Principal Electrical Engineer - Electronics & Hardware Design

Principal Electrical Engineer - Electronics, PCB & Embedded Hardware

Brisbane CBD | Hybrid working | $145k - $160k + super + 10% bonus

Robert Half is partnering with a global technology business that designs and manufactures advanced hardware products used across critical network, data centre and remote infrastructure environments.

This is a senior technical role for an engineer who wants to stay close to complex product design, rather than move into a purely management-focused position.

You will join a Brisbane-based hardware engineering team with a strong pipeline of new product development work, including multiple product designs planned over the next 12-18 months.

This is not a building services, power systems or electrical installation role. The work is focused on electronics product design, including PCB design, chip-down SoC development, embedded hardware, high-speed digital systems and network-oriented products.

The Opportunity

As Principal Electrical Engineer, you will be one of the senior technical voices within the hardware engineering team, helping shape how new products are designed, reviewed, tested and prepared for production.

This role will suit someone who enjoys working through complex design problems, making practical engineering trade-offs, reviewing detailed technical decisions and supporting products through prototype, validation and manufacturing stages.

You will work closely with hardware, firmware, software, mechanical, product and manufacturing teams. You will also support other engineers through technical reviews, mentoring and practical design guidance.

What You'll Be Doing

In this role, you will:

• Lead and influence the design of complex electronic hardware products, including chip-down SoC, embedded systems and high-speed digital platforms.
• Review schematics, PCB layouts, component choices and subsystem designs with a focus on reliability, performance and manufacturability.
• Support prototypes concepting, validation, board-level debugging and root-cause analysis.
• Help solve technical challenges across signal integrity, power integrity, thermal performance, EMI/EMC, DFM and DFT.
• Guide engineering decisions through unclear requirements, design trade-offs and product development constraints.
• Collaborate across firmware, software, mechanical, product and manufacturing teams to deliver production-ready hardware.
• Mentor experienced engineers and contribute to stronger design review, documentation and engineering practices.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced electronics, electrical or hardware design engineer who has delivered complex products through the full product lifecycle.

You will likely bring:

• Strong experience in electronics or hardware product design.
• Proven experience with PCB design, schematic review and board-level systems.
• Experience with chip-down SoC design, ideally ARM, x86 or similar embedded platforms.
• Strong understanding of high-speed digital design and hardware debugging.
• Good knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, thermal considerations, EMI/EMC, DFM and DFT.
• Experience working with embedded, network-oriented or communications hardware.
• Confidence working with firmware, software, mechanical and manufacturing teams.
• The ability to guide technical decisions, mentor engineers and communicate clearly across disciplines.

Nice to Have

Experience with Altium Designer, embedded Linux, FPGAs, RF systems, cellular modules, EMC testing, regulatory compliance or simulation tools would be beneficial, but not essential.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to join a global product engineering environment with a strong Brisbane presence, a clear product road map and multiple upcoming hardware designs.

You will be able to stay genuinely technical while stepping into a role with broader influence across product architecture, design quality, technical decision-making and engineering capability.

The role offers:

• $145,000 - $160,000 + super + 10% bonus
• Hybrid working, with three days per week in the Brisbane office
• Brisbane CBD location
• Senior technical influence across new product development
• Exposure to complex PCB, SoC, embedded hardware and high-speed digital design
• Work across the full product lifecycle, from concept through to manufacture

Potential relocation support for strong interstate candidates.

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