Engineering Lead – Electronics, Mechanical & Product Development

Location: Palakkad / Kochi, Kerala Work Mode: On-site Experience: 8+ Years Salary: 125,000/per month

About the Company

We are a leading Indian technology company specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of autonomous industrial drones, advanced avionics, and intelligent ground control solutions. We are building next-generation hardware and autonomous systems, integrating electronics, mechanical engineering, embedded technology, and product development.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Engineering Lead to oversee our multidisciplinary engineering function, encompassing electronics design, mechanical/CAD design, product development, prototyping, testing, and engineering execution. This role will lead and coordinate a team of engineers across electronics and mechanical design, ensuring efficient product progression from concept through engineering design, prototyping, testing, validation, and manufacturing. The ideal candidate will possess strong hands-on engineering experience, leadership capabilities, project management skills, and the ability to solve complex engineering problems while coordinating across electronics, mechanical, firmware, manufacturing, and field-testing functions.

Team Structure

The Engineering Lead will oversee and coordinate the following functions:

• Senior Electronics Engineer: Responsible for electronics circuit design, PCB and schematic development, embedded systems and microcontrollers, and testing, debugging, and validation.
• CAD Designer: Responsible for drone airframes and structural components, mechanical components and enclosures, 3D modeling, assemblies, manufacturing drawings, and DFM/DFA and prototype development.

The Engineering Lead will collaborate closely with firmware/software, manufacturing, procurement, testing, and management teams.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering & Product Development Leadership

• Lead overall engineering and product development for drone, avionics, and related hardware products.
• Translate product requirements into technical specifications, engineering plans, and development milestones.
• Drive product development from concept and architecture through prototyping, testing, validation, and production.
• Review and approve engineering designs, technical approaches, and development documentation.
• Ensure timely delivery of engineering projects within defined quality and technical objectives.

Electronics & Embedded Systems Oversight

• Provide technical direction for electronics architecture, circuit design, PCB development, component selection, and system integration.
• Review schematics, PCB designs, component selections, and electronics test results.
• Guide the electronics team in troubleshooting hardware, power, communication, and integration issues.
• Oversee the integration of microcontrollers, sensors, communication interfaces, power systems, and embedded electronics.
• Collaborate with firmware engineers to ensure effective hardware-firmware integration.
• Support testing and debugging using appropriate laboratory equipment and methodologies.

Mechanical & CAD Engineering Oversight

• Guide the mechanical/CAD team in developing drone airframes, structural components, mounts, landing gear, enclosures, and other mechanical assemblies.
• Review 3D models, assemblies, manufacturing drawings, GD&T, BOMs, and design revisions.
• Ensure designs consider weight, strength, manufacturability, serviceability, thermal requirements, vibration, and environmental conditions.
• Guide material and manufacturing-process selection, including CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet metal, composites, and engineering plastics.
• Work with manufacturing and vendors to resolve fabrication and assembly issues.

System Integration

• Coordinate integration between electronics, mechanical, firmware, payload, propulsion, and other product subsystems.
• Identify and resolve mechanical-electronics integration challenges.
• Lead engineering reviews for system-level design and architecture.
• Ensure clear definition and documentation of interfaces between engineering teams.
• Support integration and troubleshooting during prototype and field testing.

Prototyping, Testing & Validation

• Lead prototype development and engineering validation activities.
• Define appropriate testing and validation approaches for new designs.
• Review test results and drive design improvements based on engineering and field feedback.
• Support root-cause analysis of hardware and system failures.
• Establish structured processes for design verification, validation, and engineering change management.

Team Management & Mentoring

• Lead, mentor, and develop electronics and mechanical engineering team members.
• Allocate engineering tasks based on project priorities and individual expertise.
• Conduct technical reviews and provide feedback on engineering deliverables.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable engineering culture.
• Identify skill gaps and support the technical development of team members.
• Coordinate with management on team capacity, hiring needs, and resource planning.

Manufacturing & Vendor Coordination

• Work closely with manufacturing teams to ensure designs are production-ready.
• Review designs for DFM/DFA and cost-effective manufacturing.
• Coordinate with external vendors, fabricators, PCB manufacturers, and component suppliers as needed.
• Support prototype sourcing, component selection, fabrication, and production ramp-up.
• Resolve engineering issues arising during manufacturing and assembly.

Engineering Documentation & Processes

• Establish and maintain engineering documentation, design standards, revision control, and technical processes.
• Ensure proper maintenance of CAD files, schematics, PCB files, BOMs, test reports, and engineering change records.
• Implement structured design-review and approval processes.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable quality, safety, and industry requirements.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of relevant engineering experience in electronics, embedded systems, mechanical/product development, robotics, drones/UAV, aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, or a related hardware product environment.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or technical projects.
• Strong understanding of electronics design, PCB development, embedded systems, and hardware integration.
• Good understanding of mechanical/product design, CAD, manufacturing processes, and DFM/DFA.
• Experience taking products from concept through prototype, testing, validation, and manufacturing.
• Strong experience in cross-functional engineering coordination.
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting complex hardware/system-level issues.
• Strong understanding of the product development and engineering lifecycle.
• Experience working with manufacturing and external engineering vendors.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent communication and team-management skills.

Technical Exposure

The ideal candidate should have exposure to several of the following:

Electronics: Analog & digital circuit design, PCB design and schematic development, power electronics, microcontrollers, sensors and communication interfaces, hardware debugging, oscilloscope, multimeter, and laboratory test equipment.

Embedded / Systems: Embedded systems, firmware-hardware integration, Embedded C, communication protocols, system-level debugging.

Mechanical / Product Design: SolidWorks / CATIA / Fusion 360 / similar CAD tools, 3D modeling and assemblies, GD&T, DFM / DFA, CNC, 3D printing, sheet metal, and composite manufacturing, structural and enclosure design.

Product Development: Prototype development, design validation, testing and certification, engineering change management, BOM and documentation management, manufacturing coordination.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with experience in any of the following will be preferred:

• Drone / UAV / Aerospace product development
• Avionics
• Robotics
• Autonomous systems
• IoT hardware
• RF / wireless systems
• Ground control systems
• Embedded hardware products
• Manufacturing-led product development
• Product lifecycle ownership
• Technical team leadership

Key Competencies

• Technical Leadership
• Product Engineering
• Multidisciplinary Team Management
• System-Level Thinking
• Electronics & Mechanical Integration
• Problem Solving & Root-Cause Analysis
• Product Development
• Prototyping & Validation
• Manufacturing Coordination
• Vendor Management
• Engineering Planning
• Mentoring & Team Development
• Strong Communication

What Success Looks Like

The Engineering Lead will be responsible for building a strong engineering execution environment where electronics, mechanical, embedded, and manufacturing teams work together effectively. Success in this role will involve faster and more structured product development, high-quality engineering designs, successful prototype and system integration, effective resolution of engineering issues, smooth transition from prototype to manufacturing, strong technical ownership within the engineering team, and the development and mentoring of junior and senior engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s / Master’s Degree in Electronics, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.