--- title: 'Senior Electrical Engineer, Design at Firestorm' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-electrical-engineer-design-firestorm-san-diego-0m5z5611zqce' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Senior Electrical Engineer, Design at Firestorm - **Company:** Firestorm - **Location:** San Diego, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-12 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.gem.com/firestorm/am9icG9zdDqUjrC_7i5IHpFmNstXSkq7 ## Job description ## Who We Are At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world-class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting-edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost. ## About the Role As a Senior Electrical Engineer, you will play a central role in developing critical electrical hardware for our aircraft. The role spans complex technical challenges including power distribution, power conversion, battery charging, high-performance processing, high-speed network communications, and system-level electrical integration. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone with deep technical expertise in power electronics and electrical system design who is comfortable moving between detailed circuit development, system-level tradeoffs, and difficult hardware debugging. ## What You’ll Do - Evaluate, interpret and resolve systems engineering problems to meet the design requirements - Full-cycle hardware development: Own the entire flow — concept, modeling, worst case analysis, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, design reiteration for improving design maturity, testing and validation - Design embedded control electronics from concept to production, including hardware selection, schematic & PCB design, board bring-up, system-level integration, and flight test - Design multilayer, HDI, flex, and rigid-flex PCBs for space-, weight-, and thermally constrained applications - Generate comprehensive engineering documentation, including ECOs, fabrication drawings, BOMs, and release packages - Conduct root cause analysis of PCB design or layout issues, identify corrective actions, and implement solutions to improve performance, manufacturability, or reliability - Design and maintain cable harness documentation using Altium Harness Designer - Interface with vendors to source and select appropriate components for designs, ensuring quality and timely delivery - Project Management: Support project timelines and ensure that technical milestones are met, reporting on progress to senior management - Work closely with other electrical, mechanical, software, firmware, and test engineers to deliver fully functional products Required Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field - Minimum 5+ years of experience designing and releasing electrical hardware for products that have shipped, flown, operated in the field, or otherwise seen real-world use - U.S. Person status (Citizen or Permanent Resident) required due to ITAR regulations - Strong electrical engineering fundamentals across analog, digital, mixed-signal, power, sensing, and communication circuits - Strong proficiency with industry-standard EDA tools (e.g., Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD) - Working knowledge of PCB layout tradeoffs, signal integrity, power integrity, grounding, EMI/EMC, thermal behavior, and manufacturability - Familiarity with signal integrity and transmission line concepts (e.g., phase matching, crosstalk, insertion/return loss, termination, and BGA breakout strategies) - Strong root-cause analysis skills and the ability to move from ambiguous symptoms to clear technical conclusions and practical corrective actions - Clear communication and documentation habits, especially when decisions affect safety, reliability, production, or fleet operations ## Preferred Qualifications - Experience with avionics, aerospace, drones, robotics, automotive electronics, satellites, or other high-reliability hardware. - Experience designing for weight, power consumption, thermal limits, vibration, shock, EMI/EMC, environmental exposure, or high-volume manufacturing. - Familiarity with signal integrity simulation and analysis tools - Experience with CAN, UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, GNSS, radios, motor-control electronics, battery systems, or sensor interfaces. ## Compensation - Base salary: $145,000 - $160,000 - Equity: Meaningful equity grant in a growth-stage defense technology company ## About Firestorm ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Firestorm is a venture-backed defense technology company building an expeditionary manufacturing ecosystem to produce and sustain modular, mission-adaptable unmanned systems and parts at the point of need. - **Entity Type**: Private (VC-backed; Series A completed in July 2025) - **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Dan Magy (CEO), Chad McCoy (CGO), Ian Muceus (CTO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Defense technology / Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing - **Target customers**: U.S. Department of Defense, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Navy, Marine Corps, and allied forces (B2G) - **Mission statement**: “Equip warfighters with mission-critical capabilities at the point of need. Deliver adaptable resilience through uncontestable defense logistics.” ## Products & Services - **xCELL**: An expeditionary manufacturing unit that uses additive manufacturing (HP Multi-Jet Fusion) to produce high-strength polymer parts in the field. Off-grid, rapidly deployable, with secure communications and HVAC control. - **TEMPEST**: A modular unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for production inside the xCELL unit. Configurable payloads for diverse mission sets. - **SQUALL**: An additively-manufactured first-person view (FPV) platform optimized for xCELL production. “Print. Build. Fly. Dominate.” - **Repair & Sustainment at the Edge**: On-demand production of replacement parts to keep units operational when resupply is delayed or denied. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company) - **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$179.5M** across multiple rounds (as of mid-2025). Annual revenue estimated at **$7.6M** (Craft.co). - **Notable Investors / Partners**: The company has raised from at least 4 investors in the latest Series A ($47M announced July 2025), including debt financing and seed rounds. Specific investors not fully detailed in available sources but include VC firms backing defense tech. - **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount grew **95.9% YoY** to 127 people; job postings increased **4,400% YoY** (45 active openings). Talent sourced from Northrop Grumman, Shield AI, HP, General Atomics, L3Harris, and others. Awarded PY25.1 STRATFI funding (March 2025) to advance modular unmanned aerial systems. ## Competitive Advantages - **Expeditionary Manufacturing**: Forward-deployed additive manufacturing reduces dependence on traditional, centralized logistics – a key differentiator for contested environments. - **Modular Open-Source Architectures**: Platforms designed for rapid configuration and scalability, supporting “Affordable Mass” requirements of the DoD. - **Vertically Integrated Ecosystem**: Proprietary UAS platforms (Tempest, Squall) are purpose-built for the xCELL production process, creating a tight hardware-software-manufacturing loop. - **Founding Team**: CEO Dan Magy is a 5-time founder in defense hardware/robotics/AI with a previous exit (Citadel Defense). CGO Chad McCoy is a Tier 1 Special Operations veteran. CTO Ian Muceus is an additive manufacturing subject matter expert from Stratasys. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Scaling expeditionary manufacturing units (xCELL) for field deployment; expanding modular UAS platforms (Tempest, Squall); deepening relationships with Navy, USMC, SOCOM, and CENTCOM; hiring aggressively across engineering, operations, and business development. - **Direction for growth**: Move from prototype to production at scale, build a network of distributed production assets, and become a prime supplier of affordable, mission-adaptable systems for the DoD. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: “Build toward a future defined by incontestable defense logistics.” Emphasis on solving hard problems that reshape defense. Flat, mission-driven team of engineers, operators, and problem-solvers. - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Mix of in-office (San Diego HQ, Rome NY), hybrid, and fully remote roles depending on position. Engineering roles often San Diego-based with some remote flexibility. - **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work at the intersection of additive manufacturing, robotics, and defense; fast-growing startup with significant VC backing; direct impact on warfighter capabilities. - **Engineering Culture**: Heavy focus on embedded systems, automation, airframe design, RF, AI/optimization, and manufacturing engineering. Teams are small, cross-functional, and hands-on. ## Sources 1. [Gem Careers – Firestorm](https://jobs.gem.com/firestorm) 2. [launchfirestorm.com – Solution & About](https://launchfirestorm.com/?from_theconsensus=1) 3. [LinkedIn – Firestorm Labs](https://linkedin.com/company/firestorm-labs) 4. [Built In – Firestorm Careers](https://builtin.com/company/firestorm) 5. [Craft.co – Firestorm Company Profile](https://craft.co/firestorm) ## Other roles at Firestorm - [UAS Operational Pilot & Instructor-Rome, NY](https://feeny.ai/job/uas-operational-pilot-instructor-rome-ny-firestorm-rome-9t4qkwntzghf) — Rome, Italy - [UAS Operational Pilot & Instructor-San Diego](https://feeny.ai/job/uas-operational-pilot-instructor-san-diego-firestorm-san-diego-1d9yq5snxg5t) — San Diego, CA - [Senior Manufacturing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-specialist-firestorm-san-diego-wv83fajvyexa) — San Diego, CA - [Electronics Engineering Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/electronics-engineering-technician-firestorm-san-diego-6sp3n4d2whfk) — San Diego, CA - [Staff Project Engineer, UAS Development](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-project-engineer-uas-development-firestorm-san-diego-m65ptbyframy) — San Diego, CA - [Cloud Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/cloud-infrastructure-engineer-firestorm-san-diego-mdf4f36rxhpa) — San Diego, CA - [Staff Platform Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-platform-security-engineer-firestorm-san-diego-h1p3qv2xvk48) — San Diego, CA - [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-firestorm-san-diego-qw3c7g3xgkjd) — San Diego, CA - [Test Automation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/test-automation-engineer-firestorm-san-diego-0c1zhb6shxdd) — San Diego, CA - [Full Stack Engineer - Crucible](https://feeny.ai/job/full-stack-engineer-crucible-firestorm-san-diego-0fyeqs7x4aca) — San Diego, CA