Impossible Metals Canada is looking for a practical, hands-on Electrical Engineer / Senior Electrical Engineer to help design, develop, integrate, and test the electrical systems that power and control our autonomous underwater robotic systems.
This is a hands-on, execution-focused role where you'll contribute to everything from high-voltage battery and power electronics systems to networking, sensors, and custom circuit board design. You'll solve complex technical challenges and help build technology that supports our mission to collect critical battery metals from the ocean floor in an environmentally responsible way.
We're open to candidates at either the intermediate or senior level, with responsibilities and technical ownership matched to experience. We're looking for someone who is energized by hard technical problems, comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment, and motivated by building real-world systems that operate in challenging conditions.
What you'll own
- Develop, document, and implement electrical system designs for our autonomous underwater vehicles and supporting equipment.
- Design and integrate electrical systems ranging from high-voltage (approximately 400 V) and high-power (100+ kW) systems to low-voltage electronics, networking, sensors, and control systems.
- Participate in overall system architecture and design, ensuring electrical requirements, interfaces, and trade-offs are considered across mechanical, software, and controls disciplines.
- Select, integrate, and validate electrical components and subsystems, including batteries, power electronics, motors, drives, sensors, and communications hardware.
- Develop electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, interface specifications, bills of materials, and supporting technical documentation.
- Design or support the development of custom electronics and printed circuit boards where required.
- Build, test, troubleshoot, and validate electrical systems and subsystems through bench testing, prototype development, and system integration.
- Support vehicle assembly, commissioning, testing, and field deployments, including diagnosing and resolving electrical issues.
- Contribute to electrical engineering standards, design practices, testing processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Work closely with mechanical, software, controls, production, and field operations teams to deliver reliable, maintainable, and effective systems.
- Consider reliability, manufacturability, maintainability, cost, and schedule when making engineering decisions.
For candidates joining at the senior level, responsibilities may also include:
- Leading electrical architecture and design decisions for major systems or complete robotic platforms.
- Providing technical guidance, design reviews, and mentorship to other engineers and technicians.
- Establishing and improving electrical design standards, development processes, and testing methodologies.
- Leading complex electrical integration activities and coordinating technical decisions across engineering disciplines.
What does success look like?
By the end of your first six months, we'll know we made the right hire because:
- Technical ownership: You've taken ownership of defined electrical systems or subsystems, developed a strong understanding of our vehicle architecture, and delivered meaningful design, integration, or testing work with an appropriate level of independence.
- Reliable engineering execution: You've contributed to improving the performance, reliability, safety, or maintainability of our electrical systems through practical design improvements, structured testing, or effective troubleshooting.
- Collaboration and engineering practices: You've become an effective contributor to our multidisciplinary engineering team, producing clear documentation, participating in technical reviews, and helping improve how we design, build, and test our systems.
What we're looking for
- A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Professional experience designing and developing electrical systems for robotics, mobile equipment, vehicles, industrial systems, or similarly complex electromechanical products.
- Strong technical judgment and an understanding of analog, digital, and power electronics.
- Experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting electrical hardware and integrated systems.
- Ability to develop and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, specifications, and technical documentation.
- Understanding of electrical system interfaces and design trade-offs between mechanical, electrical, and software solutions.
- A practical, hands-on approach to engineering, with the ability to work directly with prototypes, hardware, tools, and test equipment.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to diagnose complex technical issues and develop practical solutions.
- Comfort solving ambiguous problems and making informed engineering decisions with incomplete information.
- Clear communication skills and the ability to document designs, decisions, test results, and technical findings.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across mechanical, electrical, software, operations, and leadership teams.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative engineering environment.
- Alignment with Impossible Metals' mission and values.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-moving startup environment.
Nice to have
- Experience with high-voltage electrical systems, high-power electronics, and power distribution.
- Experience designing or integrating lithium-ion battery systems and battery management systems.
- Experience with PCB design, analog and digital circuit development, and electronic hardware prototyping.
- Knowledge of EMC/EMI considerations and electrical noise mitigation.
- Experience with industrial or vehicle networking, including CAN, Ethernet, and serial communications.
- Experience with motor controllers, electric drives, propulsion systems, and power conversion.
- Experience developing mobile robotics systems, particularly autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
- Familiarity with subsea electronics, marine electrical systems, waterproof connectors, and equipment designed for harsh environments.
- Experience with electrical safety, grounding, isolation, and protection systems.
- Experience with iterative prototyping, design reviews, failure analysis, commissioning, or field testing.
- Experience working in a small, high-growth technology company.
- Demonstrated consideration for the commercial implications of engineering and design decisions.
Why join us
You'll have real ownership over the electrical systems that enable our autonomous underwater technology and the opportunity to help build technology that has the potential to change how critical minerals are collected.
You'll work directly with a multidisciplinary team developing, building, and testing complex robotic systems, with the opportunity to see your designs move from concept through prototype development and into real-world ocean operations.
As Impossible Metals Canada scales, this role will have a direct impact on the design, reliability, and performance of our robotic systems, with opportunities for increasing technical responsibility and leadership.
Top perks and benefits
- Stock options in this early-stage company
- Four weeks of vacation
- Flexible hours
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- RRSP matching
