Electronic Safe & Arm Device (ESAD) Engineer

Electronic Safe & Arm Device (ESAD) Engineer

Company: Name disclosed upon mutual interest · Location: Herndon, VA (four days/week in office) · Travel: Periodic field work; occasional forward deployment (Ukraine and CONUS) · Comp: $130K to $140K base, $160K to $180K on-target, plus meaningful early-stage equity

---

About the Client

The client builds low-cost, long-range precision strike systems. Their flagship platform launches from high-altitude balloons above 80,000 feet, glides up to 1,000 km, and delivers GPS-independent precision effects at a fraction of the cost of a traditional munition. The system has been evaluated by the U.S. Army and is in operational use with allied forces today. We win by fielding mass and affordability, and we are moving fast from a working prototype to a product at scale.

About the Role

We need an engineer who can take our electrical detonator, specifically a high-voltage Electronic Safe & Arm Device (ESAD), from design through U.S. military safety approval. Our systems already function on low voltage, which is accepted in current theaters. U.S. customers require a high-voltage ESAD to meet stricter safety requirements, and getting that device certified is the gate between us and putting effects where they are needed.

The hard part of this job is not only the design. Our team can design. The hard part is knowing how the approval process actually works and shepherding a device through the military safety boards that govern it. We are looking for someone who has walked ordnance through this process before and knows the difference between what the policy says and how approvals really get done.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, build, and qualification of a high-voltage ESAD for our glide and payload systems.
• Drive the device through U.S. military safety review and approval boards, managing the documentation, testing, and relationships that get it certified.
• Design for the operating environment: stratospheric altitudes and temperatures down to roughly minus 60 degrees Celsius.
• Work across electrical and mechanical boundaries, and contribute as an engineering generalist where the team needs it.
• Partner with our engineers and leadership to move designs from prototype to a manufacturable, scalable product.
• Get to the field when it matters to see the system work and to close the loop with the people who use it.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• A background in electrical engineering (degree, associate plus additional schooling, or equivalent on-the-job depth). Mechanical engineers with the right ordnance experience will be considered.
• Direct, hands-on experience with Electronic Safe & Arm Devices, fuzing, detonators, or ordnance initiation systems.
• Demonstrated success taking an energetic or safety-critical device through military safety approval boards. This is the differentiator.
• Working knowledge across PCB design, RF and radio design, power electronics, embedded systems, firmware, and protocols such as I2C.
• Comfort in the field and around munitions, and a genuine willingness to deploy forward on occasion.
• The temperament to be both buttoned-up with safety authorities and scrappy enough to thrive in an early-stage startup.
• U.S. person status and eligibility for relevant clearances may be required.

Why This Role

This device is the gate to the U.S. market. The person who gets it approved is not filling a slot; they are unlocking the next phase of the company. If you like making things go boom, doing it safely, and doing it where the standards are highest, this is the job.

The client is an equal opportunity employer. This role supports defense work.