Electrical Engineer II

Our designs control rocket engines, instrument fusion reactors, and manage satellite communications. Every one of them was built by a small team that owned the problem end-to-end. This role is for the engineer who wants to be on that team; not executing someone else's architecture, but helping define it.

Role Overview:
As an Electrical Engineer II, you will own the full design lifecycle of complex electronic systems, from architecture and schematic capture through PCB layout, bring-up, and acceptance testing. You will work directly with clients across commercial space, aviation, renewable energy, and medical devices, taking responsibility for both the technical decisions and the outcomes.

This is a hands-on, high-ownership role and is ideal for engineers who are passionate about technical excellence, cross-functional collaboration, and building systems that matter. 

What You Will Do:

• Own the end-to-end design of electronic systems, from requirements generation, architecture, and schematics through PCB layout, hardware bring-up and troubleshooting 
• Collaborate directly with external clients and internal engineering teams to develop the right solution for the problem
• Drive design reviews, manage technical risk, and clearly communicate trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Partner with other engineering disciplines to design and deliver hardware that works the first time

What You Will Need: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience with end-to-end electronics design, including requirements generation, schematic design, board layout, design verification and acceptance testing
• Demonstrated experience taking ownership of a hardware design from end to end
• Proficiency in at least one professional ECAD tool (Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence, PADS, EAGLE, etc.)
• Ability to collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary team 
• Demonstrated passion for engineering 
• Strong problem-solving skills and initiative to overcome technical challenges 
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain design decisions

What Would Be Useful:

• Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or a related field
• Experience designing PCBs for high-reliability applications (aerospace, automotive, medical, etc.)
• Background in analog small-signal circuit design, power electronics, and/or mixed-signal systems

Benefits: 

• Compensation range of $132,070 - $165,090 + equity incentive plan
• Flexible work hours and work from home policy 
• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Unlimited paid time off policy, 11x paid company holidays, 12x paid sick days
• 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Generous paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
• Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

Our Values in Practice: 
SOE’s four core values are the standard by which we operate. As an Electrical Engineer II, you are expected to bring them into every design decision, client interaction, and team dynamic:

• Lead with Curiosity: Question requirements before executing them. Understand the system you're designing for and what the client is actually trying to achieve, and bring what you learn back to the team.
• Own the Outcome: Manage your projects, not just your tasks. Communicate early when scope or schedule shifts, adapt when requirements change, and take responsibility for the hardware from first commit to final test.
• Build the Right Thing: Balance technical rigor with what the project actually needs. Evaluate trade-offs, communicate the long-term implications of your decisions, and push back when requirements don't match intent.
• Empower Others: Build relationships across disciplines and share what you know proactively. Communicate technical trade-offs in terms your audience can act on, whether that's a fellow EE or someone who has never opened Altium.

About Second Order Effects: 
SOE is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, we’ve grown from a 3-person operation to a team of 40+ engineers across offices in El Segundo, CA and Redmond, WA. In that time, we’ve completed over 250 projects for more than 100 clients. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won’t build are weapons.

We’re 100% employee-owned, which means that every engineer at SOE has a real stake in what we build. We structured the company this way because we believe the people best equipped to advance our mission are the ones doing the work.

We approach problems from first principles. We break challenges down to their most fundamental components, which is how we find solutions that hold up across industries, use cases, and engineering functions. We focus on solving the right problems and building the teams to take them on.

Additional Requirements:

• Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in Redmond, Washington, USA
• Applicant must be eligible to work on ITAR projects
• Job Type: Full-time (Salary)

ITAR Requirements:

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply!
Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.