Staff Electrical Engineer

About the role

Flightwave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is looking to fill an immediate position as a full-time Staff Electrical Engineer. Flightwave is focused on creating world class system solutions serving a broad range of applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). We are working to deliver state-of-the-art, high quality, high performance robotic systems to address the growing applications in the drone industry. Flightwave's electrical engineers are responsible for their designs from conception to sustaining.

Responsibilities

• Work with a cross-disciplinary team to breakdown product requirements into clear testable and traceable formal system and subsystem engineering requirements
• Estimate the level of effort in engineering hours and total duration of all tasks for a project to support the project manager's schedule
• Perform trade studies to identify and downselect critical system components and technologies
• Serve as a subject-matter expert in at least three technologies critical to UAVs
• Manage a system level electrical design with Application Processors and multiple microcontrollers
• Lead a small team of engineers and integrate their designs into a working system
• Develop designs that pass electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulatory requirements (e.g., MIL-STD-461G, FCC, CE)
• Implement design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) best practices and feedback
• Write and execute Engineering Verification Test (EVT) procedures
• Work with in-house manufacturing team and contract manufacturers to define in-circuit tests (ICT) and functional circuit tests (FCT)
• Direct and review PCB layout
• Lead design reviews of the project and sign-off on design reviews for others
• Perform PCB layout as needed and work with both internal and external layout resources
• Maintain an accurate electrical bill of materials (BOM) in the product lifecycle management (PLM) system
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
• 11–15 years of relevant industry experience, preferably in electronics design, embedded systems, or aerospace/UAS sectors
• In-depth knowledge of high-density interconnect (HDI) PCB technology
• Proficiency in defining a PCB stackup that minimizes cost while still achieving excellent EMI/EMC performance
• Detailed understanding of common high-speed serial communication busses (e.g., USB2/3, MIPI D-PHY, MIPI M-PHY, PCIe, Ethernet)
• Thorough understanding of Power Integrity (PI) and Signal Integrity (SI) design principles
• Proficiency with a SPICE-based circuit simulator or a signal/power integrity design tool (SI/PI)
• Solid understanding electrical signal propagation
• Good working knowledge of all key drone technologies with expert level experience in at least three (e.g., Brushless DC Motor Drive, Inertial sensors, GPS, Lithium-Ion batteries, Camera Interfaces, Radio modules)
• Proficiency in use of laboratory test equipment
• Excellent communication skills in writing reports and corresponding with manufacturers
• Proficiency in Altium Designer
• Working understanding of Agile and Waterfall design and development methodologies

Working Conditions

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while working at a computer, conducting design reviews, or participating in team meetings
• Manual dexterity and visual acuity required to operate computers, electronic testing equipment, and precision lab tools
• Ability to lift and carry materials and equipment up to 25 pounds, including test rigs, tools, and small assemblies
• Must be able to navigate between lab, office, and manufacturing environments, including occasional use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, gloves, or ESD-safe gear
• Occasional crouching, bending, or reaching during hands-on work with test fixtures, prototype systems, or in-lab PCB/debug tasks
• Capability to observe and interpret technical schematics, displays, and test results, including small text and fine detail
• Must be comfortable using a variety of lab-based equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and data acquisition systems

Pay

Salary range 176K-205k plus generous annual equity package, potential bonuses and company benefits