Principal Electrical Engineer

Job ID: 2618878
Location: San Diego, CA, US
Date Posted: 2026-11-06
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Electrical Engr
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: Yes - 25% of the time
Minimum Clearance Required: Secret
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE
Description
SAIC is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to support critical Department of Defense (DoD) communications systems at a Navy facility in San Diego, California. In this role, you will be a lead to troubleshooting, repair, install, and sustain communications hardware down to the board level. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer with strong diagnostic skills, a deep understanding of system and board-level diagrams, and field experience.
THIS IS AN ONSITE ROLE IN SAN DIEGO, CA. MUST BE LOCAL TO AREA. UP TO 25% TRAVEL INVOLVED.
JOB DUTIES:
Troubleshooting & Repair:

• Troubleshoot, isolate faults, and repair communications hardware to the board and component level.
• Read and interpret system-level and board-level schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals.
• Conduct functional tests on equipment and evaluate results to ensure system integrity and compliance with standards.

Installation & Field Engineering:

• Plan and perform installation, configuration, integration, and testing of new and upgraded systems.
• Provide field engineering support at government sites as needed.

Documentation & Reporting:

• Develop and update design diagrams, engineering specifications, and build procedures.
• Prepare high-quality reports summarizing findings, progress, and recommendations for stakeholders.

Qualifications
REQUIREMENTS:
Education and Experience:

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experience.
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and repairing hardware to the board level, including soldering and rework and use of oscilloscopes, multimeters, and similar test equipment.
• Experience reading and analyzing system and board-level diagrams and technical documents.
• Hands-on experience in hardware testing, evaluation, and integration.
• Experience performing system installations.
• Prior supervisory experience leading or supervising technical staff.

Clearance :

• Must have an Active Secret Clearance to start
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret Clearance after start

DESIRED SKILLS:

• Experience with NIWC Pacific or other Navy-related programs.
• Familiarity with DoD and Strategic communication systems and standards.
• IPC-A-610 or J-STD-001 certification.

Target salary range: $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .