Field-Programmable Gate Arrays Engineer

Mixed-Signal / FPGA Engineer - Hybrid | Phoenix / Arizona - Optical Communications Hardware

How good is your analog design when every dB matters?

I’m partnering with a rapidly moving deep-tech startup building optical communications hardware for applications ranging from ground infrastructure to spacecraft.

They’re looking for a Mixed-Signal Engineer who can own sophisticated electronics from schematic and PCB design through bring-up, characterization and qualification.

If you enjoy working at the boundary between high-speed analog electronics, photonics and FPGA-based digital systems, this is a particularly interesting technical challenge.

Key Responsibilities

• Design high-performance mixed-signal PCBs.
• Develop electronics around high-speed ADCs/DACs and photonic front ends.
• Design TIAs, laser/modulator drivers, precision bias supplies and low-noise control electronics.
• Solve signal-integrity and power-integrity challenges across multi-GHz systems.
• Design low-jitter clocking and high-speed serial interfaces.
• Bring boards up in the lab and personally debug performance issues.
• Characterize noise, linearity and bandwidth.
• Interface converters and peripherals with FPGA platforms.
• Develop or contribute to RTL for control, calibration and data capture.
• Support reliability, radiation, EMC/EMI and environmental qualification activity.

Key Requirements

The strongest candidates will combine excellent analog fundamentals with a genuine build-and-debug mentality.

Relevant experience includes:

• Mixed-signal board design and PCB development.
• High-speed analog and digital electronics.
• ADC/DAC architectures and FPGA interfacing.
• TIAs, PLLs, clocking and low-noise power design.
• Signal integrity / power integrity.
• Strong bench-level debugging and characterization.
• Altium, Cadence Allegro or equivalent.
• FPGA development in VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog is highly desirable.
• Optical transceiver, coherent receiver or photonic detector electronics would be particularly interesting.
• Space electronics/radiation knowledge is advantageous but isn't mandatory.
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined under ITAR.

This is best suited to an engineer who doesn't want to own one tiny block of a huge programme. You'll have broad technical ownership, direct access to the hardware and the opportunity to work on electronics where system performance depends directly on the quality of your design.

📩 Interested?

I look forward to hearing from you!☺