Principal Electrical Engineer, Instrument Development

## About the role - Lead instrument development from concept through prototype and deployment, including requirements, architecture, schematic/layout oversight, bring-up, calibration, and characterization. - Architect and design precision, low-noise, and mixed-signal electronics for measurement and control, including signal integrity, grounding/shielding, and power integrity in demanding lab/cryo-adjacent environments. - Define timing/clocking and synchronization approaches across instruments and subsystems; own key electrical interfaces between instruments, cryo hardware, and control/readout stacks. - Drive robust validation of instruments (test plans, automated measurements, calibration workflows, and acceptance criteria), and use data to improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability. - Collaborate with cross-functional teams including quantum research, architecture, experimentalists, cryogenics, firmware/software, and test engineering to translate system needs into measurable electrical specifications and instrument roadmaps. - Define and maintain shared reference and validation platforms (bench/rack/PCB/interconnect) used to de-risk new designs, enable rapid bring-up, and provide repeatable regression coverage for critical slices of the stack. - Lead vendor engagement and manage build/buy decisions for instrument and validation hardware (e.g., chassis/backplanes, connectors/cabling, clocks, power modules, test fixtures), including qualification plans and acceptance criteria. ## Requirements - Doctorate in Electrical Engineering or related field AND 3+ years experience in industry or in a research and development environment - Ability to leverage AI tools to drive innovation and efficiency (e.g., performance modeling and analysis, research gathering, day to day task automation). - Ability to work in an "AI-first" environment using modern AI tools to accelerate discovery through hardware development. - Demonstrated technical leadership in architecting and delivering complex electrical instruments or measurement/control systems (e.g., modular racks/chassis, mixed-signal boards, precision analog front-ends, timing/clocking, or high-speed data acquisition). - Experience defining validation strategies and executing bring-up/debug for electrical instruments and hardware systems, including test planning, measurement automation, and failure analysis. - Proficient fundamentals in at least two of the following: precision analog design, mixed-signal design, signal integrity/power integrity, timing/clocking distribution, RF/microwave, or high-speed digital interfaces. - Effective communication skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines (physics, firmware/software, mechanical/thermal, manufacturing, and test). - Experience delivering instruments from prototype to sustained operation, including calibration/characterization, reliability improvements, and documentation suitable for broader team use. - Experience with high-reliability interconnect and packaging constraints (connectors, harnessing, impedance control, grounding/shielding) - Experience with compliance, safety, and practical deployability deployment considerations for instruments (EMC/EMI, grounding, safety interlocks, ESD, and serviceability). - Experience building shared reference/validation testbeds that de-risk new designs and improve development throughput across teams. - Experience delivering complex products in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements, including cross-team alignment and milestone-driven execution. - Experience collaborating with firmware/FPGA and driver/software teams to define interfaces and debug across HW/FW/SW boundaries. - Track record of mentorship and technical leadership, including setting design/validation bars and guiding others through complex bring-up and debug.