---
title: Staff Electrical Engineer, Design at Firestorm
description: Firestorm is hiring for the Staff Electrical Engineer, Design role in San Diego,
  CA. Full-time role. See the full description and apply.
type: job
url: https://www.foundrole.com/jobs/staff-electrical-engineer-design-at-firestorm-01a18dee-65e2-7f59-bd6a-91dd9e19ca2f
date: 2026-11-15T17:42:40Z
og_description: Join Firestorm as Staff Electrical Engineer, Design in San Diego, CA. Pays $165K–$190K
  per year. Full-time role.
og_image: https://www.foundrole.com/og/0uhydz.png
breadcrumbs:
  - label: Home
    url: https://www.foundrole.com/
  - label: Search
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---

| | |
|---|---|
| **Company** | Firestorm |
| **Location** | San Diego, CA |
| **Salary** | $165K/yr - $190K/yr |
| **Type** | Full Time |
| **Posted** | Oct 30, 2026 |

## Is this job real?

**Ghost job check:** A · Low risk. Probably a real opening.

## Visa sponsorship

- **H-1B:** Firestorm sponsors H-1B visas. It filed 3 H-1B petitions (FY2026 Q1 – FY2026 Q4).
- **E-Verify:** No E-Verify enrollment on record for Firestorm.

## Pay for similar jobs

Most similar jobs pay $108,000 – $178,000 a year (median $143,000).

## Description

**Who We Are**

At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world-class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting-edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost. 

**About the Role**

As a **Staff Electrical Engineer**, you will play a central role in developing critical electrical hardware for our aircraft. The role spans complex technical challenges including power distribution, power conversion, battery charging, high-performance processing, high-speed network communications, and system-level electrical integration.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone with deep technical expertise in power electronics and electrical system design who is comfortable moving between detailed circuit development, system-level tradeoffs, and difficult hardware debugging.

**What You’ll Do**

- Evaluate, interpret and resolve systems engineering problems to meet the design requirements
- Full-cycle hardware development: Own the entire flow — concept, modeling, worst case analysis, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, design reiteration for improving design maturity, testing and validation
- Design embedded control electronics from concept to production, including hardware selection, schematic & PCB design, board bring-up, system-level integration, and flight test
- Design multilayer, HDI, flex, and rigid-flex PCBs for space-, weight-, and thermally constrained applications
- Generate comprehensive engineering documentation, including ECOs, fabrication drawings, BOMs, and release packages
- Conduct root cause analysis of PCB design or layout issues, identify corrective actions, and implement solutions to improve performance, manufacturability, or reliability
- Design and maintain cable harness documentation using Altium Harness Designer
- Interface with vendors to source and select appropriate components for designs, ensuring quality and timely delivery
- Project Management: Support project timelines and ensure that technical milestones are met, reporting on progress to senior management
- Work closely with other electrical, mechanical, software, firmware, and test engineers to deliver fully functional products

**Required Qualifications**

- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field
- Minimum 5+ years of experience designing and releasing electrical hardware for products that have shipped, flown, operated in the field, or otherwise seen real-world use
- U.S. Person status (Citizen or Permanent Resident) required due to ITAR regulations
- Strong electrical engineering fundamentals across analog, digital, mixed-signal, power, sensing, and communication circuits
- Strong proficiency with industry-standard EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD)
- Working knowledge of PCB layout tradeoffs, signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, EMI/EMC, thermal behavior, and manufacturability
- Familiarity with signal integrity and transmission line concepts (e.g., phase matching, crosstalk, insertion/return loss, termination, and BGA breakout strategies)
- Strong root-cause analysis skills and the ability to move from ambiguous symptoms to clear technical conclusions and practical corrective actions
- Clear communication and documentation habits, especially when decisions affect safety, reliability, production, or fleet operations

**Preferred Qualifications**

- Experience with avionics, aerospace, drones, robotics, automotive electronics, satellites, or other high-reliability hardware.
- Experience designing for weight, power consumption, thermal limits, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, environmental exposure, or high-volume manufacturing.
- Familiarity with signal integrity simulation and analysis tools
- Experience with CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, GNSS, radios, motor-control electronics, battery systems, or sensor interfaces.

### **Compensation**

- **Base salary:** $165,000 - $190,000
- **Equity:** Meaningful equity grant in a growth-stage defense technology company
## Skills

- Project Management
- Ball Grid Array (Bga)
- Motor Control
- ITAR Compliance
- Altium Designer
- Electrical Grounding
- Cadence Allegro PCB Designer
- Bill Of Materials
- Transmission
- Ethernet
- Robotics
- Prototyping
- Systems Engineering
- I2c
- Design for Manufacturing (Dfm)
- Flight Testing
- Schematic Capture
- EDA Software
- Root Cause Analysis
- Electromagnetic Interference And Compatibility (Emc/emi)
- Hardware Development
- Pleadings
- GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
- Analog Circuit Design
- Two-Way Radio Communication
- Hardware Bring-up
- Mixed-Signal Design
- Avionics
- Signal Integrity
- Electromagnetic Compatibility (Emc) Compliance
- Cable Harness Assembly
- PCB Design
- Embedded Systems
- Battery Systems
- Simulations
- Corrective And Preventive Action (Capa)
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
- Systems Integration
- Serial Peripheral Interface (Spi)
- Shock Management
- Power Integrity
- Electrical Engineering
- Cadence OrCAD Software
- Communication
- Fabrication Drawing / Shop Drawing
- UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter)
- Firmware
## Benefits

- Employee Stock Options (ESOs)

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