Electrical Engineer - UAS

The Electrical Engineer will own the electrical architecture of T3i's Blackfoot tactical FPV drone system, from concept through production. This role involves designing, building, debugging, and iterating on complete electrical systems including flight controllers, ESCs, power systems, and RF integration. The engineer will work hands-on at the bench, in integration, and in-flight testing, closing the loop between design and real-world performance. The position emphasizes rapid iteration and system-level ownership across the full hardware lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Own electrical system design across flight controllers, ESCs, and power distribution
• Design and bring up multi-layer PCBs for high-performance drone systems
• Architect and integrate embedded electronics: MCUs, IMUs, GPS, RF links, and sensors
• Debug hardware issues at the system level (power, EMI/EMC, signal integrity, RF)
• Work directly with firmware engineers to define and validate hardware/software interfaces
• Integrate and tune flight controller stacks (Betaflight, PX4, ArduPilot, etc.)
• Design and validate BLDC motor control systems and ESC architectures
• Build, test, and iterate hardware rapidly using real-world feedback
• Support environmental and flight testing (vibration, thermal, field use)
• Drive designs from prototype through production (DFM, test procedures, build improvements)
• Evaluate new components and technologies and make practical implementation decisions

Requirements

• 3–7 years of hands-on electrical engineering experience
• Proven experience building and debugging real hardware systems
• Strong PCB design experience (multi-layer, mixed-signal, power electronics)
• Deep understanding of embedded systems and communication protocols (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, PWM)
• Experience with drone systems, robotics, or similar embedded platforms
• Comfortable working with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, etc.)
• Experience troubleshooting across hardware, firmware, and system integration boundaries
• Ability to operate independently and take ownership of ambiguous problems

Nice to have

• Experience with flight controllers and FPV drone ecosystems
• ESC design or motor control experience (BLDC/FOC)
• RF system integration (ELRS, Crossfire, telemetry links, video systems)
• Experience taking hardware from prototype to production
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC mitigation and power integrity design
• Scripting or programming (C/C++/Python) for debugging or automation
• Experience working in fast-paced R&D or defense environments