Job Title: Electrical Engineer
Job Description
This Electrical Engineer role focuses on developing hardware from the ground up to support a diverse portfolio of products across sea, land, air, and space. You will define hardware requirements, design multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs), and build test systems that enable robust validation of new products and features. The position involves close collaboration with software, firmware, hardware, and operations teams to support the full product lifecycle, from ideation and design through prototyping, testing and validation, manufacturing, and launch.
Responsibilities
Develop hardware from scratch, including defining requirements and translating them into practical hardware architectures and designs.
Design multilayer PCBs to build test systems and product hardware, ensuring signal integrity, reliability, and manufacturability.
Create and maintain PCB schematics and layouts, using industry-standard tools to support the full design cycle.
Define test plans for new products and new features, collaborating closely with software, firmware, and hardware design teams.
Design and execute PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) and electrical component tests, including hands-on bench work, debugging, and rework.
Perform circuit design and circuit analysis to verify performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize designs.
Use lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, and other hardware test tools to validate and characterize designs.
Develop and implement test and validation strategies to ensure product performance, reliability, and compliance with requirements.
Support requirement management activities, including documenting, reviewing, and updating hardware requirements throughout the lifecycle.
Select appropriate electrical components based on performance, reliability, cost, and availability, and integrate them into PCB designs.
Collaborate with multiple development teams and technical leaders across product lines to align designs with system-level goals.
Work with operations and manufacturing teams to support transition from design and prototyping into production.
Contribute to continuous improvement of hardware development processes, tools, and test methodologies.
Essential Skills
Strong electrical engineering fundamentals, including circuit theory, electronics, and practical hardware design.
Hands-on experience with PCB schematic capture and layout, including multilayer PCB design.
Experience developing PCBs through the entire product lifecycle, from concept and design through prototyping, testing, and release.
Proficiency in circuit design and circuit analysis for both analog and digital systems.
Experience with hardware test and validation, including creation and execution of test plans.
Proficiency with lab tools such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, and related measurement equipment.
Experience with schematic capture tools; familiarity with Altium for PCB design is highly valued.
Ability to define hardware requirements and participate in requirement management processes.
Experience with component selection and integration into PCB designs.
Scripting or programming experience, particularly with Python, to support test automation or data analysis.
Ability to work collaboratively with software, firmware, hardware, and operations teams.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (BS EE) or equivalent education.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Costa Mesa, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $80.00/hr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Costa Mesa,CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Sep 11, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
