DirectHire

Drone Battery Design Engineer – Defense (1703653) $120k – $150k per year
Woodridge, IL
Full Time; Direct Hire

We’re seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer who’s not just a circuit designer but a full-scope Product Innovator — someone who thrives in a customer-facing, fast-paced, military-grade product development environment.

This is a unique opportunity for an engineer who’s ready to lead the charge on end-to-end power system design — from napkin sketch to production. The work is predominantly focused on high-performance battery systems and chargers, with an emphasis on rugged, reliable, and field-ready solutions. Projects support advanced military applications, including wearable batteries for ground forces and marine drone battery systems for naval deployment.

What You'll Be Doing:

Own the entire design lifecycle: from concept, design, and layout, through prototyping, testing, and release to production.
Serve as the lead electrical engineer on high-stakes drone battery development projects.
Partner with customers to define requirements and translate them into functional, manufacturable designs.
Develop custom battery packs and power supplies, ensuring optimal size, weight, performance, and reliability for defense-grade applications.
Perform schematic capture and full PCB layout — no handoffs; this is a hands-on engineering role.
Mentor junior team members and support their technical growth.
Conduct simulations, circuit analysis, and performance evaluations.
Prepare technical documentation, specifications, and reports for both internal and external use.

What You Must Bring:

Minimum 5 years of experience in power systems or battery-based electrical design.
Proven success in new product development, especially with battery systems, chargers, or power supply electronics.
Deep understanding of digital and analog circuit design, EMI/EMC, and power distribution architectures.
Strong hands-on skills in circuit board layout — ideally in Altium, but other tools may be considered.
Ability to lead and manage full project cycles without micromanagement.
Direct experience working with military-grade or medical-grade electronics is highly preferred.
Excellent communication skills and confidence in working directly with customers to define and refine product requirements.
U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (required due to ITAR regulations).

Highly Preferred Experience:

Designing or working on wearable battery systems or drone power systems.
Comfortable working on classified or ITAR-compliant projects.
Experience with protocols like I2C, SPI, RS-232, USB, Ethernet.
Prior experience in military or defense contracting environments.
Strong grasp of DC power electronics, redundancy systems, and high-reliability design principles.

Why This Role Is Unique:

90% Military Projects: Serve mission-critical clients in Army and Navy operations.
Cutting-edge Tech: Design systems for next-gen small and large drones, including aquatic drone systems.
Mentorship & Leadership: Guide and mentor junior engineers in a tight-knit team setting.
Autonomy + Impact: Own your designs from first concept to real-world deployment.

Upon Applying:

You’ll likely receive a chatbot with basic questions, then upon receiving your timely answers it’s possible that you’ll receive additional outreach of emails, texts and/or telephone calls from our recruiting firm if you’re being considered for this or another similar position. Upon their recommendations after having discussed the position with you, it can lead to phone, virtual, and face-to-face conversations, and interviews with hiring managers at the company.

If the job description, location, and compensation, align with your qualifications, we encourage you to apply.

To explore additional opportunities, visit our job board: confidentsearchconsultants.com

Confident Search Consultants, a division of Confident Staffing, specializes in connecting engineers and qualified professionals with exceptional career opportunities across the United States.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Employees and applicants are provided a full and fair opportunity for employment, career advancement, and access to programs without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), sex, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, or parental status, and will not be discriminated against for any other legally protected group or status.

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Drone Battery Design Engineer – Defense