Electrical Design Engineer

Summary

Our client is an established Southern California manufacturer specializing in advanced underwater communication systems, commercial diving equipment, and specialized electronic products used by military, government, public safety, and commercial organizations.

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Electrical Design Engineer to lead the design, development, testing, and enhancement of sophisticated electronic products, with a strong emphasis on analog and digital audio circuitry, audio amplifiers, digital signal processing (DSP), and embedded systems.

The ideal candidate brings 8–10 years of electronic circuit design experience, including hardware development, embedded firmware programming, and component-level troubleshooting. This engineer will work on specialized communication and intercom systems, supporting the complete product development lifecycle from initial concept and circuit design through prototyping, production, and ongoing product improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer who enjoys hands-on product development, solving challenging electronic design problems, and taking ownership of highly specialized electronic systems.

Duties & Responsibilities

Electronic Circuit Design & Product Development

• Design, develop, test, and improve analog and digital electronic circuits for communication equipment, intercom systems, audio amplifiers, and other specialized electronic products.
• Develop electronic hardware and embedded firmware for new product designs and enhancements to existing products.
• Design and optimize audio signal paths, amplification circuitry, and digital audio processing systems.
• Perform circuit-level design, schematic development, component selection, simulation, prototyping, and testing.
• Design and evaluate electronic systems utilizing microcontrollers, microprocessors, DSPs, and FPGA technologies.
• Address circuit impedance matching, signal integrity, board-level electromagnetic interference (EMI), digital interfaces, and digital power requirements.
• Evaluate amplifier performance, including noise characteristics, noise figure (NF), and 1 dB compression point (P1dB), where applicable.
• Incorporate built-in self-test (BIST) capabilities and diagnostic functionality into electronic designs.
• Support development of additional electronic products, including LED lighting systems.

Embedded Systems, Firmware & Digital Signal Processing

• Develop, implement, and troubleshoot embedded software and firmware for electronic communication systems.
• Perform real-time embedded programming and hardware/software integration.
• Design and implement digital audio signal processing functions using DSPs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and/or FPGAs.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware, firmware, and system-level performance issues.
• Perform analog and digital circuit simulation to validate and optimize electronic designs.
• Develop and execute component-level, circuit-board-level, and complete system-level testing.

Testing, Validation & Manufacturing Support

• Develop electronic prototypes, test procedures, and specialized testing fixtures.
• Perform design verification, product validation, failure analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Diagnose component-level and system-level electronic failures and implement corrective actions.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing teams, including troubleshooting production assemblies and improving testing processes.
• Support printed circuit board (PCB) and printed circuit assembly (PCA) development, fabrication, assembly, and production.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, purchasing, and quality teams on component selection, supplier qualification, and manufacturing improvements.
• Support product reliability, manufacturability, and cost optimization.

Engineering Documentation & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Develop and maintain engineering specifications, schematics, design documentation, test procedures, and product development records.
• Prepare Design and Development Plans (DDP), development schedules (DDS), and engineering design reviews.
• Ensure engineering activities align with applicable ISO quality management procedures.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance, purchasing, and other internal departments.
• Provide technical guidance to production technicians and support personnel.
• Assist with technical product evaluations, customer troubleshooting, and post-sale failure investigations.
• Coordinate engineering projects and work with outside suppliers or technical resources as needed.

Qualification & Requirements

Education & Professional Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering.
• Approximately 8–10 years of professional experience performing hands-on electronic circuit design and product development, depending on education and qualifications.
• Experience designing and developing electronic products within a regulated or quality-controlled manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience taking electronic products through design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing.

Core Technical Requirements

• Analog & Digital Circuit Design: Strong hands-on experience designing, simulating, testing, and troubleshooting analog and digital electronic circuits.
• Audio Electronics & DSP: Experience with digital audio signal processing, audio amplification, or electronic communication systems.
• Embedded Systems: Experience developing electronic hardware utilizing microcontrollers, microprocessors, DSPs, and/or FPGAs.
• Embedded Programming: Practical experience developing, testing, and troubleshooting real-time embedded software or firmware.
• Electronic Testing: Strong component-level, IC-level, board-level, and system-level testing and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Circuit Simulation: Experience utilizing analog and digital circuit simulation tools.
• Signal Integrity: Knowledge of impedance matching, electronic noise, board-level EMI, and digital interface design.
• Power Electronics: Understanding of digital power circuitry and electronic power management.
• Amplifier Performance: Knowledge of noise performance, signal-to-noise ratio, NF, and P1dB characteristics as applicable to amplifier design.
• Design Verification: Experience with electronic performance testing, failure analysis, and built-in self-test functionality.

Engineering Software & Tools

• Experience with engineering design and development tools, including:
• OrCAD for electronic schematic design and related engineering applications.
• AutoCAD.
• MPLAB X for embedded development.
• Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio (TI CCS).
• Analog and digital circuit simulation software.
• Microsoft Excel and Word.
• Engineering documentation and project scheduling tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing audio communication equipment, intercom systems, digital audio processors, or audio amplification products.
• Experience with underwater communication systems, military electronics, defense equipment, or other specialized electronic products.
• Experience with PCB/PCA fabrication, production, assembly, and design-for-manufacturability practices.
• Experience supporting contract manufacturers, component suppliers, and electronic production operations.
• Familiarity with CE, UL, ISO, FDA, GMP, or other applicable quality and regulatory standards.
• Experience with LED lighting electronics or related product development.
• Experience leading engineering projects or coordinating cross-functional engineering activities.

Work Environment

• This is a primarily onsite position located in Vista, CA . The engineer will work closely with engineering and manufacturing personnel and participate in hands-on electronic product development, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Limited-duration remote work may be available depending on business requirements and individual circumstances.

Compensation & Benefits

• Annual Salary: $106,000-130,000k, depending on experience.
• Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) matching, paid holidays, and additional company benefits.

The Ideal Candidate

• The strongest candidate is an experienced electronics design engineer who combines analog circuit design, digital audio processing, embedded firmware development, and hands-on electronic troubleshooting.
• This individual is comfortable designing circuits at the component level, programming embedded devices, evaluating electronic performance, and working directly with manufacturing teams to bring reliable electronic products into production.
• Experience with audio communication systems, DSP-based products, or specialized industrial and military electronics would be especially valuable.