What Does the Principal Electrical Engineer Job in Garland, TX Involve?
Published on: Sep 23, 2026
Frontline Source Group is recruiting a direct hire Principal Electrical Engineer for an established connected hardware technology company in Garland, Texas, in the Dallas area. The role owns PCB schematic design, PCBA layout, cellular connectivity, and PTCRB, FCC, and UL certification, and requires 10 or more years of experience. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty. Frontline Source Group has completed 5,619 plus placements with a 98.94% executive placement retention rate and holds a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 678 plus verified reviews.
Frontline Source Group is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, and an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency. The firm is a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA). Founded in Dallas in 2004, Frontline operates 32 plus offices nationwide, including the Garland office that serves northeast Dallas County technology and manufacturing employers.
What is the Principal Electrical Engineer role in Garland, TX?
This is a direct hire, onsite Principal Electrical Engineer position with an established technology company that designs and manufactures connected hardware used in commercial and industrial environments. The company combines embedded electronics, wireless connectivity, firmware, and cloud connected technology to deliver reliable products deployed across a broad customer base. Because this is a highly confidential search, additional information about the company and its products is shared with qualified candidates during the interview process.
The Principal Electrical Engineer serves as the senior technical authority for electronics architecture across a portfolio of connected hardware products. It is a highly hands on individual contributor position and the most senior electrical engineering role on the hardware team, owning electrical architecture across the product lifecycle: schematic design, PCBA layout, component strategy, mixed signal design, wireless and cellular connectivity, certification, design validation, and production ramp.
What are the responsibilities of this Principal Electrical Engineer position?
The role's responsibilities fall into three areas: electrical architecture and design, wireless connectivity through certification and production, and cross-functional collaboration and mentorship.
How does the Principal Electrical Engineer own architecture and design?
- Own the electrical architecture and technical roadmap across the product portfolio, establishing design standards, component strategies, and engineering best practices.
- Lead schematic capture and PCBA layout, including component selection, stack up, routing, and design decisions focused on reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
- Develop modular hardware architectures that reduce component variation, cost, and design complexity across multiple products.
- Manage component lifecycle considerations, including long lead components, obsolescence, and second source strategies.
- Design mixed signal electronics involving AC power, protection circuitry, output control, sensors, and current monitoring.
How does the role take products through wireless, certification, and production?
- Own wireless connectivity across current and future products, including cellular, sub GHz, LoRa, and other radio technologies.
- Lead module selection and integration, RF design and layout, and applicable FCC, PTCRB, and carrier certification activities.
- Take PCB designs from concept through prototype, board bring up, design validation, EMI and EMC pre compliance, certification, board revisions, and volume production.
- Serve as the final technical reviewer for schematic, layout, DFM, and DFT reviews prior to manufacturing release.
How does the role collaborate with firmware and test engineering?
- Partner with test engineering to develop validation plans, production test fixtures, and board level troubleshooting processes.
- Collaborate closely with firmware engineers on MCU and radio selection, peripherals, embedded interfaces, and hardware and firmware integration.
- Produce and maintain engineering documentation including schematics, BOMs, layout files, design specifications, and test reports.
- Provide technical guidance regarding architecture decisions, build versus buy considerations, product reliability, and emerging technologies.
- Mentor electrical and test engineers through technical reviews, troubleshooting, and design feedback.
What qualifications does the Principal Electrical Engineer role require?
The company is looking for a senior hardware engineer who has taken connected products from concept to volume production. The profile is broken out below.
What are the required skills?
- 10 or more years of electrical engineering experience with significant ownership of PCB schematic design and PCBA layout.
- Demonstrated experience taking electronic products from initial concept through volume production.
- Experience integrating cellular modules and taking products through PTCRB and carrier certification.
- Experience with FCC and UL certification processes, including EMI and EMC pre compliance testing.
- Proficiency with EDA platforms such as Altium, KiCad, Eagle, Fusion Electronics, or comparable tools.
- Strong understanding of DFM, DFT, and design for reliability principles.
- Strong hands on board level debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and related laboratory equipment.
- Experience working directly with contract manufacturers through DFM reviews, board revisions, and production ramp.
- Previous experience mentoring or providing technical leadership to other engineers.
- Strong communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and organizational skills.
- Experience estimating and tracking engineering work within Agile environments.
- Ability to work onsite in the Dallas, Texas area.
What skills are nice to have?
- Experience with BGA assembly and rework is highly valued.
- Experience designing production test fixtures or manufacturing test systems is preferred.
- Embedded firmware experience, particularly C, is highly valued.
- Experience with antenna integration, matching networks, OTA testing, or antenna vendors is preferred.
- Experience reverse engineering legacy or undocumented board designs is beneficial.
- Industrial, IoT, controls, or similar connected hardware product experience is beneficial.
What education is preferred?
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline, or an equivalent combination of formal education and relevant experience.
What are the features and benefits of this Principal Electrical Engineer position?
- Highly influential Principal level engineering position
- Opportunity to own electrical architecture across an established product portfolio
- Hands on role spanning design, validation, certification, and manufacturing
- Direct collaboration with hardware, firmware, test, product, and manufacturing teams
- Opportunity to establish engineering standards and mentor other technical team members
- Competitive compensation
- PTO and holiday pay
- Medical and dental benefits
- 401(k)
- Stable organization developing technology focused products with meaningful real world applications
Compensation details are shared during the screening call.
How do you apply for the Principal Electrical Engineer job in Garland, TX?
You can apply for this Principal Electrical Engineer position through our secure application process at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html. A Frontline Source Group engineering recruiter reviews every application, conducts a confidential screening call covering your PCB design, certification, and production experience, and presents qualified candidates to the hiring company. Review Frontline interview instructions to prepare. This is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All meetings are by scheduled appointment.
Who is Frontline Source Group and why work with our engineering recruiting team?
Frontline Source Group is a nationwide professional staffing and executive search firm founded in Dallas in 2004, now operating 32 plus offices. Its engineering staffing practice recruits electrical, mechanical, industrial, and test engineers for hardware, manufacturing, and technology employers across Texas and nationwide, alongside its technology and IT staffing practice. Engineering and multi-discipline searches are supported by Senior Executive Staffing Specialist Cassidy Jacobs, who brings more than 10 years of talent acquisition and business development experience across engineering, information technology, and operations.
What makes Frontline Source Group different from other Dallas engineering recruiters?
Three things set us apart. First, our 5-Year Placement Warranty on direct hire placements is 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee. Second, our 98.94% executive placement retention rate substantially exceeds the industry average of roughly 70 percent. Third, we operate with transparent, published pricing, which is rare in staffing, so employers know the engagement model up front at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html.
How do technology companies hire electrical engineers through Frontline Source Group?
Employers can submit a hiring request at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html. Our engineering recruiters build a confidential shortlist of hardware, electrical, RF, and test engineers matched to your products, toolchain, and certification needs, and every direct hire is backed by our 5-Year Placement Warranty, detailed at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
Frequently Asked Questions: Principal Electrical Engineer Job in Garland, TX
Where is this Principal Electrical Engineer job located?
This Principal Electrical Engineer job is onsite in the Dallas, Texas area, listed in Garland, TX. Candidates must be able to work onsite, and the exact facility location is shared with qualified candidates during the confidential interview process.
Is the Principal Electrical Engineer position direct hire?
Yes. This is a direct hire, full-time Principal Electrical Engineer position, and as a direct hire placement it is backed by the Frontline Source Group 5-Year Placement Warranty.
What company is hiring the Principal Electrical Engineer?
The hiring company is an established technology company that designs and manufactures connected hardware used in commercial and industrial environments, combining embedded electronics, wireless connectivity, firmware, and cloud connected technology. Because this is a highly confidential search, the company name and products are shared with qualified candidates during the interview process.
Is this a management role or an individual contributor role?
It is a highly hands on individual contributor position and the most senior electrical engineering role on the hardware team. The Principal Electrical Engineer serves as the senior technical authority for electronics architecture and mentors electrical and test engineers through technical reviews and design feedback.
What does the Principal Electrical Engineer own?
The Principal Electrical Engineer owns electrical architecture across the product lifecycle, including schematic design, PCBA layout, component strategy, mixed signal design, wireless and cellular connectivity, certification, design validation, and production ramp, and serves as the final technical reviewer before manufacturing release.
How much experience does the Principal Electrical Engineer role require?
The role requires 10 or more years of electrical engineering experience with significant ownership of PCB schematic design and PCBA layout, plus demonstrated experience taking electronic products from initial concept through volume production.
Is PTCRB or cellular certification experience required?
Yes. Candidates need experience integrating cellular modules and taking products through PTCRB and carrier certification, along with FCC and UL certification experience, including EMI and EMC pre compliance testing.
Which EDA tools does the role use?
Candidates should be proficient with EDA platforms such as Altium, KiCad, Eagle, Fusion Electronics, or comparable tools, and have strong board level debugging skills with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multimeters, and related lab equipment.
What wireless technologies will the Principal Electrical Engineer work with?
The role owns wireless connectivity across current and future products, including cellular, sub GHz, LoRa, and other radio technologies, and leads module selection and integration, RF design and layout, and FCC, PTCRB, and carrier certification activities.
What skills are nice to have for this role?
Nice-to-have experience includes BGA assembly and rework, production test fixture or manufacturing test system design, embedded firmware in C, antenna integration and OTA testing, reverse engineering legacy board designs, and industrial, IoT, or controls hardware products.
How do I apply for the Principal Electrical Engineer job in Garland, TX?
Apply through Frontline Source Group's secure application process at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html. A Frontline engineering recruiter reviews every application and follows up with qualified candidates to schedule a confidential screening call.
How can technology companies hire electrical engineers through Frontline Source Group?
Employers can submit a hiring request at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html, explore engineering staffing at frontlinesourcegroup.com/engineering.html, or review published pricing at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html. Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times longer than the 90-day industry standard guarantee.
