Principal Electrical Engineer - Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara Infrared

Full-Time

Experienced Non-Manager

Company Overview

Santa Barbara Infrared, Inc. (SBIR), a subsidiary of HEICO Corporation (NYSE: HEI, HEI.A), is seeking an experienced Senior Electrical Engineer to support both new product development and production troubleshooting of advanced hardware control systems.

For over 60 years, HEICO has served the aerospace, defense, and electronics industries with innovative, cost-effective products and services. SBIR designs and manufactures technologically advanced Infrared (IR) and Electro-Optical (E-O) test instrumentation supporting military and commercial sensor systems worldwide. Our fast-paced, high-energy culture is focused on engineering excellence, product quality, and customer success.

Position Summary

The Senior Electrical Engineer will lead the design, development, and support of mixed-signal hardware control systems used in radiation detectors and portable sensor platforms. This role requires deep expertise in digital and analog circuit design, including high-speed and high-power electronics, along with hands-on experience supporting products through full lifecycle development - from concept through production and field support.

The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable architecting new designs and diagnosing complex production or field failures in a manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities
New Product Development

• Architect and design mixed-signal hardware control systems
• Develop high-speed digital and precision analog circuitry
• Design high-power electronic subsystems
• Perform schematic capture and guide PCB layout (Altium preferred)
• Develop and debug embedded firmware for microcontroller/FPGA-based systems
• Lead hardware integration, validation, and verification testing
• Define and execute product qualification and acceptance test plans
• Collaborate cross-functionally with sales, management, manufacturing, and customers to define system requirements

Production & Field Support

• Provide hands-on production troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Diagnose and resolve complex analog, digital, and power electronics issues
• Support manufacturing through test development, yield improvement, and design-for-manufacturability enhancements
• Interface with vendors and contract manufacturers during prototype and production builds
• Implement corrective actions and design improvements based on field and production feedback

Required Qualifications

• BS or MS in Electrical or Computer Engineering or equivalent
• 7+ years of experience in hardware design and new product development
• Experience in high-speed digital design
• Experience in precision analog circuit design
• Experience with high-power electronics design
• Experience in mixed-signal system integration
• Experience troubleshooting hardware in a production environment
• Experience with embedded systems and firmware development
• Proficiency with schematic capture and PCB layout tools (Altium preferred)
• Ability to work independently and as a project leader in a small company, fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with EO/IR sensor and/or test systems
• Experience with test instrumentation
• Familiarity with requirements for aerospace/defense electronics
• Familiarity with EMI/EMC design considerations
• Experience supporting ITAR/EAR-controlled products

Compliance Requirements

Due to U.S. Export Control Regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have been granted asylum (documentation required). Pre-employment screening includes background, reference, ITAR/EAR, and drug screening.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• 401(k)
• PTO
• HSA / FSA
• Alternate work week schedule
• LTD and Life Insurance
• Competitive compensation package

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)

Male / Female / Veteran / Disabled

Pay Range Pay Range

The estimated pay range for this job. Disclosing pay information promotes competitive and equitable pay.

The actual pay rate will depend on the person's qualifications and experience.

$150,000.00 - $200,000.00 / year

In order to support the Fair Compensation Strategy by the US Govt., HR Dept., clients are required to adhere to "Pay Transparency Law"; in the impacted states; that have mandated the employers to list the salary ranges in Job advertisements or postings for job opportunities and Job promotions.