD&D coverage
• Voluntary critical illness coverage
• Accident prevention coverage
• Hospital indemnity coverage
• Quarterly profit-sharing incentive program
• 401(k) with a 3% company contribution and an additional annual discretionary contribution
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness Program
• Generous paid time off
• Volunteer Time Off Program
• Paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal