Electrical Engineering Manager

Electrical Engineering Manager

Req Id: 284

Location: Aurora, IL, US, 60504

Date: Jan 5, 2026

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) Headquartered in Clarksburg, MD, is a U.S. company that has been serving domestic and international defense Air, Land and Sea domains for 60+ years. With over 1,000 employees, TDSI and its four subsidiaries (Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Digital Receiver Technology, Tampa Microwave, and Trusted Cyber Technologies), supports U.S. Joint Services, special operations forces and multi-national partners with a variety of communication, visualization, signal intelligence/electronic warfare, and sensor/sonar capabilities. TDSI’s key technologies include tactical handheld radios, expeditionary satellite terminals, helmet-mounted displays, optics and target recognition capability, advanced radars, undersea sensing and missile systems. Lives depend on what we do!

Top Benefits (Subject to terms of applicable policies/plans)

• Competitive Salary
• Yearly Incentive Compensation Plan
• Medical insurance for self and eligible family members
• Generous 401(k) program- up to 7% company contribution and 100% immediate vesting
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid wellness, vacation, and holiday leave
• Paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave
• 9/80 Work Schedule (every other Friday off)
• Hybrid Working Environment

We are seeking to fill an Electrical Engineering Manager position located at our Aurora, IL Campus. This position reports to the Engineering Director. This role is responsible for providing technical and organizational leadership for the Electrical Engineering Department. This position is best suited for a motivated and experienced engineering manager or design engineer with technical leadership experience. The ideal candidate possesses a strong technical understanding and experience in the electrical engineering design of hardware for Helmet Mounted display units (or Avionics) coupled with experience in the organizational development of people and processes.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical leadership for the electrical engineering group, mentoring others during trade studies and design execution for analog and digital hardware. This role encompasses both legacy products and new design, which includes management of a team responsible for the following activities:
• • Design, simulation, and analyzation of analog and digital circuits/ components commonly used in helmet mounted display equipment.
  • Creation of electronic circuit schematics and PCB design/layout activities.
  • Verification of product performance verses predictions for prototype and production hardware products.
  • Analyzation of product failure data and malfunction trends, troubleshooting of yield issues, and recommending product and test improvements.
  • Support of R&D efforts and continuous process improvements.
• Provides managerial support for the electrical engineering group, leading daily coordination meetings, coordinating training and HR issues, and coordinating electrical design efforts with the larger engineering team.
• Proactively interfaces with project leads and engineering management in resolving issues, coordinating resources, and managing activities. This includes both technical resolution and clear communication, insuring clarity on assignments and closure of outstanding issues.
• Support the development of strategic business plans, proposals, and initiatives.
• Drive continuous process improvement to ensure efficient and effective processes, high quality products and compliance to certifications, including CMMI and AS9100.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• U.S. Citizenship required. - Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• BSEE/BSCE/BSCS or equivalent.
• An advanced technical or management degree is desirable.
• 8+ years as a design engineer coupled with technical leadership experience.
• 4+ years of engineering organizational management experience is desirable.
• Experience with DoD standards and practices (MIL-STD, ASTM, ANSI, etc.).
• Ability to analyze a design to meet technical requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Extensive experience designing complex systems with multi-disciplined teams.
• Ability to comply with all Company guidelines, policies, procedures and embrace Company Core Values.

The annualized pay range for this role is $140,090-$179,003 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 10%. The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact talent acquisition at [email protected].

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. is committed to non-discrimination as applicable under federal, state and local laws. We are an E-Verify Employer.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales Defense & Security, Inc., please call Human Resources at 202-961-1016.

#LI-JD1 #LI-hybrid

Nearest Major Market: Aurora

Nearest Secondary Market: Chicago