Electrical Engineer
Second Order Effects
| Company | Second Order Effects |
| Category | Engineering |
| Location | El Segundo |
| Remote | On-site (inferred) |
| Employment | Not stated |
| Level | Not stated |
| Salary | Not stated by the employer |
| Posted | 11 Jul 2026 |
| Last verified | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Source | Employer career page (greenhouse) |
Description
Company Overview:
Second Order Effects started in 2016 as a services firm, taking on other companies’ hardest engineering problems from first principles. We grew into a solutions firm that designs and ships complete custom electronics and systems, including power electronics, RF, and control systems. 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.
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. Because we believe that training and empowering others yields a greater impact than focusing on developing any specific technology, we expect every single member of our team to participate in building up those around them.
In the past year, we’ve started taking our own concepts and spinning them out into separate companies that we believe will meet the emerging needs of our clients and the industry at large. The work is concentrating in frontier technology, including space, fusion and fission energy, and advanced vehicles. We currently have two spinout companies in stealth that we’re working on. Information about SOE’s mission, vision, and values can be found here . Examples of the projects SOE has worked on can be found here .
The Role:
As an Electrical Engineer, you will support the design, architecture, and implementation of high performance electrical systems across a diverse range of projects. You will work alongside a collaborative team of engineers to find and develop the right solutions for the problems at hand and client use case. If you’re passionate about tackling mission-critical challenges and working across multiple industries, this is your chance to make a lasting impact and grow in a dynamic environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Drive design efforts for electronic systems, including architecture and implementation details of circuitry and software/firmware
Perform component selection and trade studies of different implementation options to best generate and satisfy design requirements
Capture schematics and design PCB layouts, create component symbols and footprints
Circuit simulation and thermal analysis of designs, including sizing of thermal management systems
Develop firmware in C/C++ for microcontrollers, or digital design in Verilog HDL for FPGAs
Write and execute test plans for device validation and performance characterization
Take ownership of the design, development, testing, and end-to-end technical support for projects
Assess design risks and develop mitigation strategies
Create documentation for hardware, software and systems
Interface with internal teams and external clients to conduct design reviews for hardware/electronic systems and code reviews for software/firmware/HDL
Minimum Requirements:
Able to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, or Redmond, Washington
Eligible to work on ITAR projects
Bachelor's Degree (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, or related field) or equivalent experience
3+ years of applied experience with a demonstrated passion for engineering and technology development
Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain technical concepts and their implications to non-technical audiences
Experience in any common ECAD tool, such as Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence, PADS, EAGLE, etc.
Experience with C/C++ firmware development or Verilog HDL development
Experience in modeling, simulation, and testing of electronics
Familiarity with standard digital communication methods i