---
title: 'Staff Electrical Engineer at Firestorm'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-electrical-engineer-firestorm-san-diego-wwcp31n4cfwr'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Staff Electrical Engineer 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/am9icG9zdDoFRtghZnvf5bAtHnuzfENY

## 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 Staff Electrical Engineer, you will lead the development of avionics hardware for Group 2 UAS across multiple launch modalities, from architecture and design through validation, production, and fleet support. You will work across electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, test, reliability, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations to deliver safe, robust, and manufacturable systems. This is a hands-on technical leadership role where you will drive key technical decisions, shape engineering processes, and guide complex hardware development across programs.

## What You’ll Do

- Lead the architecture, design, and development of avionics electrical systems for Group 2 UAS across multiple launch modalities
- Remain hands-on through schematic design, PCB development, bring-up, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and design iteration
- Lead aircraft-level integration, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions across avionics, payloads, flight controls, propulsion, and other aircraft subsystems
- Define and execute system-level verification and validation to ensure hardware meets performance, safety, and reliability requirements
- Partner across firmware, software, mechanical, thermal, test, reliability, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, and program teams to resolve complex technical challenges
- Serve as a technical point of contact for design reviews, system integration, flight test, suppliers, customers, and other key stakeholders
- Own and review engineering documentation, hardware changes, test procedures, configuration records, and compliance with applicable standards and company processes
- Work with suppliers on component selection, technical evaluation, availability, quality, and production readiness
- Identify technical risks, drive key engineering tradeoffs, improve engineering processes, and provide technical guidance and mentorship to the broader team

Required Qualifications

- Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field
- Experience: 10+ years in electrical engineering, with a focus on avionics, UAV systems, or similar industries
- Technical Expertise: Strong hands-on knowledge of analog and digital circuit design, PCB design, and avionics systems
- Project Management: Ability to oversee the technical aspects of projects from concept to delivery, ensuring that deadlines and specifications are met
- Leadership Skills: Experience leading technical projects or small teams in an engineering environment
- Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on delivering innovative solutions
- Hands-on experience developing and validating safety-critical electromechanical systems
- A strong electrical engineering foundation and the ability to reason from first principles about hardware behavior and failure
- U.S. Person status (Citizen or Permanent Resident) required due to ITAR regulations

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with developing for a safety-critical environment (human in the loop)
- Experience working on products used in extreme environments (automotive, aerospace, defense, etc.)
- Knowledge of software protocols for embedded development, including use of timers, interrupts, hardware peripherals such as SPI controllers and ADCs
- Familiarity with avionics design standards like DO-254, MIL-STD-810, and others
- Solid understanding of schematic design and PCB layout for analog, digital, RF, and power circuits
- Demonstrated ownership and practical problem-solving ability, including driving technically complex issues through resolution

## Compensation

- Base salary: $165,000 - $190,000
- 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)

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- [Senior Manufacturing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-specialist-firestorm-san-diego-wv83fajvyexa) — San Diego, CA
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