Job DescriptionAbout the roleWe're hiring a Senior Electronics Engineer for a small-team underwater robotics manufacturer in Irvine that builds ROVs used by the Navy, oil and gas operators, marine research groups, and commercial dive teams worldwide. This is a hands-on IC seat where you'll own the electronics side of new product development: schematic capture, PCB design, motor drive, battery systems, embedded firmware, sealed enclosures, and sensor integration on hardware that ships to real customers.
If you're at a big company waiting six months for a design review to close, this is the opposite. You'll ship real hardware, fast, on a small team where the person who designs the board also brings it up.
Comp: $145,000 to $220,000 base depending on level of experience, DOE, plus performance bonus. Onsite in Irvine.What you'll actually do- Own PCB design in Altium (or transition from Cadence, OrCAD, PADS, Mentor, or KiCad; a 3 to 4 week ramp is fine for someone senior)
- Design and validate power electronics: DC power distribution, motor drive for underwater thrusters, battery management, charging and protection circuits
- Write and debug embedded firmware on ARM Cortex M, STM32, PSoC, or similar for real-time control
- Design sealed and pressure-rated electronics for underwater operation: conformal coating, enclosure integration, connector selection, waterproofing
- Integrate sensors, comms modules, and control systems into finished product
- Take a board from concept through bring-up, validation, and manufacturing release
Requirements
What we need you to bring- 5 or more years of hands-on electronics design experience on shipping products
- Strong PCB design chops with a professional tool (Altium preferred; adjacent tools OK with willingness to transition)
- Real power electronics or motor drive experience on production hardware
- Embedded firmware fluency at the register level, not just app-layer
- Comfort at a workbench with oscilloscope, logic analyzer, and power supply solving real problems
- Ability to work onsite in Irvine
Bonus points- Marine, subsea, ROV, AUV, UUV, or underwater electronics background
- Sealed, ruggedized, or IP-rated hardware experience (medical implants, aerospace, defense, EV, industrial automation all count)
- Battery pack design for high-drain applications
- Active DoD clearance (some of our work supports Navy customers)
- Experience owning a product end to end from prototype through production
- Multi-hat, small-team engineering culture experience
Why this seat over your current job- Small team, so you own the hardware end to end instead of being one specialist on a 40-person program
- Real product that ships to global customers today, not a lab prototype or PowerPoint concept
- Hands-on IC track, no forced move into people-management to progress
- Direct line to the product roadmap; if you think a design should change, you talk to the person who decides
Benefits- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company-paid holidays
- Professional development budget
- Fast decision cycles and short reporting chain
How to stand out in your applicationSend your resume and one paragraph on the most complex board you've owned end to end. Tell us what the board did, what was hard about it, and how you knew it was working. That's the fastest way to move to a call.
Logistics- Onsite in Irvine, CA
- Occasional travel up to 15% for customer sites and sea trials
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds when handling test equipment and prototype hardware
- Authorized to work in the US
Benefits
- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company-paid holidays
- Professional development budget
- Fast decision cycles and short reporting chain
Know someone who fits? We pay a $1,500 referral bonus, payable at the 90-day mark, if you refer a candidate we hire. Send them our way or email us directly.
RequirementsBachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a related field At least 5 years of work experience designing and building electronics Solid background designing power electronics, including motor drive circuits, ESCs, and DC power systems Skilled in PCB design using tools like Altium Designer, KiCad, or similar software Practical experience working with embedded microcontrollers (ARM Cortex, AVR, PIC, or similar) Good grasp of analog circuit design, signal conditioning, and connecting sensors to electronics Able to troubleshoot complex electronics using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and other lab tools Experience writing technical documents such as schematics, parts lists, change orders, and test procedures Clear communicator, both written and verbal, with the ability to explain technical ideas simply Comfortable working in both an office/lab setting and a light production/assembly area Regularly uses electronic test equipment and hand tools in a lab setting Open to occasionally helping with water tank or open-water testing Open to occasional travel (up to 15%) for field support, demos, and trade shows Able to lift up to 50 lbs when handling equipment Able to stay productive in a fast-paced, busy work environment Able to juggle multiple projects at once Preferred Qualifications Experience with underwater or marine electronics Some knowledge of Linux and embedded programming Familiarity with underwater acoustic tools like beacons, transponders, modems, or USBL/LBL positioning Understanding of brushless motors and ESC tuning for underwater thrusters Experience with tether systems (fiber optic, twisted pair, or coax) used in ROVs Knowledge of waterproofing methods like conformal coating and potting for marine electronics Familiarity with standards such as MIL-SPEC, IPC, or IEC for marine electronics