Senior Hardware Electrical Engineer

Job ID: 2509946

Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US

Date Posted: 2025-09-18

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Electrical Engr

Schedule: Full-time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: No

Minimum Clearance Required: Secret

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret

Potential for Remote Work: No

Description

SAIC is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Hardware Electrical Engineer in San Diego, CA specializing in Software Defined Radio (SDR) and RF receiver electrical design. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in all phases of hardware design, from concept through design, modeling, and generating manufacturing files, with proficient use of specific tools and a deep understanding of environmental testing standards and principles. The position will be responsible for all activities associated with board-level and system-level integration of circuit card assemblies.

This is an ONSITE role in San Diego, CA. Must be local to area.

JOB DUTIES:

• Perform end-to-end hardware design tasks for SDR and RF receiver systems, including schematic design, layout, testing, and validation.
• Develop and implement complex SDR architectures and RF receiver designs.
• Create detailed hardware design models and simulations to validate design performance and reliability.
• Generate and manage manufacturing files and documentation for hardware production.
• Utilize specific design and analysis tools such as Keysight ADS, Ansys HFSS, Cadence Allegro, Altium Designer, and Mentor Graphics PADS.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers, systems engineers, and manufacturing partners, to ensure seamless integration and product delivery.
• Conduct performance testing and troubleshooting of hardware components to ensure compliance with industry standards and specifications.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in SDR, RF technologies, and related hardware design best practices.
• Analyze supplier line replaceable units (LRUs), including step-file and 3D model review and compliance to specifications.
• Support system integration, test, development, and execution of various types of complex communications systems.
• Work in a multi-disciplinary team with software, firmware, mechanical, and systems engineers.
• Responsible for board-level design adhering to requirements, including PWB design and specification, floor planning, test and verification, and troubleshooting.
• Lead a team of mechanical engineers (MEs) and programmers to integrate analog and digital electronics to pass all milestone reviews and deliver products to DoD customers.
• Design and develop circuit boards using Altium Designer and other CAD systems.
• Formulate concepts of operations, define requirements, perform analysis and engineering, architect systems, and design interfaces and data architectures.
• Validate and verify designs, ensuring effective team implementation of product requirements into total systems solutions while acknowledging technical, schedule, and cost constraints.
• Ensure compliance with requirements at all stages of system development and integration.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelors and Fourteen (14) years or more experience; Master's and twelve (12) years or more experience; PhD or JD and nine (9) years or more experience.
• Must have an Active Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance after start.
• Proven experience in hardware design, specifically in SDR and RF receiver design.
• Proficiency in using hardware design tools such as Keysight ADS, Ansys HFSS, Cadence Allegro, Altium Designer, and Mentor Graphics PADS.
• Strong knowledge of RF concepts, digital signal processing (DSP), and electromagnetic theory.
• Circuit card design experience with Altium or other design, layout, and simulation software.
• Expertise in analog and digital design, including serial communication, logic design, power design, signal filtering, and wave shaping.
• Ability to perform detailed schematic capture and PCB layout design.
• Understanding of RF and receiver architectures and the employment of related technologies down to the component-level (such as FPGAs, ASICs, and corresponding firmware implementation into larger payload hardware and software).
• Hands-on experience with environmental testing equipment and instrumentation.
• Direct experience working with military standards (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, etc.), NASA standards, or other federal agency-specific environmental testing requirements.
• Familiarity with various environmental test standards and regulations (MIL-STD, IEC, ASTM, DO-160, etc.).
• Knowledge of test fixture design principles.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team with software, firmware, mechanical and systems engineers.
• Experience with Configuration Management Toolsets for version control of hardware, software, and documentation.

DESIRED SKILLS:

• Experience with mixed-signal design and high-frequency circuit design.
• Familiarity with industry standards and regulatory requirements for RF and SDR technologies.
• Hands-on experience with lab instrumentation and measurement techniques for RF systems.
• Knowledge of firmware and software development for embedded systems is a plus.
• DOORS and Aras Toolsets experience.
• Circuit simulation experience.
• DoD tactical and strategic radio receiver integration experience.
• Safety Critical Hardware Design & Analyses (DoD, Medical, Automotive).
• Product Life Cycle Management experience.
• Experience with product development procedures, specifically iterative product design & development of embedded systems.

Target salary range: $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.