OverviewVertex, located in Indianapolis, IN, is seeking a
Senior Electrical Engineer I to support development, integration, and sustainment of ground-based electronic systems that combine COTS embedded computers, power conversion for battery and shore power, and mission-specific electronics.
This role will own design and integration tasks from requirements through lab verification and production support. The engineer will specify and integrate COTS embedded systems, define and implement power architectures for ground equipment, perform schematic capture and analysis, collaborate with PCB layout engineers, and support bring-up and debug of circuit cards and integrated units. The position requires a high degree of initiative, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to work both independently and as part of an Electrical Hardware Development Team in a dynamic environment.
Responsibilities- Own electrical design tasks from requirements through release for ground-based electronic assemblies.
- Specify, select, and integrate COTS embedded systems and industrial computers into larger architectures.
- Define and implement power trees for systems using both battery and shore power, including regulation, protection, and sequencing.
- Perform schematic capture, component selection, and design documentation using ECAD tools (e.g., Altium Designer).
- Collaborate with PCB layout engineers to ensure signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, creepage/clearance, and manufacturability requirements are met.
- Plan and execute board-level bring-up, including staged power-on, basic functional checks, and data collection.
- Use lab equipment (oscilloscopes, DMMs, power supplies, electronic loads) to verify performance and troubleshoot issues.
- Perform circuit modeling and analysis using SPICE tools and analytical tools such as MATLAB, Mathcad, and Excel.
- Support root cause and corrective action (RCCA) investigations for board-level and integration issues.
- Contribute to design reviews, test planning, and risk/issue tracking within cross-functional teams.
- Support production and sustainment activities, including troubleshooting manufacturing defects and contributing to design improvements.
QualificationsEducation & Experience- Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related STEM field.
- Minimum 5 years of professional electrical engineering experience or 3+ years with a relevant Master's degree (MSEE, MSCE, or similar).
- Demonstrated experience in:
- System-level design implementation for electronic hardware.
- Specification, selection, and integration of COTS embedded systems or industrial computers.
- Power conversion and distribution for ground-based equipment using both battery and shore power sources.
Required Skills- U.S. Citizen with ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance.
- Competent in circuit design and schematic capture using ECAD tools (e.g., Altium Designer or similar).
- Experience defining and implementing power trees (DC/DC, LDOs, battery interfaces, shore power conditioning, protection, sequencing).
- Experience with COTS single board computers or embedded platforms (SBCs, COM modules, industrial PCs), including power, reset, and common interfaces.
- Working knowledge of UART, SPI, I²C, Ethernet, and GPIO integration.
- Ability to perform circuit modeling and simulation using SPICE tools (e.g., LTSpice, SIMPLIS/SIMetrix) and analytical tools (MATLAB, Mathcad, Excel).
- Familiarity with EMI/EMC fundamentals and board-level mitigation (filtering, grounding, shielding, stack-up considerations).
- Lab proficiency with oscilloscopes, DMMs, power supplies, electronic loads, and function/signal generators.
- Competent in requirements interpretation and traceability at the board/module level.
- Competent in COTS integration and platform-level considerations for ground equipment.
- Strong planning and organizational skills; able to manage multiple tasks and adapt to changing priorities.
- Self-starter with good time management; able to function in a dynamic environment with limited supervision.
- Strong teaming skills and communication; able to present technical data to leadership and peers.
- Demonstrated reliability, accountability, and sound engineering judgment.
Desired Skills- Experience and working knowledge of Altium Designer as primary ECAD tool.
- Experience with ground industrial or defense systems using battery and shore power, including surge, inrush, and fault protection strategies.
- Experience with embedded test techniques, design-for-test, and design-for-production for CCAs and integrated units.
- Experience performing design margin analysis (derating, worst-case analysis, power/thermal calculations).
- Experience with military or similar standards (e.g., MIL-STD-704 for power, MIL-STD-810 for environmental, MIL-STD-461 for EMI).
- Experience supporting production, including troubleshooting manufacturing defects and contributing to RCCA.
- Experience mentoring junior engineers or leading small work packages.
