Electrical Engineer Research Assistant Jobs in Florida

Build hardware that matters-right here in Tampa Bay.

Custom Manufacturing & Engineering (CME) is seeking an Electrical Engineer I or Electrical Engineer II – Analog to design, develop, test, and support electronic hardware used in aerospace, defense, space, industrial, and energy applications.

We're open to two levels of experience. This opportunity may be filled as an Electrical Engineer I for an early-career engineer ready to develop strong hands-on design skills, or as an Electrical Engineer II for an engineer who can bring additional experience and take greater ownership of circuit design, troubleshooting, and technical execution.

Either way, this is a hands-on engineering role.

At CME, you won't be limited to one small piece of a large program. You'll have opportunities to design circuits, simulate ideas, prototype hardware, work at the bench, troubleshoot problems, collaborate with manufacturing, and see designs progress toward finished products.

If you want to build your aerospace and defense engineering career in the Tampa Bay area while staying close to the hardware, we'd like to hear from you.

Depending on your experience and level, you will:

• Design and develop analog and mixed-signal circuits for power, sensing, signal conditioning, control, and mission-critical systems
• Develop and evaluate circuits involving components such as op amps, filters, power supplies, converters, sensors, and control circuitry
• Perform schematic capture and support PCB design and development
• Use SPICE, LTspice, OrCAD, or similar engineering tools to simulate, analyze, validate, and refine designs
• Build, prototype, test, and troubleshoot electronic hardware in the lab
• Use oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, function generators, and other test equipment to characterize circuit performance
• Analyze test results, identify root causes, and implement design improvements
• Select electronic components based on electrical requirements, performance, availability, reliability, and application needs
• Work with suppliers and technical vendors to identify components and engineering solutions
• Collaborate with mechanical, software, manufacturing, quality, and test personnel throughout the product lifecycle
• Develop schematics, specifications, test procedures, technical reports, and other engineering documentation
• Support designs from concept and prototype through verification, manufacturing, and production
• Participate in design reviews and communicate technical findings, risks, and recommendations
• Support additional engineering activities as part of CME's collaborative, hands-on engineering team

This level is designed for a recent graduate or early-career electrical engineer who has a strong technical foundation and wants to develop practical engineering experience.

You should bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
• 0–2 years of relevant electrical engineering experience
• GPA of 3.0 or higher preferred
• Academic, internship, co-op, research, military technical, senior design, or project experience involving analog electronics
• Foundational knowledge of analog circuit design, including areas such as op amps, filters, power supplies, sensing, and signal conditioning
• Familiarity with schematic capture and circuit simulation tools such as OrCAD, SPICE, LTspice, or similar
• Hands-on experience with common electronics laboratory equipment
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, datasheets, drawings, and technical documentation
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Ability and willingness to learn from experienced engineers while progressively taking ownership of engineering assignments
• Good written and verbal communication skills

For EE I candidates, we value demonstrated curiosity and hands-on ability as much as years of experience. Internships, senior projects, robotics, electronics projects, research, military experience, maker projects, and other practical engineering work can all demonstrate your potential.

This level is intended for an engineer who has developed a solid foundation in electrical engineering and is ready to take greater independent ownership of designs and technical problems.

You should bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
• Typically 2–5+ years of relevant electrical engineering experience
• Demonstrated professional experience designing, analyzing, testing, and troubleshooting analog or mixed-signal electronic circuits
• Practical knowledge of analog circuit design, including areas such as op amps, filters, power conversion, power supplies, sensing, signal conditioning, and control circuitry
• Experience using schematic capture and circuit simulation tools such as OrCAD, SPICE, LTspice, or comparable platforms
• Strong hands-on laboratory skills and experience debugging electronic hardware
• Ability to translate system or product requirements into practical circuit-level designs
• Experience selecting components and evaluating technical tradeoffs involving performance, cost, reliability, availability, and manufacturability
• Ability to independently investigate technical problems, determine root causes, and develop effective solutions
• Experience developing clear engineering documentation and communicating design decisions
• Ability to work effectively across engineering, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, and other technical functions
• Ability to manage multiple engineering assignments and drive work from concept through completion

Experience with aerospace, defense, military, space, power electronics, embedded hardware, or ruggedized electronic systems is beneficial but not required.

At Electrical Engineer I, you'll work with guidance from more experienced engineers while developing your ability to independently design, analyze, test, and document electronic hardware.

At Electrical Engineer II, you'll be expected to operate with greater independence, own more complex technical assignments, make and defend engineering decisions, troubleshoot difficult hardware problems, and help move designs successfully through development and production.

The position and level offered will be based on the selected candidate's education, experience, technical capabilities, and demonstrated ability to perform the responsibilities of the role.

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering required
• GPA of 3.0 or higher preferred
• Zero to two (2) years of electrical engineering experience for EE I and four plus (4+) years for EE II
• Hands on exposure to analog circuit design including op amps, filters, power supplies, and signal conditioning
• Comfortable working with oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and function generators
• Familiarity with schematic capture and simulation tools such as OrCAD, SPICE, or LTspice

CME gives electrical engineers the opportunity to get close to the products they design and see the impact of their work.

Here, you can:

• Design and build real hardware rather than working on only a small portion of a large program
• Support mission-critical aerospace and defense applications
• Gain experience across design, simulation, prototyping, testing, troubleshooting, manufacturing, and production
• Work directly with experienced engineers and cross-functional technical teams
• Develop broad engineering capabilities and take on increasing technical responsibility
• Work in an environment that values problem-solving, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Enjoy a schedule that includes a 4-day workweek most weeks
• Build your aerospace and defense career in the Tampa Bay area

Our culture is guided by CME's five Core Values: Resolves Problems • Professionalism • Challenges Themselves • Delivers • Serves Customers / Protects CME

Custom Manufacturing & Engineering (CME) is an award-winning Tampa Bay small business with nearly three decades of experience designing and manufacturing custom-engineered and build-to-print products and systems.

CME supports customers across the aerospace, defense, space, industrial, and energy markets, combining engineering, manufacturing, testing, and production capabilities within one organization.

We also support STEM education and sustainability initiatives, including Solar4STEM, helping inspire the next generation of engineers and technical problem-solvers.

CME operates using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and maintains a Culture of Accountability throughout our organization.

This position may require access to export-controlled goods, technology, or technical data subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or Export Administration Regulations (EAR).  Applicants must meet applicable U.S. Person requirements, which may include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees, as defined by applicable export-control regulations.

CME is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal or Florida law.