Defense Electrical Engineer Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

The Electrical Component & Wiring Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, integrating, and validating electrical components, wiring harnesses, and interconnect systems used in complex products and equipment. This role works closely with cross-functional engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to ensure that electrical systems meet performance, reliability, safety, and regulatory requirements, with experience in military or navy environments considered a strong plus.

• Design and develop electrical wiring harnesses, cable assemblies, connectors, and related electrical components for advanced equipment and systems.
• Create and maintain detailed electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, harness drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOMs) to support product development and production.
• Select and qualify electrical components, including connectors, terminals, relays, sensors, switches, and wire or cable products, ensuring suitability for application and environment.
• Support product development from initial concept through production release, contributing to design reviews, prototype builds, and launch activities.
• Conduct electrical system integration, troubleshooting, testing, and validation to confirm performance, reliability, and compliance with requirements.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to ensure proper routing, packaging, and installation of wiring systems within the overall product design.
• Analyze electrical failures, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to improve product reliability and reduce recurrence of issues.
• Ensure all designs comply with applicable industry standards, safety requirements, and customer specifications, maintaining a strong focus on regulatory compliance.
• Support prototype builds by providing technical guidance, reviewing assembly quality, and validating electrical performance in test environments.
• Participate in and support formal design reviews, providing technical input on electrical architecture, component selection, and risk mitigation.
• Manage engineering change requests (ECRs) and engineering change orders (ECOs), ensuring accurate documentation and effective implementation of design changes.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing teams, assisting with build issues, test failures, and process improvements related to electrical components and wiring.
• Offer technical assistance to field service teams by helping diagnose electrical issues in deployed equipment and recommending corrective actions or design updates.
• Maintain accurate engineering documentation and support configuration management processes to ensure traceability and control of electrical designs.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing electrical design quality, manufacturability, and reliability.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.
• 2–3+ years of experience designing electrical systems, wiring harnesses, cable assemblies, or electrical components in a product development or engineering environment.
• Hands-on experience creating electrical schematics and wiring diagrams for complex systems.
• Strong knowledge of wire routing, connector systems, grounding, shielding, and power distribution principles.
• Proficiency with CAD and electrical design tools such as AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, Capital, Zuken, CATIA Electrical, Creo, or SolidWorks Electrical.
• Demonstrated ability in electrical design of wiring harnesses, cable assemblies, and component-level hardware.
• Experience with validation testing of electrical systems and components, including planning and execution of test activities.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills applied to electrical failures and system issues.
• Familiarity with engineering documentation practices, including BOM creation, drawing control, and configuration management processes.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with cross-functional teams in engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
• Ability to interpret and produce clear technical schematics and wiring documentation.

• Experience in industries such as automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial equipment, medical devices, or transportation is highly desirable.
• Exposure to high-technology naval or military systems is considered a strong plus.
• Knowledge of industry standards such as IPC/WHMA-A-620, NEC, UL, IEC, and SAE, and the ability to design in accordance with these standards.
• Experience with FMEA, DFMEA, PFMEA, and design validation testing, including risk assessment and mitigation in electrical design.
• Understanding of EMC/EMI requirements and electrical safety standards, and experience designing systems to meet these requirements.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and supplier development activities, including design-for-manufacturability and supplier qualification.
• Ability to perform detailed connector selection and specification for wiring harness and cable assembly applications.
• Background in electrical testing and validation methodologies for components, harnesses, and integrated systems.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills for managing multiple projects and engineering changes concurrently.

This role operates within an engineering-focused environment that emphasizes high-technology applications, including advanced systems commonly used in naval or military contexts. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams, using modern CAD and electrical design tools to develop and refine wiring harnesses, cable assemblies, and electrical components. The work involves a mix of office-based design activities and hands-on engagement with prototypes and production hardware, including participation in testing, validation, and troubleshooting on the engineering floor or in lab settings. The environment values collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous improvement, offering opportunities to work on complex, mission-critical systems while contributing to robust, reliable electrical designs.

This is a Contract position based out of Burnsville, MN.

The pay range for this position is $38.00 - $44.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a hybrid position in Burnsville,MN.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 31, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

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