{"id":459421,"url":"https://alion.io/job/performance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer","title":"Principal Electrical Engineer","company":{"id":176596,"name":"Performance Drone Works","domain":"pdw.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/performance-drone-works","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rippling","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":18,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":84,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Denver, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":130000,"max_usd":241000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":656},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Altium Designer","optional":false},{"name":"AS9100","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-16T16:14:47Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-06-16","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T04:43:45Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":136,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":136},"description":"Performance Drone Works (PDW) is building the next generation of tactical robotic systems used across defense, national security, and public safety missions. We are building a new center of engineering excellence to design our new category of tactical robotic systems and the industrial capacity to deliver them, bringing decisive airpower into the hands of every operator. We are not here to make promises; we are here to deliver real systems with real capabilities for real missions.\nYou will join a team of operators, engineers, and builders who solve hard problems with humility and focus. We design and produce multi-mission aerial systems that operators trust to perform in real-world conditions, reliably, repeatedly, and at scale. Our approach is grounded in operator-centered design, rapid iteration from field use, and U.S.-based manufacturing. We operate by a clear set of values: Mission First, Aim Farther, Own It, Win Together. This is how we build advantage and how we help protect our service members, our communities, and our country.\nWhatYou’llDo\nTake ownership of and providetechnical leadership for complex multi-board electrical systems across the full electrical development lifecycle includingarchitecture design, schematic capture, PCB layout, bring up and roll out.\nDrive high-impact initiatives across multiple products, to break hard problems down into actionable solutions.\nHelpidentifyand tailor industry standards to develop light weight processes to support design, test, quality.\nLead technical discussions and design reviews, ensuring architectural integrity, quality, alignment with product and platform strategy and meeting process needs.\nCollaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders, including Engineering leadership, Product, Design,productionand supply chain.\nWork closely with manufactures to quote, fabricate, and assemble PCB assemblies and develop relationships to help make production successful.\nMentor engineers, working with the team to help develop alightweight processesbased onindustry standardsand takes engineering to the next level.\nSupport deployments in the field, including hands-on involvement with product testing,demonstrationsand live debugging of real-world issues.\nContinuously improve system performance,identifyingbottlenecks,optimizingelectricaldesignsand closing physical security vulnerabilities.\nContribute to the evolution of the engineering culture, championingresponsibility, ownership,innovation, quality, and engineering excellence across the organization.\nRequirements\nStrong skills in Altium Designer, including schematic drafting, PCB layout, fabrication and assembly notes, and manufacturing outputs.\nExpert level knowledge of electronic hardware and system design experience in analog circuit design with a focus on power electronics.\nExperience designing high-speed digital systems including processor, memory and comms interfaces such as I2C, SPI, RS232, MIPI-CSI, Gigabit etc.\nExtensive experience with designing PCB stack ups and design constraints to meet the needs for power distribution, signal integrity, interface standards, EMI controls and manufacturability.\nSignificant hands experience in the lab with lab equipment, soldering, debugging and bring-up.\nExperience designing products for manufacturability, testability, reliability, and high-rate production.\nExperience performing root cause analysis and corrective actions for complex hardware failures.\nProficiency in MS Office tools, including Project.\nBachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, or related field, with 10+ years of professional electronics development experience, including 2+ years in technical leadership or architectural role.\nPreferred\nHands-on experience with UAVs,aircraft, robotics, or hobby drones.\nExtensive hands-on experience with the highly integrated high power PCBAs designed for demanding and dynamic environments.\nDemonstrated experience with rapid and successful new product introductionwith successful transition to high-rate production.\nExperience with AS9100, ISO9001 or similar quality management standards, as well as significant tailoring of industry standards.\nFluency in using version control (such asGit) and experience with branching strategies, tagging, and collaborative workflows.\nExperience with small teams rapidly growing into large teams with the ambiguity it may entail.\nMaster’s degree in electrical engineering, or related field, with 12+ years of professional electronics development experience, including 5+ years ina technicalleadership or architectural role.\nPhysical Requirements\nThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Ability to sit, stand, bend, reach, climb, and move about regularly throughout the day and lift / carry up to25 pounds. Must have manual dexterity tooperatestandardofficeor manufacturingequipment as well asvarious electronic power supplies and test equipment. Must be physically capable of the assigned duties.\nWork Environment\nThis position typically operates in a standard office setting and manufacturing environment. This role requires use of standard office and manufacturing equipment and may require occasional travel to customer locations or facilities. This position may have exposure to outdoor weather conditions, noise, and non-climate-controlled environments. May require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) depending on the environment. This is a fast-paced work environment and requires cross departmental collaboration with independent and team-based responsibilities. This position may require working outside of core business hours as needed to support business and operational requirements.\nITAR Requirement\nIn compliance with International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR), candidates must be U.S. Citizens, U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) or individuals granted asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).\nBenefits\nPDW values our team, and we offer a compensation package reflective of your experience and capabilities. Benefits include:\nComprehensive BCBS medical, dental, and vision coverage; 80% sponsored by the company.\nSafe Harbor 401(K) with company match.\nPaid Parental Leave.\nA work environment that encourages teamwork and innovation.\nOn-site gym at our Huntsville, AL and Denver, CO locations.\nEmployer provided life insurance.\nRobust Employee Assistant Program (EAP).\nCompetitive salary, generous paid time off (PTO), and flexible leave options.\nEEO Statement\nPDW is an equal opportunity employer that upholds all federal and state non-discrimination laws. We ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation for employment for all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, medical condition, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.\nThis position will have an annual salary, equity, and benefits. The salary range provided is a guideline rather than a fixed limit. Individual pay is determined by factors including geography, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7237,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Drones & UAVs","Military Drones"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-06T10:31:55Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":25,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.707,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":136,"expected_fill_days":84,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/performance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/performance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T06:06:45Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":8888,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":176596},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=176596"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fperformance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fperformance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fperformance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/performance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fperformance-drone-works-principal-electrical-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":459421}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"pdw.ai","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":459421},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}