Senior Electronics Engineer

About HyLight

Power lines, gas pipelines and railways are still inspected the way they were 50 years ago: by helicopter. Expensive, noisy, and up to a tonne of CO₂ per flight hour.

We built the alternative. The HyLighter is a 12-metre autonomous airship running on hydrogen. It flies for up to 10 hours, almost silently, and spots a 1 mm defect from 25 metres up.

But the airship is only half the story. Every flight brings back massive amounts of LiDAR, imagery and methane data, and that’s where the value is. Our AI turns it into what operators act on: 50+ types of defects detected automatically, and leaks pinpointed across their network.

It’s not a prototype. HyLighters already fly missions for France’s largest energy and rail operators and have flown over the Palace of Versailles. Backed by Y Combinator, we just raised €13M to go from 4 airships to 15.

Working at HyLight

We design, build and fly every HyLighter, and turn its data into insight, all under one roof on a former airbase. Which means:

• You own it all the way. At a big aerospace company, you’d own a small piece of one subsystem. Here, you design it, test it, stand on the airfield when it flies, and see the client act on the data it brings back.

• Weeks, not years. Ideas go from whiteboard to flight test in weeks.

• Responsibility from day one. The founders’ average age is 27. Nobody here waits for permission.

We don’t care about titles or ticking every box. We care about what you build and the perspective you bring, so if your profile is different, apply anyway.

Job Summary:

As an Senior Electronics Engineer, your mission is to design, develop, and integrate the embedded electronic systems that bring the HyLighter to life. You will own the entire hardware lifecycle, from custom PCB design to system integration, ensuring our airships are reliable, lightweight, and capable of operating in complex, real-world conditions.

Personal Note from Josef (CTO)

"This role encompasses every facet of our airship's electronics: from designing custom PCBs that optimize weight and power distribution, to integrating complex avionics, sensors, and hydrogen propulsion systems. You will collaborate daily with our software and mechanical teams as they develop new iterations of the HyLighter. With our airships pushing the boundaries of flight duration and data collection, the hardware challenge is thrilling. You won't just be plugging off-the-shelf components together; you will be architecting the custom nervous system of a revolutionary aerospace vehicle."

The Mission:

Under the guidance of our CTO and in collaboration with the engineering teams, your responsibilities will include:

Mission 1: PCB Design & Hardware Development

• Design custom printed circuit boards (PCBs) from schematic capture to layout and routing. The first goal is to reduce the amount of cables and properly manage the power electronics, while redesigning key components such as the flight controller.

• Select appropriate components considering weight, power consumption, availability, and aerospace constraints.

• Design power management systems (DC/DC converters, battery management, hydrogen fuel cell integration) and signal conditioning circuits.

• Optimize designs for EMI/EMC compliance and thermal management.

Mission 2: System Integration & Avionics

• Integrate flight controllers, communication links (LTE/5G, Satcom), cameras, and high-precision sensors (LiDAR, optical gas imaging) onto the HyLighter.

• Establish and validate communication interfaces between subsystems (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN bus).

• Work closely with the mechanical team to ensure optimal packaging, wire harnessing, and physical integration of electronics.

• Collaborate with the software team to ensure seamless hardware-software interfacing.

Mission 3: Testing, Validation & Manufacturing

• Prototype, solder, and bench-test newly designed electronic boards.

• Ideate and draft test procedures to validate hardware behavior, power stability, and safety hypotheses under flight conditions.

• Debug complex hardware issues at the system and component level.

• Manage the manufacturing process of custom boards (PCBA) with external suppliers and ensure quality control.

Profile Sought:

The following list of skills is exhaustive; while you may not perfectly fit with the profile, we highly value personal growth and development.

Experience:

• At least 4+ years of hands-on experience in electronics engineering and hardware development.

Technical Skills:

• PCB Design: Proven experience in designing, routing, and testing custom PCBs (Altium Designer, KiCad, etc.).

• Electronics Fundamentals: Strong knowledge of analog and digital circuit design, microcontrollers (STM32, etc.), and power electronics.

• Prototyping: Hands-on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers) and soldering/reworking SMD components.

• Protocols: Deep understanding of embedded communication buses (CAN, I2C, SPI, UART).

• Innovation Mindset: Experience working with tech teams in a startup, aerospace, drone, or high-innovation environment is a major plus.

Soft Skills:

• Entrepreneurial profile with strong "self-execution" and adaptation capabilities.

• Rigorous, resilient, and proactive in problem-solving.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where iterations happen quickly.

Nice to have:

• Experience with EMI/EMC testing and aerospace certification standards.

• Basic knowledge of embedded C/C++ to test your own boards.

• Experience with drone hardware (Pixhawk, ArduPilot, PX4).

Languages:

• English (fluent – internal communication and documentation)

• French (professional working proficiency)

What We Offer:

• 100% reimbursement of public transport pass (Navigo) or €800/year for sustainable commuting

• Bike provided for commuting

• Free lunch

• Bi-annual offsite trips with the whole team

• Excellent work environment: international team , team events, beautiful offices on a former airbase

Why You Should Join:

• Founder Mentality: We value extreme ownership and want people who think like founders—fast decision makers, natural problem solvers, and executers.

• Ground Floor Opportunity: You’ll be helping to shape and grow a revolutionary company with the resources to back it.

• Impact & Speed: Work in a fast-paced environment where your contributions will have immediate, tangible effects on the company’s success.

Interview Process:

• Introductory phone call (20 min)

• A 2-4 hour technical case study followed by a debrief with team members

• Reference calls

• On-site meeting with the team and founders (3-5h)

Location:

• Office : Base 217, Brétigny-sur-Orge, accessible via RER C.

• Lab and Warehouse access

• You’ll work side-by-side with experts in embedded, aerospace, and hydrogen propulsion systems—where your impact matters from day one.