Your space-enabled career begins here

Role Overview:
We are seeking a creative Senior Engineer to join our Solutions Engineering team and take on the pivotal role of leading end-to-end development of customer solutions. In this position, you will operate in a critical technical leadership role to drive our product development lifecycle, closing the gap between client vision and engineering execution. You will serve as the technical and programmatic lead across multiple projects and will transform clients’ ambitious business objectives into creative solutions, culminating in high quality deliverables that meet customer requirements. The ideal candidate is a T-shaped professional with deep expertise in at least one engineering discipline, a passion for systems thinking, and who thrives on seeing their direct impact on mission-critical projects.

What You Will Do:

• Act as the primary technical interface for customers from contract signing through closeout, leveraging system-level problem solving to deliver on a customer’s needs
• Translate client goals into a technical development roadmap that balances technical, cost, and schedule constraints
• Define clear, concise, and verifiable requirements that form the technical baseline for the engineering team. A key outcome is a successfully negotiated and agreed-upon scope that creates mutual value for both the client and the firm across the lifecycle of the contract
• Build strong working relationships across all engineering and operations that cultivate systems thinking, more robust problem-solving strategies, and foster a collaborative, constructive feedback centered environment to raise the bar for quality and execution across the company
• Tackle complex, wide-ranging challenges by identifying technical risks, developing mitigation strategies, and ensuring proposed engineering solutions are robust and buildable
• Bridge client vision and internal engineering execution to ensure there is seamless priority and scope management from the start of the architectural concept into the detailed design and implementation phases

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field
• 7+ years of experience in a systems engineering or hardware development role, preferably in the aerospace, medical, industrial, or consumer electronics industries
• Demonstrated ability to apply systems engineering principles and analyze complex problems to create and define system architectures, interfaces, and requirements for new, hardware-centric products
• Demonstrated ability to translate defined technical scope into a schedule with dependencies and a corresponding execution plan such that engineers of differing skillsets and levels can successfully follow and drive to closure
• Demonstrated ability to apply written and verbal communication skills to technical communication
• Depth of knowledge in at least one of the following disciplines: electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, embedded software, or integration & test

What Would Be Useful:

• Excellent client-facing communication skills, including experience facilitating technical workshops, leading requirements negotiations, and translating complex technical information for non-technical stakeholders

Benefits:

• Compensation range of $154,080-187,100 + 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
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports
• Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

Company Overview:
Second Order Effects (SOE) is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, SOE has grown from a 3-person operation to a team of over 40 members across offices in El Segundo, California and Redmond, Washington. Over the last nine years, we have completed over 250 projects and serviced over 100 different customers. 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.

Second Order Effects practices a “first principles approach” to technical problems. We break down complex challenges to their most fundamental components. This enables us to find solutions across industries, use cases, and engineering functions.

As an engineering consulting firm, we focus on solving the right problems and building teams to take them on. Going beyond just resolving tough issues, we want to answer impactful questions.

Additional Requirements:

• Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, USA
• Applicant must be eligible to work on export controlled projects
• Job Type: Full-time (Salary)

Export Control Requirements:
To conform with U.S. Government export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), 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.