Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer | 4-days onsite in Sterling, VA | Pay: 75/hr - 90/hr | 9-month contract-to-hire

Job Description

We are seeking an Electrical Engineer to support the custom design of advanced electronic systems transitioning from early prototypes into manufacturable products. This role is ideal for an engineer with a strong hands-on foundation who wants to expand their ownership, take on more technically complex designs, and grow within a fast-paced hardware development environment. You will work on systems that began as proof-of-concept or COTS-heavy designs and support efforts to evolve them into tightly integrated, custom electronic solutions. The work supports US and International defense and security initiatives and emphasizes reliability, performance, and production readiness.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the custom electrical design and redesign of complex digital, power, and mixed-signal systems.

• Support the transition of prototype hardware into manufacturable, production-ready designs.

• Develop and modify schematics under the guidance of senior engineers, with increasing ownership over subsystems.

• Assist with COTS evaluation and integration, and support redesign efforts to replace external modules with custom hardware.

• Participate in PCB design activities, including stack-up reviews, signal integrity considerations, and power integrity analysis.

• Support power electronics design efforts, including DC-DC and AC-DC conversion circuits.

• Assist with hardware testing, debugging, and lab testing using standard instrumentation.

• Collaborate closely with mechanical, systems, manufacturing, and program teams.

• Document designs, test results, and engineering changes clearly and accurately.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering.

• 5+ years of electrical engineering experience in hardware product development.

• Experience supporting custom board-level designs, not strictly system integration roles.

• Working knowledge of schematic capture for digital, analog, and power circuits.

• Exposure to FPGA-based systems (Xilinx or similar), particularly at the interface level.

• Foundational understanding of PCB stack-ups and layout considerations, signal integrity and power integrity, and EMI/EMC fundamentals.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with power electronics, such as buck, boost, and LDO regulators, low to mid-power DC-DC conversion, familiarity with higher-power AC-DC systems.

• Experience debugging board-level issues and assisting with system integration efforts.

• Background in defense, aerospace, ISR, sensors, communications, or advanced R&D environments.

• Experience working on products that moved from prototype to production.

• Familiarity with ruggedized or regulated hardware environments.

• Comfort working in environments with changing requirements and evolving designs.

Work Environment

During the contracting phase, you can work remotely but must be willing to fly in for a few days every 1-2 months. Upon conversion, you need to be willing to relocate to the DC area full time. Relocation assistance will be provided.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Sterling, VA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $75.00 - $90.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Sterling,VA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 28, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.