Principal Electrical Engineer

About the role

Safran Defense & Space Inc. (Safran DSI), headquartered in Bedford, NH, is a leading U.S. aerospace company dedicated to supporting national defense and space missions. As a trusted partner to the U.S. armed forces, government agencies, and commercial sectors, Safran DSI delivers advanced technology solutions through its specialized business units: Assured PNT, Geospatial AI, Optronics, Space Solutions, and Testing & Telemetry.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and optimization of electronic systems, ensuring they meet functional performance, reliability, and compliance requirements.
• Provide technical direction on complex electrical engineering challenges, driving innovative solutions while adhering to safety, regulatory, and industry standards.
• Detail schematic design including power conditioning, signal integrity analysis and high-speed video data transfer. Electrical layout and component placement for size/space claims of high-density PCBs.
• Define/direct/lead product specification conformance and validation testing, data collection, system integration, and debugging.
• Lead the electrical system architecture development and product specification definition / verification.
• Lead architectural design and electrical implementation of FPGA solutions from concept to deployment.
• Design lead responsibility from product concept to production support.
• Mentor and guide less experienced engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and proactive problem-solving within the team.
• Interface with cross-functional teams, including software, mechanical, and systems engineering, to achieve seamless integration and comprehensive solutions.
• Lead the development and execution of detailed test plans to validate the performance and reliability of electrical components and systems.
• Conduct hands-on evaluations of prototypes, troubleshoot performance issues, and implement corrective actions to resolve design deficiencies.
• Ensure rigorous documentation of test results, including analysis and recommendations, to inform design improvements and ensure compliance with project specifications.
• Identify opportunities for technical innovation and design optimization in electronic systems and components.
• Stay informed about emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to improve the organization's capabilities and competitiveness.
• Promote continuous improvement initiatives by driving process efficiency and ensuring adherence to quality management systems.

Requirements

• BSEE or equivalent with greater than 15 years of electronic HW design and development experience
• Exposure to analog and digital design with mixed signal interface and conversion circuit knowledge and the ability to specify components and/or sub-assemblies
• Experience in designing and testing complex digital systems, including signal processing, memory interfaces, digital video processing and high-speed communication
• Experience in FPGA electrical design and implementation
• Experience with power conversion for high efficiency, high reliability, battery-powered systems
• Experience with high efficiency laser driver topologies covering CW and pulsed lasers
• Experience with PCB layout, packaging, and test of low-noise, mixed-mode circuitry
• Strong design debug and troubleshooting skills with solid hands-on lab experience
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential
• U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain security clearance is required
• Familiarity with working in an ITAR environment
• Strong organization and presentation skills

Qualifications

• Experience with high efficiency and high reliability power converters for battery-powered systems
• Familiarity with Altium PCB design software
• Familiarity with image sensor calibrations (thermal and/or visible)
• Previous exposure to Electro-Optics
• Experience with Qualcomm processors or other powerful, energy-efficient System-on-Chips (SoCs) that integrate CPUs, GPUs, and AI engines onto a single chip
• Experience with FPGA firmware development
• Experience in designing military products
• Experience with military standards (i.e. MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461)