Principal Electrical Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

The Elevator Pitch 

Evolv is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer, Analog & Sensor Systems to help shape the architecture and technical direction of next-generation sensor platforms deployed in complex, high-traffic, real-world environments.

This is a hands-on, high-impact individual contributor role for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of analog design, electromagnetics, mixed-signal systems, sensor architecture, and system integration. You will translate complex sensing concepts into robust, production-ready systems while helping define the technical path for future platforms.

You will work closely with a small, highly collaborative group of senior engineers to make critical architecture decisions, evaluate tradeoffs, reduce technical risk, and move early-stage concepts into scalable production designs. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys ambiguous, difficult technical problems and wants to see their work deployed at scale in the real world.

This is a technical ladder role with a clear growth path toward Distinguished Engineer and Technical Fellow-level impact.

What Success Looks Like:

Success in this role means taking complex sensing concepts and turning them into reliable, manufacturable, production-ready systems while raising the technical bar across architecture, execution, and engineering rigor.

Within 90 days, you will: 

• Own key portions of the electrical architecture for a next-generation sensor platform

• Drive early risk reduction through analysis, simulation, prototyping, and lab validation

• Influence critical system-level decisions through clear, data-backed tradeoff analyses across performance, cost, reliability, and schedule

• Deliver initial design contributions that materially advance the platform, such as schematics, interfaces, subsystem architecture, or sensing approach improvements
  

Within 12 months you will: 

• Lead development of a sensor platform from architecture definition through production release

• Deliver designs that meet performance, cost, reliability, manufacturability, and scalability targets

• Resolve complex bring-up, debugging, and validation challenges across electrical and cross-disciplinary systems

• Raise the technical bar across the team through rigorous design reviews, strong documentation, mentorship, and clear engineering standards

Key Responsibilities

• Develop novel approaches to sensors based on electromagnetics, and their integration into control systems
• Own system-level electrical architecture for sensor platforms, including power, signal integrity, interfaces, grounding, and integration across subsystems
• Lead technical investigations into new technologies, components, and architectures, including cost/performance tradeoff analyses
• Drive clear, data-backed architectural decisions and align cross-functional teams around them
• Serve as the final technical authority for critical design decisions and reviews
• Design and review schematics, layouts, and system interfaces
• Lead prototype bring-up, debugging, and validation in the lab
• Define and execute test strategies to validate performance, robustness, and reliability
• Support design for manufacturability, testability, and long-term support
• Translate system-level requirements into actionable electrical designs
• Collaborate with firmware and software engineers to define hardware/software interfaces and ensure system-level performance
• Work closely with leadership to balance near-term execution with a longer-term technology roadmap
• Set technical expectations and best practices across the EE team
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers through architecture discussions, reviews, and problem solving
• Drive consistency in design rigor, documentation, and validation approaches
  

Required Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering or related STEM discipline required; MS preferred
• 12+ years of relevant engineering experience, with at least 5 years at senior or principal level
• Deep expertise in analog and mixed-signal design, with a strong focus on sensors and electromagnetics – including circuit design, simulation, and validation of subsystems such as signal conditioning, ADC/DAC, PLL, power supplies, RF, and amplifiers
• Deep electromagnetic transmission expertise, including Class D or power amplifier design, analog filter design, antenna and receiver characterization, and circuit design spanning sub-Hz to GHz frequencies
• Hands-on fluency with test equipment, board-level circuit and transmission line design, PLL design, and low-noise circuit and PCB design techniques
• Proficiency with SPICE-based simulation tools (LTspice, Cadence Spectre, or equivalent), schematic capture (Altium, OrCAD, or KiCad), and data analysis tools (MATLAB, Python)
• Proven ability to own and deliver sensing technology that integrates efficiently into system architectures
• Hands-on experience taking products from concept through certification and production
• Strong background in tradeoff analysis across performance, cost, risk, and schedule
• Demonstrated success debugging complex, cross-disciplinary system issues
• Proven track record of operating as a technical authority, influencing peers and stakeholders across organizational lines
  

Preferred Experience

• System integration involving tradeoffs with electromechanical layout, cables, grounding, and shielding in constrained environments
• EMC/EMI, safety, and regulatory compliance
• Optimizing cost and complexity in system architectures
• Comfortable operating in a high-ownership environment where engineers drive decisions end-to-end

What is the leadership like for this role? What is the structure and culture of the team? 

You will join the Electrical Engineering team and report directly to the Senior Manager, Electrical Engineering. Our culture is rooted in collaboration, accountability, curiosity, and continuous growth. Team members are empowered to own their work, contribute bold ideas, learn from one another, and work together to solve meaningful challenges that support Evolv’s mission.

Where is the role located? 

This role is onsite based out of  Evolv’s HQ in Waltham, Massachusetts, with limited flexibility for remote work. 

Compensation and Transparency Statement

The base salary range for this full-time position is $148,000-$240,000. In addition to base salary, this role offers a competitive target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package. This range reflects our commitment to pay transparency and equity, in alignment with applicable state laws. Our compensation ranges are determined based on factors such as role, level, location, market benchmarks, and internal equity. The posted range represents the good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this role across U.S. locations. Actual compensation within the range will be based on the candidate’s skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

In accordance with state and local pay transparency laws—including those in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and others—we disclose salary ranges in all job postings and provide additional information upon request.

During the hiring process, your recruiter will share:

• The specific salary range for your preferred location

• A general overview of our benefits and equity offerings

• Insights into how compensation decisions are made, including factors that influence starting pay

We are committed to fair pay practices, and we regularly review our compensation programs to ensure they are competitive, equitable, and aligned with our values.

Benefits

At Evolv, we’re on a mission to help make public spaces safer through innovative security technology. So, we're looking for future teammates who embody our values, people who:  

• Do the right thing, always;  

• Put people first'  

• Own it;  

• Win together; and continue to   

• Be bold, stay curious.  
  

Our Benefits Include :  

• Equity as part of your total compensation package  

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance  

• Health Savings Account (HSA)    

• A 401(k) plan (and 2% company match)  

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)- take the time you need to recharge, with manager approval and business needs in mind 

• Quarterly stipend for perks and benefits that matter most to you  

• Tuition reimbursement to support your ongoing learning and development  

• Subscription to Calm  

Evolv Technology (“Evolv”) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace, and all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by law in the locations where we operate. Evolv will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. 

Evolv is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of the job application process, please connect with us at View email address on ziprecruiter.com.

Evolv participates in E-verify for all employees after the completion of Form I-9.