Staff Electrical Engineer

Position Summary

Flightwave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is looking to fill an immediate position as a full-time Staff Electrical Engineer. Flightwave is focused on creating world class system solutions serving a broad range of applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). We are working to deliver state-of-the-art, high quality, high performance robotic systems to address the growing applications in the drone industry.

Flightwave's electrical engineers are responsible for their designs from conception to sustaining. As a Staff Electrical Engineer you are responsible for the high-level electrical system design of a major product such as a drone, gimbal, or ground control station. You work closely with the other discipline lead engineers and the product manager to decompose product level requirements into a system architecture and set of engineering requirements that achieve the product vision with the best compromise of development time, cost, and design complexity. You also direct the efforts of other electrical engineers who are focused on specific subsystems, and you integrate their designs with your own to build a robust system. You take ownership of the design and drive yourself and others to produce the best possible product.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with a cross-disciplinary team to breakdown product requirements into clear testable and traceable formal system and subsystem engineering requirements
• Estimate the level of effort in engineering hours and total duration of all tasks for a project to support the project manager’s schedule
• Perform trade studies to identify and downselect critical system components and technologies
• Serve as a subject-matter expert in at least three technologies critical to UAVs
• Manage a system level electrical design with Application Processors and multiple microcontrollers
• Lead a small team of engineers and integrate their designs into a working system
• Develop designs that pass electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulatory requirements (e.g., MIL-STD-461G, FCC, CE)
• Implement design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) best practices and feedback
• Write and execute Engineering Verification Test (EVT) procedures
• Work with in-house manufacturing team and contract manufacturers to define in-circuit tests (ICT) and functional circuit tests (FCT)
• Direct and review PCB layout
• Lead design reviews of the project and sign-off on design reviews for others
• Perform PCB layout as needed and work with both internal and external layout resources
• Maintain an accurate electrical bill of materials (BOM) in the product lifecycle management (PLM) system
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering
• 11-15 years of relevant industry experience, preferably in electronics design, embedded systems, or aerospace/UAS sectors
• In-depth knowledge of high-density interconnect (HDI) PCB technology
• Proficiency in defining a PCB stackup that minimizes cost while still achieving excellent EMI/EMC performance
• Detailed understanding of common high-speed serial communication busses (e.g., USB2/3, MIPI D-PHY, MIPI M-PHY, PCIe, Ethernet)
• Thorough understanding of Power Integrity (PI) and Signal Integrity (SI) design principles
• Proficiency with a SPICE-based circuit simulator or a signal/power integrity design tool (SI/PI)
• Solid understanding electrical signal propagation
• Good working knowledge of all key drone technologies with expert level experience in at least three (e.g., Brushless DC Motor Drive, Inertial sensors, GPS, Lithium-Ion batteries, Camera Interfaces, Radio modules)
• Proficiency in use of laboratory test equipment
• Excellent communication skills in writing reports and corresponding with manufacturers
• Proficiency in Altium Designer
• Working understanding of Agile and Waterfall design and development methodologies

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while working at a computer, conducting design reviews, or participating in team meetings.
• Manual dexterity and visual acuity required to operate computers, electronic testing equipment, and precision lab tools.
• Ability to lift and carry materials and equipment up to 25 pounds, including test rigs, tools, and small assemblies.
• Must be able to navigate between lab, office, and manufacturing environments, including occasional use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, gloves, or ESD-safe gear.
• Occasional crouching, bending, or reaching during hands-on work with test fixtures, prototype systems, or in-lab PCB/debug tasks.
• Capability to observe and interpret technical schematics, displays, and test results, including small text and fine detail.
• Must be comfortable using a variety of lab-based equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and data acquisition systems.

Background Check

This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal and state law.

EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization Disclosure

Red Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Successful candidates for positions subject to ITAR/EAR restrictions must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence and must not require sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.

E-Verify

The company participates E-Verify ensure eligibility for employment and compliance with Right to Work rules.

Compensation: Salary range 176K-205k plus generous annual equity package, potential bonuses and company benefits