Electrical Engineering Manager

Engage. Inspire. Prepare. ™

Who We Are

Sphero engages students with high quality hands-on STEM, robotics, and CTE solutions. Our accessible classroom learning and competition offerings build skills and confidence in the classroom and beyond. Together with educators, we inspire and prepare the next generation of problem solvers and innovators.

What You'll Do

We're looking for an experienced Electrical Engineering Manager to join the Sphero Engineering team in a unique player-coach role, leading and mentoring a small team of electrical engineers while remaining hands-on as the senior electrical engineer on our innovative embedded systems and consumer electronics products. You'll partner closely with product, firmware, mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams to lead the complete product development lifecycle-from concept, electrical architecture, schematic design, and PCB layout through prototyping, testing, certification, and production. At Sphero, you'll have true end-to-end ownership of both your products and your team, helping design award-winning STEM education products that inspire curiosity, creativity, and joyful learning for students around the world.

Responsibilities:

Electrical Engineering & Product Development

• Lead the electrical design and development of innovative embedded systems and consumer electronics products from concept through production.
• Translate product requirements into electrical architecture, schematic designs, PCB layouts, and hardware specifications using Altium Designer.
• Validate electrical designs through prototyping, simulation, debugging, and design verification testing.
• Evaluate technical risks, design tradeoffs, and design margins throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Conduct cross-functional design reviews and drive resolution of technical challenges.
• Design for manufacturability (DFM), reliability, quality, and regulatory compliance throughout development.
• Develop and support test fixtures, manufacturing validation, and production readiness in partnership with contract manufacturers.
• Lead electrical certification efforts, including pre-certification activities and compliance with applicable industry standards.
• Provide sustaining engineering support for existing products, including root cause analysis, product improvements, and component lifecycle management.

Engineering Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of electrical engineers through coaching, technical guidance, performance feedback, and career development.
• Set technical direction, establish engineering priorities, and balance team workload across multiple concurrent product development projects.
• Foster engineering best practices through design reviews, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and professional development to grow the capabilities of the electrical engineering team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product Management, Firmware, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing teams to deliver high-quality products on schedule.
• Collaborate directly with domestic and overseas manufacturing partners, suppliers, vendors, and Field Application Engineers (FAEs) to support product development and production.
• Communicate technical decisions, project risks, timelines, and design recommendations clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Travel domestically and internationally (primarily Asia) approximately one to two times per year to support manufacturing, supplier collaboration, product development, and engineering initiatives.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 8-12+ years of experience in electrical engineering, embedded systems, electronic product development, or consumer electronics.
• 2+ years of experience leading, mentoring, or managing electrical engineers as a people manager, technical lead, or engineering lead.
• Proven experience designing, developing, and successfully launching embedded hardware or consumer electronic products from concept through production.
• Hands-on experience with electrical architecture, schematic capture, and PCB design/layout using Altium Designer.
• Experience designing embedded systems that incorporate Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or other wireless communication technologies.
• Experience designing batteries and battery powered embedded systems, including charging and power management.
• Experience designing robotic systems, integrating motors and sensors.
• Strong understanding of design for manufacturability (DFM), product validation, debugging, root cause analysis, and sustaining engineering.
• Experience working directly with contract manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, and Field Application Engineers (FAEs), including supporting overseas manufacturing partners.
• Experience with electrical certification, EMC/ESD design considerations, and regulatory standards such as FCC Part 15B; experience with children's product safety standards (e.g., ASTM F963 and EN 71) is a plus.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Product Management, Firmware Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing.
• Ability to hand solder, prototype, and rework printed circuit boards, including fine-pitch surface-mount components (0402) and through-hole components.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and respectfully in a remote-first environment using collaboration tools such as Slack, Zoom, and email.
• Experience leading and collaborating with remote engineering teams while effectively managing multiple priorities and projects.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (primarily Asia) approximately one to two times per year to support manufacturing, supplier collaboration, engineering activities, and product development.
• Must be able to travel to our Texas warehouse for the first two days of employment to participate in new hire onboarding (company-paid travel provided).
• Must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States.

A Day in the Life

• Spring out of bed knowing that today you'll help create products that inspire kids to learn through play and exploration!
• Check your calendar and plan your priorities for the day.
• While sipping on your favorite morning beverage, catch up on emails and Slack messages to stay current on project updates, design discussions, and questions from teammates across time zones.
• Connect with our Hong Kong manufacturing team to answer factory questions, review production updates, and support manufacturing needs.
• Share your daily priorities and progress with the team in Slack.
• Meet with your engineering team to collaborate on electrical designs, embedded hardware challenges, debugging, and creative problem-solving.
• Partner with firmware, mechanical, software, and product teams to discuss requirements, review designs, and move projects forward.
• Respectfully debate technical solutions, evaluate tradeoffs, and work together to make great engineering decisions.
• Take a break, step outside for some fresh air, and enjoy lunch-balance matters here.
• Dive into electrical architecture, schematic design, PCB layouts, prototyping, testing, component selection, or debugging-sometimes independently and sometimes with teammates.
• Research new components, evaluate technical solutions, and solve interesting engineering challenges as products evolve.
• Participate in or lead design reviews, mentor teammates, and help remove roadblocks so projects keep moving.
• Throughout the day, stay connected in Slack, collaborate across teams, and support one another when questions arise.
• Occasionally Zoom with our Hong Kong team in the evening to review manufacturing updates, product development progress, and design solutions.
• Wrap up your day knowing you've helped build innovative STEM products that make a real impact on students, educators, and families-and then sign off to spend time doing what makes you happy. A healthy work-life balance is important to us.

This is your opportunity to create a lasting impact on the world of STEM, robotics, and Career & Technical Education with an inspired, dynamic, and innovative team. If you have unique talents that support our mission, send your resume our way.

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $150,000 annually. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidate's relevant work experience, skills, and certifications.

Benefits (Health benefits available the 1st of the month following your start date): Sphero offers a 100% paid medical plan (buy-up plan available); dental and vision insurance; short-term & long-term disability, life insurance, AD&D insurance, FSA, HSA + Employer contribution (with HDHP medical plan), 401(k) plan + Employer match, stock options, unlimited PTO, 4-day work weeks, two paid week-long company shutdowns per year, ability to work remotely full-time, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, fitness benefit, and a technology benefit.

We encourage and welcome applicants with any and all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and competencies. All hiring, promotion, discipline, and discharge decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We are an equal-opportunity employer.

The anticipated application deadline for this position is September 1, 2026.