Safran

Principal Electrical Engineer

Safran$120K — $150K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BSEE or equivalent with over 15 years of electronic hardware design experience.
  • Strong knowledge of analog and digital design, including mixed signal interfaces.
  • Expertise in designing and testing complex digital systems and FPGA solutions.
  • Hands-on experience with PCB layout, packaging, and mixed-mode circuitry testing.
  • Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, are essential.
  • U.S. citizenship required with the ability to obtain security clearance.
  • Familiarity with ITAR regulations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the design and optimization of electronic systems to meet performance and compliance standards.
  • Drive innovative solutions to complex electrical engineering challenges.
  • Manage product specification conformance, validation testing, and data collection.
  • Develop and verify electrical system architecture and product specifications.
  • Mentor junior engineers, fostering teamwork and technical excellence.
  • Act as a liaison with stakeholders to ensure effective project communication.
  • Lead the development of test plans to validate performance of electrical systems.

Benefits

  • Support for community engagement initiatives, including military and veteran support.
  • Opportunities for professional growth and advancing career paths.
  • Collaborative and dynamic work environment focused on team success.
Full Job Description
POSITION PROFILE:

The Principal Electrical Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership and strategic direction for electrical engineering projects, with a focus on the design, development, and testing of advanced electrical and electronic modules and subsystems for defense and commercial applications. This role requires driving innovation, ensuring technical excellence, and guiding projects to meet performance, cost, and schedule objectives. By leveraging their expertise, the Principal Electrical Engineer ensures that all technical and strategic goals align with organizational and customer requirements.

In this capacity, the Principal Electrical Engineer leads the design, optimization, and analysis of electrical system architectures to ensure functionality, reliability, and compliance with project specifications. They oversee project milestones, strategically managing efforts to meet cost and schedule targets while delivering solutions that meet or exceed expectations. Their work spans all phases of the product life cycle, from early feasibility studies and system design to

RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Lead the design, development, and optimization of electronic systems, ensuring they meet functional performance, reliability, and compliance requirements.
  • Provide technical direction on complex electrical engineering challenges, driving innovative solutions while adhering to safety, regulatory, and industry standards.
  • Detail schematic design including power conditioning, signal integrity analysis and high-speed video data transfer. Electrical layout and component placement for size/space claims of high-density PCBs.
  • Define/direct/lead product specification conformance and validation testing, data collection, system integration, and debugging.
  • Lead the electrical system architecture development and product specification definition / verification.
  • Lead architectural design and electrical implementation of FPGA solutions from concept to deployment.
  • Design lead responsibility from product concept to production support.
  • Mentor and guide less experienced engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and proactive problem-solving within the team.
  • Serve as a technical representative and liaison of the electrical group, maintaining clear and effective communication with stakeholders, program managers, and external partners.
  • Interface with cross-functional teams, including software, mechanical, and systems engineering, to achieve seamless integration and comprehensive solutions.
  • Lead the development and execution of detailed test plans to validate the performance and reliability of electrical components and systems.
  • Conduct hands-on evaluations of prototypes, troubleshoot performance issues, and implement corrective actions to resolve design deficiencies.
  • Ensure rigorous documentation of test results, including analysis and recommendations, to inform design improvements and ensure compliance with project specifications.
  • Identify opportunities for technical innovation and design optimization in electronic systems and components.
  • Stay informed about emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to improve the organization's capabilities and competitiveness.
  • Promote continuous improvement initiatives by driving process efficiency and ensuring adherence to quality management systems.
  • Other tasks as assigned


WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL:
  • BSEE or equivalent with greater than 15 years of electronic HW design and development experience
  • Exposure to analog and digital design with mixed signal interface and conversion circuit knowledge and the ability to specify components and/or sub-assemblies
  • Experience in designing and testing complex digital systems, including signal processing, memory interfaces, digital video processing and high-speed communication
  • Experience in FPGA electrical design and implementation
  • Experience with power conversion for high efficiency, high reliability, battery-powered systems
  • Experience with high efficiency laser driver topologies covering CW and pulsed lasers
  • Experience with PCB layout, packaging, and test of low-noise, mixed-mode circuitry
  • Strong design debug and troubleshooting skills with solid hands-on lab experience
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential
  • U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain security clearance is required
  • Familiarity with working in an ITAR environment
  • Strong organization and presentation skills


IDEALLY, YOU'LL ALSO HAVE:
  • Experience with high efficiency and high reliability power converters for battery-powered systems
  • Familiarity with Altium PCB design software
  • Familiarity with image sensor calibrations (thermal and/or visible)
  • Previous exposure to Electro-Optics
  • Experience with Qualcomm processors or other powerful, energy-efficient System-on-Chips (SoCs) that integrate CPUs, GPUs, and AI engines onto a single chip
  • Experience with FPGA firmware development
  • Experience in designing military products
  • Experience with military standards (i.e. MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461)


TRAVEL: Travel outside the local area may be required

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

About Safran

Safran is a French multinational aerospace and defense company. It designs, manufactures, and sells aircraft engines, rocket engines, and other aerospace components. Safran is also involved in the defense industry, producing optronics, avionics, and other defense systems. The company has partnerships with several other aerospace and defense companies, including General Electric and Boeing. Safran has operations in over 60 countries and employs over 95,000 people.
Learn more about Safran
Size
95,000 employees
Industry

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Safran

More Aerospace & Defense Jobs

Find similar Principal Electrical Engineer jobs: