Director, Electrical Engineering
Very few companies in the world are building large aperture integrated optical systems that span the ground, space and laser communication domains simultaneously, and our client is one of them.
They need a Director of Electrical Engineering who can own the full electrical architecture across observatory platforms and laser communication systems, lead a growing team, and set the engineering standards that will carry the company through its next phase of scale. This is a hands on technical leadership role for someone who wants to be close to the hardest problems in optical engineering, not managing from a distance.
The role
You will lead end to end electrical system development from early concept and prototyping through to production and field deployment, owning the electrical architecture across observatory and laser communication platforms including PCBs, harnessing and subsystem integration. You will set engineering standards across circuit design, signal integrity, EMI/EMC compliance and power distribution, provide technical oversight on schematic design, simulation, layout and validation, and drive rigorous testing and validation methodologies across all programmes.
Working closely with mechanical, software, optical and manufacturing teams, you will ensure seamless system integration and champion design for manufacturing, test and reliability. You will also build, mentor and scale the electrical engineering team, and play a key role in supporting supplier selection, manufacturing processes and quality control.
What you’ll need
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- 8 or more years of experience in a relevant electrical engineering role
- Strong understanding of DC power circuits, motor drivers, common interfaces and protocols including I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet, MIPI and PCIe, ADCs, microcontrollers, opamps and transistor circuits
- Excellent circuit debugging skills and hands on experience with power supplies, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers and multimeters
- Comfortable with PCB rework including soldering, staking, cutting traces and preparing wires
- Strong understanding of PCB construction, transmission line structures, signal integrity, EMI/EMC, via types and component types
- Familiarity with wire harnessing fundamentals including electrical checkout, hi-pot testing, impedance characterisation and shielding
- Comfortable operating at pace in a fast moving environment where rapid prototyping and iteration are the norm
What sets candidates apart
- Experience with Altium or similar PCB design software and LTSpice or similar simulation tools
- Familiarity with high rate interconnect and backplane technologies such as VPX with capabilities above 100GB/s
- Experience with electromagnetics simulation software such as ADS or HFSS
- Experience with high reliability validation testing campaigns
- Experience with high speed SerDes interface design and testing
- Experience mitigating mechanical failure points for PCBs in vibration environments
- A genuine interest in astronomy, physics or space science
Why this role
Our client sits at a genuinely rare intersection: ground systems, space systems and laser communication, vertically integrated and built to deliver full optical solutions rather than just hardware. As an engineer here, your job is not done until usable data is in the hands of the customer. The LA office is growing rapidly, currently around 30 people with significant expansion planned, and this Director hire is one of the most important roles in that next phase. Equity options are part of the package, and the company has recently closed a significant funding round to back that ambition.
Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Adam Slade