Senior Electrical Engineer

About the CompanyOur client is an early-stage defense technology startup building autonomous systems for the U.S. military, along with the rugged, portable power systems that keep them running in the field. They're already under active government contract, their first vehicle is heading to military range testing in the coming months, and it's slated for real operational use shortly after. If you join now, your hardware ships in months, not years.The team is lean, fast and deeply technical. Leadership includes a former lead powertrain engineer on one of the highest-performance production EVs ever built, and a career Navy officer who ran unmanned undersea programs. Their long-term play is Tesla- and SpaceX-style vertical integration: designing and owning the critical subsystems in-house instead of buying them. That means you won't be integrating a dev kit or tweaking a reference design. You'll be drawing the board.They're growing from roughly 15 people today toward 5x plus over the next 12 months, with the intent to promote from within as the team scales.This is a direct hire, permanent placement position for a client of AdAstra Talent Advisors.About the RoleThis is a Responsible Engineer role, modeled on the SpaceX approach: you own your subsystem, you make the calls, and the buck stops with you (with real peer review along the way). It's hands-on IC work, not management. Our client is hiring three Senior EEs right now, each owning one lane:Embedded compute / high-speed digital. Design the vehicle's main compute board in-house: a custom carrier board for an NVIDIA Jetson module, replacing the third-party board in use today. High-speed interfaces, signal and power integrity, bring-up with the embedded software team.Vehicle power electronics. Own the vehicle's electrical distribution system end to end: power distribution units, battery management, high-voltage to low-voltage DC-DC conversion and motor power electronics.Expeditionary power systems. Lead the electrical design, from scratch, of a portable, combat-grade power and energy-storage system: the battery system and the voltage conversion behind it. Fully government-funded, with a delivery horizon roughly a year out.ResponsibilitiesWhat You'll OwnRequirements, architecture and the hard tradeoffs, often with incomplete informationSchematics and multilayer PCB layoutBoard bring-up in the lab alongside embedded software, and debug to root cause with scopes, logic analyzers and thermal camerasValidation test plans and executionField testing and sea trialsTaking designs to production with board fabs, assembly houses and component suppliersFailure investigation after deploymentWho They're Looking ForEngineers who have taken custom electrical hardware from a blank sheet to a deployed system, ideally under tight size, weight, power and environmental limits. You can name the topology, the stackup, the part and why you chose it. You've owned the decision, not just executed it.Deep, practical expertise in at least one lane aboveA track record of designing your own boards, not integrating off-the-shelf modulesHands-on lab bring-up and debug experienceSome experience moving a design from prototype toward productionFirst-principles thinking and a bias for speedWhat Success Looks LikeIn your first months, your lane has an architecture you chose and can defend, and boards are on the benchYour hardware is in the water during range testing and trials, and you're the one reading the dataYour design is headed to production, with vendors you picked and a design built to be manufactured at volumeAs the team grows, you're a natural candidate to lead itRequirementsRelevant experience with hands-on electrical designSchematic capture and multilayer PCB layout experienceWillingness to support field testing and sea trialsPreferred ExperienceDefense, aerospace, eVTOL, EV, robotics or autonomous vehicle hardwareHarsh-environment, maritime or ruggedized electronicsSafety-critical or high-reliability productsSignal-integrity and power-integrity analysisEarly-stage startup experience, or a greenfield program inside a larger organization*The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.Logistical RequirementsFull time, on-site in the Los Angeles areaRelocation support availableThis is a high-intensity season ahead of operational deployment. Expect long weeks and a team that's all in on the mission.ITAR RequirementTo conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.Benefit Highlights Benefit Highlights Base salary and title is determined by experience and seniorityGround-floor stock options from a dedicated employee poolHealth, dental and vision fully covered for employees401(k)15 days PTO plus federal holidaysRelocation support as neededUnique Perks🍽️ Lunch and dinner covered when you're at the office🏋️ $150/month fitness stipend💻 Laptop and whatever gear you need to do your best work🐶 Dog-friendly officeCompensation is determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, you will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.Equal OpportunityOur client is an equal opportunity employer. They evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.About AdAstraAdAstra Talent Advisors is a headhunting and talent advising firm focused on the Climate, Space, and Defense sectors of Hard Tech. We specialize in pairing highly technical and executive talent with some of the world’s leading Hard Tech startups.At AdAstra, we catalyze the innovations that future generations depend on by placing the right people in the right seats. Our dedicated work enables inconceivable technology from Earth, to the stars. And it’s all because of trailblazing talent like you - those driven to do what’s never been done before.We care about long term relationships with both candidates and companies. Even if the role we initially discuss isn’t a perfect fit, it’s likely we’ll have something relevant to share with you in the future.Join us on our journey by following along via LinkedIn!CEO, Seyka Mejeur | LinkedIn profileCTO / COO, Brian Mejeur | LinkedIn profileAdAstra Talent Advisors | LinkedIn profileAdAstra Website