Senior Electrical Engineering Manager
About The Position
The Electrical Engineering Manager will lead Saildrone's electrical engineering team, responsible for the design, development, and integration of electrical systems for Saildrone's autonomous surface vehicles. These systems include power generation and distribution, control electronics, PCB design, wiring harnesses, and integration with compute, payload, and communications systems. Reporting directly to the Head of Engineering, this role will provide technical leadership to ensure delivery of reliable, efficient, and mission-ready electrical systems. This role is responsible for driving execution for all electrical aspects of the technical roadmap, ensuring high performance and innovation within the EE group, enforcing quality and compliance with relevant electrical and marine standards, while enabling close collaboration and seamless touch points with Mechanical, Firmware, and Software teams. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in electrical engineering and PCBA design. Proven leadership skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, ideally within the defense, aerospace, or maritime sectors.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
- 10+ years of experience in electrical engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
- Proven expertise in PCBA design, power systems, analog and digital circuits, wiring harness development, and integration with embedded systems.
- Knowledge of both AC and DC power generation, control, and distribution systems.
- Experience with serial, CAN, and ethernet communication protocols.
- Experience in grounding, shielding and design for low EMI environments.
- Knowledge of IPC, MIL-STD, UL, ABS, DNVGL, and other applicable standards.
- Proficiency with electrical CAD (Altium preferable) and simulation tools.
- Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills for complex electrical systems.
- Familiarity with 1-line drawings and industry standard harness drawings.
- Experience managing engineering teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Excellent leadership, mentorship, communication, and organizational skills.
- Experience in transitioning electronic hardware from prototype to scalable production in moderate volumes.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in maritime, aerospace, or defense applications is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor the electrical engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and accountability.
- Own the vehicle electrical architecture, ensuring performance, reliability, manufacturability, and scalability.
- Provide technical oversight across all electrical design and integration projects.
- Set clear priorities and goals that align with higher level company objectives.
- Oversee the design, simulation, and validation of electrical systems including PCBAs, power systems, wiring harnesses, control electronics and integration of third party sensors or equipment.
- Ensure all designs meet electrical performance, safety, environmental, and compliance requirements for maritime and defense use.
- Collaborate with firmware, hardware, and systems teams to ensure smooth integration.
- Participate in design reviews and provide feedback
- Translate program, executive, and mission goals into actionable electrical engineering workflows.
- Manage schedules, resources, and deliverables to ensure timely, high-quality outputs.
- Implement rigorous testing, validation, and quality assurance processes for electrical hardware and software.
- Partner with Firmware, Mechanical, Technical Program Management, Quality, and Manufacturing teams to ensure designs satisfy overall vehicle requirements.
- Manage engineering support for field operations, troubleshooting, and failure analysis for deployed systems.
- Promote effective communication across departments to align technical work with strategic objectives.
- Ensure compliance with relevant defense, maritime, and electrical safety standards, such as: IPC, MIL-STD, UL, IEEE, ABYC, and ABS.
- Maintain documentation, configuration control, and revision tracking for all designs.
- Recruit, retain, and develop top-tier electrical engineering talent.
- Provide career development, coaching, and performance management for team members.
Benefits
- Paid time off, including vacation, bereavement, jury duty, sick time and parental leave
- Comprehensive and competitive medical, dental and vision plans, and HSA with employer matching.
- Company sponsored life insurance
- Stock Options
- Annual stipend for continued learning and development
- Quarterly company BBQs at our Alameda HQ (bring your friends and family!)
- Free Bay Area Public Transportation via AlamedaTMA with the BayPass Clipper Card
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Telecommunications
Number of Employees
251-500 employees
