Senior Electrical Engineer
Parallel Systems · Los Angeles · $160,000–$180,000 (stated in the posting)
Parallel Systems is pioneering autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles designed to transform freight transportation by shifting portions of the $900 billion U.S. trucking industry onto rail. Our innovative technology offers cleaner, safer, and more efficient logistics solutions. Join our dynamic team and help shape a smarter, greener future for global freight.
Senior Electrical Engineer
Parallel Systems is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, and validation of vehicle electrical systems for our production autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles. This role will own critical electrical architectures and subsystems, including power distribution, traction and braking interfaces, safety-critical control systems, wiring harnesses, and compute/sensor networks.
As a senior technical contributor, you will drive electrical engineering decisions from initial concept through production deployment, establish robust design and verification processes, and ensure reliable integration across mechanical, software, and autonomy systems. You will be responsible for developing high-reliability electrical systems that meet demanding performance, safety, and regulatory requirements while supporting the transition from prototype development to production.
The ideal candidate brings substantial experience designing and integrating complex electrical systems in automotive, rail, aerospace, or other vehicle-based applications. You are comfortable taking ownership of ambiguous technical challenges, leading cross-functional engineering efforts, and balancing hands-on execution with system-level technical leadership.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end electrical system development: Lead the architecture, design, development, integration, and validation of vehicle electrical systems, including power distribution, wiring harnesses, commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, and electrical test infrastructure.
- Drive technical design decisions: Establish electrical design requirements, define system interfaces, evaluate design tradeoffs, and make recommendations that balance performance, reliability, safety, cost, and manufacturability.
- Lead safety-critical engineering: Develop and maintain system-level risk assessments, Design Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (DFMEAs), hazard analyses, and verification and validation plans for critical electrical subsystems.
- Lead system integration: Coordinate electrical interfaces with mechanical, embedded software, controls, and autonomy teams to ensure reliable operation across vehicle subsystems and dependencies.
- Drive hands-on testing and troubleshooting: Lead hardware bring-up, bench testing, prototype vehicle integration, fault isolation, and root-cause analysis to resolve complex electrical and system-level issues.
- Support production readiness: Partner with manufacturing, suppliers, and contract manufacturers to transition electrical designs from prototypes to production, addressing design-for-manufacturing, assembly, testability, and quality requirements.
- Establish engineering standards: Develop and maintain electrical design practices, interface specifications, test procedures, and validation methods that improve system reliability and repeatability.
- Own engineering documentation and configuration: Ensure accuracy and traceability of schematics, wiring diagrams, bills of materials (BOMs), test reports, engineering changes, and release documentation.
- Provide technical leadership: Mentor engineers as needed, review electrical designs, identify technical risks, and drive resolution of complex engineering challenges across the product lifecycle.
What Success Looks Like
- 30 Days: You've reviewed existing vehicle architectures and are contributing to the definition of system-level requirements for new or upgraded subsystems (e.g., braking control, high-voltage distribution). You're actively participating in safety reviews and design discussions.
- 60 Days: You're leading the design and documentation of a new electrical subsystem. You've outlined validation and compliance testing plans and are driving system alignment across disciplines.
- 90 Days: You've completed a first-pass system architecture for a new subsystem and led its integration into a prototype or test vehicle. You're actively shaping the roadmap for future electrical system upgrades and regulatory milestones.
Basic Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 5+ years of relevant experience designing, developing, integrating, or validating electrical systems for vehicles or other complex electromechanical products.
- Demonstrated ownership of electrical systems or subsystems through multiple stages of the product development lifecycle, from concept and design through testing and production.
- Strong understanding of vehicle power distribution, electrical architecture, control systems, and embedded communication protocols such as CAN and Ethernet.
- Experience defining system requirements, managing electrical interfaces, and developing verification and validation strategies.
- Proven ability to troubleshoot complex electrical systems using first-principles analysis, structured debugging, and root-cause investigation.
- Experience with electrical design and documentation tools such as SolidWorks Electrical, Altium, RapidHarness, or equivalent.
- Ability to work cross-functionally and communicate technical decisions, risks, and tradeoffs to engineering and manufacturing stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing and deploying electrical systems for automotive, rail, aerospace, commercial vehicles, or heavy industrial equipment.
- Experience with traction, braking, high-voltage power distribution, vehicle control systems, or other safety-critical vehicle subsystems.
- Working knowledge of functional safety standards and frameworks, such as ISO 26262, Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL), IEC 61508, or equivalent.
- Experience designing, prototyping, integrating, and validating complex wiring harnesses and electrical assemblies.
- Experience with system-level hazard analysis, DFMEA, fault analysis, reliability engineering, and formal verification and validation processes.
- Programming or scripting experience in Python, C/C++, Rust, or similar languages for test automation, diagnostics, or hardware integration.
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing, automated test systems, data acquisition, or electrical test stand development.
- Experience supporting contract manufacturers, supplier qualification, design-for-manufacturing, and production ramp-up.
- Evidence of exceptional technical ability through shipped products, complex system deployments, patents, technical projects, or a portfolio of engineering work.
We are committed to providing fair and transparent compensation in accordance with applicable laws. Salary ranges are listed below and reflect the expected range for new hires in this role, based on factors such as skills, experience, qualifications, and location. Final compensation may vary and will be determined during the interview process. The target hiring range for this position is listed below.
Parallel Systems is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any discriminatory factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. We work to build an inclusive environment in which all people can come to do their best work.
Parallel Systems is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Parallel Systems will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact your recruiter.
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