Electrical Systems Engineer (Embedded Hardware & Firmware)

Job Title: Electrical Systems Engineer (Embedded Hardware & Firmware)
Location: Elmhurst, IL Hybrid onsite 2-3 days per week
Position: Full-Time Direct Hire
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Overview
TalentFish is casting a line for an Electrical Systems Engineer - Embedded HW/FW & Support!

This is a Direct Hire (Full-Time) role with onsite/hybrid expectations based on business needs. The reason this position exists is to lead hands-on electrical system design while supporting firmware enablement, touch sensor tuning, manufacturing/factory support, RMA investigations, and customer technical escalations across a high volume of customer products each year with our client.
What You Bring to the Role (Ideal Experience)

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering Technology, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with schematic capture, PCB-level electrical design, component selection, and system integration (power, board-to-board communications, peripherals).
• Practical experience debugging hardware issues and hardware/firmware interactions using common lab tools and test equipment.
• Working knowledge of embedded firmware (C/C++), build tools, and peripheral interfaces (I2C/SPI/UART), including deploying firmware for production environments.
• Familiarity supporting manufacturing, including production test development, ramp support, and working with contract manufacturers.
• Experience investigating RMAs, identifying root cause, and implementing corrective actions to reduce return rates.
• Strong communication skills for cross-functional collaboration and customer-facing technical support.
• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have Skills)

• Experience tuning and validating touch sensors (capacitive/gesture or comparable technologies).
• Proficiency with PCB layout tools and workflows.
• Experience with power supply design, signal integrity, and EMC/EMI best practices and testing.
• Familiarity with test automation and data-driven failure analysis.

What You'll Do (Skills Used in this Position)

• Lead electrical system design (35%): schematic capture, PCB design direction, component selection, analog/digital circuit design, power delivery, signal integrity, and EMC mitigation.
• Develop and maintain embedded firmware features tied to electrical interfaces and sensors (15%); debug HW/FW interactions and deliver targeted fixes or workarounds.
• Tune and validate touch sensor performance (20%) across hardware revisions and environmental conditions; create tuning procedures, thresholds, and baseline algorithms; verify in lab and field scenarios.
• Provide customer support (15%) as a technical escalation pre- and post-sale; deliver troubleshooting steps, documentation, and HW/FW recommendations to resolve issues.
• Support factory/manufacturing (10%): review/validate test fixtures and procedures, troubleshoot production issues, and drive corrective actions with contract manufacturers to improve yield.
• Support RMAs (5%): investigate returned units, document failure modes, create repair procedures, and recommend preventative design improvements.

Working Conditions & Expectations

• Hands-on lab work with prototypes and production hardware/firmware.
• Occasional onsite support at manufacturing/test facilities or customer locations as needed.
• Frequent collaboration across firmware, mechanical, electrical, sales, QA, project management, customers, and contract manufacturers.
• Ability to switch gears quickly while staying focused on prioritized outputs in a fast-paced environment (20+ customer projects/products per year).

The Nature of This Role

• Hands-on, everyday engineering ownership.
• Independent and collaborative.
• Customer-facing technical work to extract requirements and solve escalations.
• Process-oriented with strong documentation habits.
• Fast-moving environment that rewards curiosity and problem-solving.

What Our Client Offers

• Opportunity to drive core electrical and firmware designs end-to-end through manufacturing, customer integration, and field support.
• Technical variety across hardware, firmware, manufacturing, and customer interaction.
• Opportunities to integrate new technologies that expand HMI offerings and accelerate your skill growth!

Compensation and Employment
This role requires authorization to work in the U.S. without current or future visa sponsorship. The expected salary range for this position is $105,000 - $135,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications. This role also qualifies for comprehensive benefits such as health insurance, 401(k), and paid time off. TalentFish is committed to pay transparency and equal opportunity. The salary range provided is in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations. All offers are contingent upon the completion of a background check, which may include but is not limited to reference checks, education verification, employment verification, drug testing, criminal records checks, and any required certifications or compliance requirements based on the end client's background check policies and applicable laws.
TalentFish is an employee-owned company pioneering a new realm in talent acquisition. We are redefining IT staffing by evolving AI, video screening, and our unique platform. TalentFish focuses on providing the best employee, consultant, and client experience possible. At TalentFish we are an Equal Opportunity Employer; we embrace and encourage diversity.