Director of Electrical Engineering

Director of Electrical Engineering

📍 El Segundo, CA | On-site

💰 $250k-$310k+ base + equity

I’m working with a rapidly growing, well-funded aerospace and defense technology company in Los Angeles that is looking for a Director of Electrical Engineering to build and lead its electrical engineering organization.

This is a rare opportunity to build an EE function from the ground up, but within a business that has already removed much of the risk associated with joining an early-stage startup.

The company has significant programs, funding and momentum behind it, while still being early enough that this person will have genuine influence over the team, technical standards, engineering processes and long-term direction of the organization.

The role:

You’ll initially inherit a very small electrical engineering function, with plans to rapidly build the team over the next 6-12 months and continue scaling from there.

This is not a hands-off management position. They are looking for someone who can combine strong technical credibility with the ability to recruit, develop and lead high-performing engineers.

You’ll work across multiple advanced hardware programs and lead areas including:

• Power electronics
• Analog and mixed-signal electronics
• High-speed digital electronics
• Embedded computing and FPGA-based hardware
• PCB design and architecture
• Signal and power integrity
• EMI/EMC and ruggedized electronics
• Hardware integration, qualification and production
• Failure investigation and troubleshooting

What they’re looking for:

Ideally, you’ll have deep expertise in at least one area of electrical engineering, with enough technical breadth to lead engineers across several disciplines.

You could currently be a:

• Director or Senior Engineering Manager
• Electrical Engineering Manager
• Chief Engineer
• IPT Lead
• Senior Technical Lead
• Principal or Fellow-level engineer looking to move into broader leadership

A background in aerospace, defense, space, avionics, radar, electronic warfare, autonomous systems or other high-reliability hardware environments would be particularly relevant.

Previous experience building or scaling teams is highly valued. Still, they are open to exceptional technical leaders who have led engineers through programs and want the opportunity to build an organization themselves.

The biggest requirement is that you still enjoy being close to the engineering. They are not looking for someone who simply manages managers. You need to be comfortable getting involved in architecture, design reviews, integration and difficult technical problems when required.

Why consider it?

You get the ownership of an early-stage company without taking on the same level of early-stage risk.

Rather than inheriting an established department, you’ll have the opportunity to define what the electrical engineering organization looks like, hire the team around you, and build the technical capability that supports the company’s next phase of growth.

For someone coming from a large aerospace or defense organization who wants more ownership, pace and influence, this is a particularly interesting opportunity.

If you’re interested, or know someone who might be a fit, drop me a message.