Principal Project Engineer, Light Engines Electronics and Firmware

Posted 3 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
San Diego, CA, USA
In-Office
175K-225K Annually
Expert/Leader
Hardware • Semiconductor • Quantum Computing • Manufacturing
Delivering quantum light engines at scale
The Role
Leads complex multidisciplinary electronics, firmware, and software development projects from planning through testing, installation, and support. Owns scope, schedule, budget, technical direction, risk management, and milestone reviews while coordinating matrixed teams. Establishes engineering practices, resolves technical and scheduling challenges, represents the company to customers, mentors engineers, and helps mature organizational processes in a fast-paced startup environment.
Summary Generated by Built In

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Project Engineer, Principal Project Engineer, Light Engines Electronics and Firmware. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment and is ready to own technical direction with minimal oversight. You’ll have the opportunity to work on cutting edge electronics, firmware, and software for next-generation light engine systems, work closely with leadership, and define the engineering practices that support our mission and growth. Your key responsibilities are as follows:

  • Owns planning and execution of complex, multi-disciplinary development projects, with full accountability for project scope, schedule and budget. Represents the company in front of customers and sets technical direction in collaboration with functional managers.
  • Leads matrixed technical teams thru schedule bottlenecks, uncertainty, lack of information and sudden changes, while screening the team from external turbulence and assuring highest productivity and focus on success.
  • Drives technical, logistical and problem-solving leadership across electrical, firmware and software disciplines; establishes and champions best engineering practices across the organization. Anticipates risks and identifies opportunities at the program level, then manages both thru the projects.
  • Owns project execution per internally and customer defined processes, reaching, documenting and defending project milestones: requirement, design and test readiness reviews, integration and test events, test reports, installation and support activities.
  • Mentors other engineers and project leads, and influences engineering strategy and process maturity beyond the scope of any single project.

Requirements
  • This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Experience:

  • Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of relevant experience (including pursuit of relevant higher education), ideally within a startup or technology company.

Skills:

  • Proven record of successfully leading complex electrical, firmware, and/or software development projects using a structured development process.
  • Expert in a subset of technical areas: electrical engineering (analog/digital/power electronics), embedded firmware, software engineering (controls, test, and automation), systems engineering, control theory.
  • Exposure to optics, photonics, opto-mechanics, or AMO physics is a plus but not required.

Startup Mindset:

  • You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
  • You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

Benefits

The expected annual salary range for this position is $175,000-$225,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

  • Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
  • Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
  • 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
  • 13 paid company holidays
  • 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

Skills Required

  • U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), due to access to export-controlled information
  • Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
  • 10+ years of relevant experience, including relevant higher education
  • Experience leading complex electrical, firmware, and/or software development projects using a structured development process
  • Expertise in at least one technical area: electrical engineering, embedded firmware, software engineering, systems engineering, or control theory
  • Startup or technology company experience
  • Exposure to optics, photonics, opto-mechanics, or AMO physics

Monarch Quantum, Inc. Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Monarch Quantum, Inc. and has not been reviewed or approved by Monarch Quantum, Inc..

  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off provisions include 20 PTO days and 13 paid holidays, indicating broad leave availability. A 9/80 schedule is also advertised, adding flexibility with every other Friday off.
  • Retirement Support — Retirement benefits feature a Fidelity 401(k) with a 4% employer match and immediate vesting. This combination signals solid support for long-term savings.
  • Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is presented as competitive with larger San Diego tech employers, and job postings publish substantial salary ranges by role and level. This visibility indicates an intention to align pay with market benchmarks.

Monarch Quantum, Inc. Insights

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The Company
HQ: San Diego, CA
160 Employees
Year Founded: 2025

What We Do

Monarch Quantum is a U.S.-based quantum photonics company that designs and manufactures integrated photonics systems, known as Quantum Light Engines™, for quantum computing, sensing, and communications.

Why Work With Us

We’re looking for curious, driven individuals inspired by the intersection of physics, engineering, and imagination. Here, you’ll collaborate with world-class experts to scale transformative quantum solutions, see measurable impact from your work, and grow through mentorship and cross-disciplinary collaboration while benefiting from a flexible,

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