The Role
Lead electrical architecture and hands‑on design for wireless and embedded products from concept through production. Mentor engineers, define system requirements, oversee PCB/schematic design, perform component selection and testing, drive certification and regulatory compliance, and support project/business activities including estimating and customer engagements.
Summary Generated by Built In
Since 1985, Digi International has helped shape the future of connected devices. Our solutions span embedded systems, wireless connectivity, gateways, routers, system-on-modules, single-board computers, and IoT platforms used across a wide range of industries and applications.
Our Wireless Design Services team partners with customers to turn complex product ideas into reliable, production-ready connected products. The team provides end-to-end product development expertise, including architecture, hardware and firmware design, testing, certification, and manufacturing support.
Position
Digi International is seeking a Sr. Principal Electrical Engineer to serve as a hands-on hardware design leader within our Wireless Design Services team. This role is centered on electrical hardware design for embedded products, with many projects incorporating wireless technologies. You will solve difficult engineering problems, work directly with customers, and guide products from initial concept through design, verification, certification, and production release.
This is an individual contributor role with significant technical influence. The ideal candidate is curious, self-directed, and comfortable taking ownership in an environment where projects and customer needs vary.
Location: Hybrid, based at global headquarters in Hopkins, MN
What You Will Do
- Lead the electrical architecture and hardware design of embedded and wireless products from concept through production.
- Design electronic circuits, select components, create and review schematics, and provide PCB layout guidance and review.
- Build, test, troubleshoot, and improve complex electronic circuits and embedded hardware platforms.
- Evaluate design tradeoffs related to performance, reliability, power, cost, manufacturability, component availability, and product lifecycle.
- Work directly with customers to understand requirements, clarify technical challenges, and present practical design recommendations.
- Translate customer and system needs into clear electrical requirements, interfaces, design specifications, and verification plans.
- Partner with firmware, RF, software, mechanical, manufacturing, project management, and business teams throughout product development.
- Lead hardware integration, verification, validation, production support, and sustaining engineering activities.
- Identify technical risks early, develop mitigation plans, and communicate clearly with customers and internal stakeholders.
- Mentor engineers, share best practices, and influence the technical direction and quality of the team’s work.
Who You Are and What You Bring
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of progressive experience designing commercial electronic products.
- Demonstrated experience taking hardware products from concept through manufacturing and production release.
- Deep, hands-on experience with electrical circuit design, schematic capture, component selection, PCB design/layout review, board bring-up, testing, and troubleshooting.
- Experience designing embedded hardware using microcontrollers, processors, sensors, power supplies, and digital communication interfaces.
- System-level thinking with experience balancing hardware, firmware, manufacturing, and customer requirements.
- Strong customer-facing communication skills, including the ability to explain technical options, risks, and recommendations to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Demonstrated initiative, ownership, and the ability to lead technical work with minimal oversight while managing multiple priorities.
Desired But Not Required
- Experience developing connected or wireless products from concept through production.
- Working knowledge of RF fundamentals and wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE, Zigbee, cellular, GNSS/GPS, or LoRa.
- Experience supporting regulatory and product certification activities, such as FCC, UL, ETL, ETSI, PTCRB, or other applicable standards.
- Experience in a product development consulting, design services, or other customer-facing engineering environment.
- Familiarity with Digi System-on-Modules (SOMs), Single-Board Computers (SBCs), or XBee products.
- Experience using scripting or automation to improve engineering development, testing, or analysis.
What Success Looks Like
- Quickly establishes credibility as a hands-on hardware expert and trusted problem solver.
- Takes ownership of ambiguous technical challenges and moves them toward practical, manufacturable solutions.
- Communicates confidently and clearly with customers throughout the product development process.
- Raises the quality of hardware designs and helps other engineers grow through thoughtful technical guidance.
Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. This includes, but is not limited to, work visas, employment-based visas, or residency sponsorship. Candidates must have valid work authorization in the United States at the time of application. Visa applications of any kind will not be considered.
Digi International offers a distinctive Total Rewards package including a short-term incentive program, new hire stock award, paid parental leave, open (uncapped) PTO, and a hybrid work environment in addition to our competitive medical, health & wellbeing, and compensation offerings.
The anticipated base pay range for this position is $111,000 – $174,000. Pay ranges are determined by role, job level, and primary work location. The range displayed reflects the reasonable range we anticipate paying and is influenced by factors including experience, education, skills, and work location. Compensation decisions are based on the individual qualifications of each candidate and are reviewed annually.
At Digi, we embrace diversity and inclusion among our teammates. It is critical to our success as a global company, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain talented people from diverse backgrounds. We are committed to providing an environment of respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline
- 10+ years of progressive electrical engineering experience developing commercial products
- Proven experience leading products from concept through manufacturing and production release
- Electrical circuit design
- Schematic capture
- PCB design and layout review
- Component selection
- Hardware testing and troubleshooting
- Embedded hardware development
- Systems engineering principles (requirements definition, system architecture, integration, verification and validation, product lifecycle management)
- Ability to independently establish technical approaches and execute complex engineering tasks with minimal oversight
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and influence across organizational boundaries
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously
- Experience developing wireless and connected products from concept to production
- Familiarity with Digi International System-on-Module (SOM) and XBee product families
- Experience with wireless communication technologies and protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Cellular, GPS/GNSS, LoRa)
- Understanding of RF design fundamentals and wireless product certification
- Expertise implementing and championing systems engineering methodologies
- Experience developing automation, scripting, or software tools to improve engineering productivity and test efficiency
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The Company
What We Do
Digi International (Digi) is a leading global provider of mission-critical and business-critical machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity products and services. We help our customers create next generation connected products and deploy and manage critical communications infrastructures in demanding environments. Our embedded modules and off-the-shelf routers, gateways and network products are designed for relentless reliability and deliver unquestioned performance and security. Our cloud-based software and professional services help customers put their connected products and assets to work across a broad range of mission-critical industry applications. Founded in 1985, we’ve helped our customers connect over 100 million things, and growing.
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