Principal Electrical Engineer Jobs
Principal Electrical Engineer jobs are open across aerospace, defense, energy, semiconductor, and industrial manufacturing, from mid-career to distinguished fellow level, with specializations in power systems, embedded hardware, and RF/microwave design. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 291+ Principal Electrical Engineer jobs
Job ID: 2618878
Location: San Diego, CA, US
Date Posted: 2026-11-06
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Electrical Engr
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: Yes - 25% of the time
Minimum Clearance Required: Secret
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE
Description
SAIC is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to support critical Department of Defense (DoD) communications systems at a Navy facility in San Diego, California. In this role, you will be a lead to troubleshooting, repair, install, and sustain communications hardware down to the board level. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer with strong diagnostic skills, a deep understanding of system and board-level diagrams, and field experience.
THIS IS AN ONSITE ROLE IN SAN DIEGO, CA. MUST BE LOCAL TO AREA. UP TO 25% TRAVEL INVOLVED.
JOB DUTIES:
Troubleshooting & Repair:
- Troubleshoot, isolate faults, and repair communications hardware to the board and component level.
- Read and interpret system-level and board-level schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals. Conduct functional tests on equipment and evaluate results to ensure system integrity and compliance with standards.
Installation & Field Engineering:
- Plan and perform installation, configuration, integration, and testing of new and upgraded systems. Provide field engineering support at government sites as needed.
Documentation & Reporting:
- Develop and update design diagrams, engineering specifications, and build procedures.
- Prepare high-quality reports summarizing findings, progress, and recommendations for stakeholders.
Qualifications
REQUIREMENTS:
Education and Experience:
- Bachelors in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experience.
- Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and repairing hardware to the board level, including soldering and rework and use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, and similar test equipment.
- Experience reading and analyzing system and board-level diagrams and technical documents.
- Hands-on experience in hardware testing, evaluation, and integration.
- Experience performing system installations.
- Prior supervisory experience leading or supervising technical staff.
Clearance:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must have an Active Secret Clearance to start
- Must be able to obtain a Top Secret Clearance after start
DESIRED SKILLS:
- Experience with NIWC Pacific or other Navy-related programs.
- Familiarity with DoD and Strategic communication systems and standards.
- IPC-A-610 or J-STD-001 certification.
Job ID: 2618878
Location: San Diego, CA, US
Date Posted: 2026-11-06
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Electrical Engr
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: Yes - 25% of the time
Minimum Clearance Required: Secret
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE
Description
SAIC is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to support critical Department of Defense (DoD) communications systems at a Navy facility in San Diego, California. In this role, you will be a lead to troubleshooting, repair, install, and sustain communications hardware down to the board level. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer with strong diagnostic skills, a deep understanding of system and board-level diagrams, and field experience.
THIS IS AN ONSITE ROLE IN SAN DIEGO, CA. MUST BE LOCAL TO AREA. UP TO 25% TRAVEL INVOLVED.
JOB DUTIES:
Troubleshooting & Repair:
- Troubleshoot, isolate faults, and repair communications hardware to the board and component level.
- Read and interpret system-level and board-level schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals. Conduct functional tests on equipment and evaluate results to ensure system integrity and compliance with standards.
Installation & Field Engineering:
- Plan and perform installation, configuration, integration, and testing of new and upgraded systems. Provide field engineering support at government sites as needed.
Documentation & Reporting:
- Develop and update design diagrams, engineering specifications, and build procedures.
- Prepare high-quality reports summarizing findings, progress, and recommendations for stakeholders.
Qualifications
REQUIREMENTS:
Education and Experience:
- Bachelors in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experience.
- Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and repairing hardware to the board level, including soldering and rework and use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, and similar test equipment.
- Experience reading and analyzing system and board-level diagrams and technical documents.
- Hands-on experience in hardware testing, evaluation, and integration.
- Experience performing system installations.
- Prior supervisory experience leading or supervising technical staff.
Clearance:
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must have an Active Secret Clearance to start
- Must be able to obtain a Top Secret Clearance after start
DESIRED SKILLS:
- Experience with NIWC Pacific or other Navy-related programs.
- Familiarity with DoD and Strategic communication systems and standards.
- IPC-A-610 or J-STD-001 certification.
See All 291+ Principal Electrical Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsPrincipal Electrical Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Northrop Grumman37
- Raytheon14
- BAE Systems USA11
- Oracle10
- Dell Technologies6
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing12
- Electronics & Hardware8
- Consulting & Professional Services7
- Technology & Software4
- Energy3
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in principal electrical engineer jobs.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field
- Eight or more years of progressively complex electrical engineering experience
- Proficiency with ECAD tools such as Cadence, Altium Designer, or OrCAD
- Experience with power systems design, analog circuit design, or RF/microwave systems
- Professional Engineer licensure or active pursuit of PE certification
- Familiarity with industry standards such as IPC, MIL-STD, or IEC
Tips for Your Principal Electrical Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to the domain
Aerospace and defense principal electrical engineer roles weigh different credentials than semiconductor or utility positions. Reframe your resume for each vertical, leading with the most relevant systems, tools, and regulatory environments for that specific domain.
Highlight cross-functional leadership experience
Principal-level postings almost always require evidence that you've led technical decisions across mechanical, software, and systems teams. Call out specific projects where you drove architecture choices or resolved cross-discipline design conflicts.
List your certifications and tool fluency explicitly
Many applicant tracking systems screen for PE licensure, ECAD tools like Cadence or Altium, and simulation environments such as SPICE or MATLAB. Spell these out in a dedicated skills section so automated filters don't pass you over.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists principal electrical engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a design-review style technical interview
Principal-level interviews frequently include a whiteboard or slide-deck design exercise where you're asked to defend architecture tradeoffs, not just solve textbook problems. Practice walking through a past system design from requirements down to component selection, out loud.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
At the principal level, your ability to shape project scope and technical direction is often as negotiable as pay. Ask explicitly about budget authority, headcount influence, and IP ownership before accepting an offer.
Principal Electrical Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most principal electrical engineers?
The most active employers for principal electrical engineers right now are Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and BAE Systems USA, and the most openings are in California, Texas, and Arizona, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Defense contractors, semiconductor manufacturers, and large utilities tend to maintain the most consistent hiring volume for this level.
How many principal electrical engineer jobs are remote?
About 51% of principal electrical engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though the share varies sharply by specialization. Software-adjacent roles in firmware architecture and FPGA design see the highest remote availability, while positions involving lab work, prototype builds, or classified defense programs are almost always on-site.
How do you become a principal electrical engineer?
Most principal electrical engineers start with a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, then spend several years as a mid-level engineer building depth in a specific domain such as power electronics, RF systems, or digital hardware. From there, the path to principal typically runs through leading increasingly complex design efforts, mentoring junior engineers, and earning visibility on cross-functional or customer-facing projects. PE licensure strengthens candidacy, particularly in utility, infrastructure, and government contracting environments.
Can you get hired as a principal electrical engineer without direct principal-level experience?
Yes, candidates who have functioned at principal scope without holding the title can make a strong case by documenting the complexity and independence of their design work. Focus your resume on systems you owned end-to-end, decisions you made without senior oversight, and measurable outcomes from your architectural choices. Some employers, particularly startups and growth-stage hardware companies, promote strong senior engineers to principal when the team needs technical leadership and no one else is available internally.
What does the principal electrical engineer interview process look like?
The process typically runs three to five rounds and includes an initial recruiter screen, one or two technical interviews focused on domain depth and design tradeoffs, a system design or architecture presentation where you walk through a past project, and a behavioral round assessing leadership and cross-functional collaboration. Some employers add a written take-home exercise or a whiteboard session on a novel design problem. The final round often involves hiring managers and sometimes a VP of engineering or chief engineer.
Where can I find and apply to principal electrical engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to principal electrical engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your domain and experience level, then apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 291+ Principal Electrical Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Jobs