UEC Electronics is seeking an experienced, hands-on Lead Electrical Design Engineer to provide technical leadership for the development of advanced battery systems and power electronics used in demanding military and industrial applications.
This is a senior technical leadership position with responsibility for electrical hardware development throughout the entire product lifecycle—from requirements definition and system architecture through detailed circuit design, PCB development, prototype testing, qualification, and production release.
The successful candidate will combine deep expertise in analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power electronics design with the ability to guide and mentor a team of electrical engineers.
We are looking for an engineer who takes ownership of technical outcomes, exercises sound engineering judgment, identifies design risks early, and drives designs to successful completion.
This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving challenging technical problems, developing other engineers, and delivering robust, manufacturable products.
Key Responsibilities
Electrical Design Leadership
• Serve as the technical lead for electrical hardware development across battery management systems, power electronics, battery protection circuits, and associated control and monitoring electronics.
• Lead electrical system architecture development, requirements analysis, component selection, circuit design, simulation, and hardware implementation.
• Translate system-level requirements into detailed electrical design specifications, functional block diagrams, circuit architectures, and verification plans.
• Take technical ownership of designs from initial concept through prototype development, design verification, qualification, and production release.
• Make and document critical design tradeoffs involving performance, reliability, safety, cost, manufacturability, and schedule.
• Establish and conduct rigorous technical design reviews to identify potential problems before designs are committed to fabrication.
Circuit Design and PCB Development
• Design and review analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits, including power supplies, voltage and current sensing, signal conditioning, communications interfaces, and protection circuits.
• Develop battery management and protection electronics, including cell monitoring, balancing, battery monitoring ICs/analog front ends (AFEs), fuel gauging, fault detection, and safety-critical control functions.
• Design and evaluate power conversion, switching, gate-drive, and high-current circuitry as required by system architectures.
• Develop schematics, simulations, calculations, component specifications, and supporting engineering documentation.
• Provide technical oversight of PCB layout, including grounding, isolation, creepage and clearance, current carrying capacity, thermal management, EMI/EMC, and design for manufacturability.
• Conduct schematic and PCB layout reviews to verify correct circuit implementation and compliance with design requirements.
• Collaborate closely with embedded software engineers to ensure effective hardware/software integration.
Prototype Development, Validation, and Troubleshooting
• Lead hardware bring-up, prototype testing, debugging, and design verification activities.
• Personally perform hands-on circuit troubleshooting using oscilloscopes, electronic loads, power supplies, multimeters, logic analyzers, and other laboratory equipment.
• Develop and oversee electrical verification plans, test procedures, acceptance criteria, and test reports.
• Investigate challenging hardware issues, identify root causes, and implement effective, verified corrective actions.
• Support environmental, electrical, safety, and electromagnetic compatibility qualification testing.
• Ensure designs adequately address electrical fault conditions, component failures, abnormal operating conditions, and foreseeable misuse.
• Work closely with manufacturing and quality teams to resolve production issues and improve product reliability.
Technical Leadership and Mentorship
• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and mentorship to electrical engineers with varying levels of experience.
• Review engineering work products and prov
ide clear, constructive feedback to improve technical accuracy and design quality.
• Help engineers develop stronger capabilities in circuit analysis, component selection, simulation, PCB design, troubleshooting, and engineering documentation.
• Establish practical engineering standards, design guidelines, review checklists, and reusable design practices.
• Promote engineering discipline, accountability, technical curiosity, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate electrical design activities, technical priorities, and deliverables with the Design Engineering Manager and other engineering disciplines.
• Identify technical risks, resource constraints, and potential schedule problems early, and propose actionable solutions.
Cross-Functional Development and Production Support
• Collaborate with systems, embedded software, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, program management, and supply chain personnel.
• Support customer technical discussions, requirements reviews, design reviews, and qualification activities.
• Ensure electrical designs are properly documented, controlled, and ready for transfer to manufacturing.
• Participate in failure analysis, engineering change management, supplier evaluation, and continuous product improvement.
• Support compliance with applicable customer, military, safety, and electromagnetic compatibility requirements.
Requirements
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of hands-on experience designing and developing electronic hardware, including substantial responsibility for complex circuit and PCB designs.
• Demonstrated success leading electrical hardware development from requirements through design, prototype validation, and production release.
• Strong foundation in analog and digital circuit design, mixed-signal electronics, power conversion, and electrical protection systems.
• Experience designing multi-layer PCBs and reviewing layouts for signal integrity, grounding, power distribution, thermal performance, and EMI/EMC.
• Proficiency with electronic design automation and circuit simulation tools such as Altium Designer, OrCAD, PSpice, LTspice, or equivalent.
• Strong analytical and hands-on troubleshooting skills, including the ability to independently diagnose complex circuit and system-level problems.
• Experience establishing and executing structured design reviews, hardware verification plans, and root cause investigations.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor less-experienced engineers and provide technical leadership without necessarily having formal personnel-management authority.
• Strong communication skills, sound engineering judgment, and a demonstrated commitment to product quality and reliability.
Preferred Qualifications
• Direct experience designing battery management systems (BMS), battery protection circuits, cell monitoring systems, and associated electronics.
• Experience with battery monitoring AFEs, fuel-gauge ICs, cell-balancing circuits, and state-of-charge/state-of-health measurement systems.
• Experience developing electrical systems using lithium-ion, lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium titanate (LTO), or other advanced battery chemistries.
• Experience with high-voltage battery systems, isolation monitoring, contactor control, precharge circuits, and high-current protection.
• Experience designing electronics for defense, aerospace, or other high-reliability applications.
• Familiarity with applicable military and industry standards, including MIL-PRF-32565, MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, and relevant battery safety and qualification requirements.
• Knowledge of component derating, worst-case circuit analysis, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and reliability engineering practices.
• Experience with CAN, SPI, I2C, and other embedded hardware communications interfaces.
• Experience with PCB design for high-current applications, isolation, EMI/EMC, and harsh electrical environments.
• Familiarity with IPC design and workmanship standards and design-for-manufacturing principles.
• Prior technical leadership experience in a small or midsize engineering organization developing complex electromechanical products.
A successful Lead Electrical Design Engineer will:
• Establish clear technical ownership and disciplined design-review practices for electrical hardware development.
• Identify and resolve significant design risks before PCB fabrication and prototype builds.
• Deliver reliable electrical designs that satisfy documented requirements and pass verification and qualification testing.
• Improve the effectiveness, technical competence, and independence of the electrical engineering team.
• Reduce design rework, recurring hardware failures, and avoidable prototype iterations.
• Help UEC consistently transition robust, well-documented electrical designs into manufacturing.
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Work Environment
This position is based at UEC Electronics in Hanahan, South Carolina, and involves regular collaboration with engineering, laboratory, and manufacturing personnel.
Hands-on laboratory work, prototype testing, and troubleshooting are essential aspects of the role. Occasional travel may be required for customer meetings, supplier visits, or qualification testing.
UEC Electronics develops complex, high-reliability products for demanding applications. We value engineers who combine technical excellence, practical problem-solving, personal accountability, and a willingness to help others succeed.