Electrical Development Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks an Electrical Design Engineer to design, integrate, and test advanced hardware for real-time optical sensing systems. You will work with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver bench- and field-ready electronics, emphasizing timing accuracy and robust interfaces.

The role requires 5+ years of hardware experience, proficiency with PCB design tools, and hands-on lab skills with standard test equipment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in electronic hardware design, development, integration, or testing.
• Experience designing analog, digital, and/mixed-signal electronics.
• Hands-on experience with schematic capture and PCB development.

Responsibilities

• Design analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits for real-time hardware-in-the-loop and optical test systems.
• Develop PCBs from concept through schematic capture, layout, fabrication, assembly, bring-up, and integration.
• Perform PCB design using Altium Designer and KiCad.
• Integrate electronics with sensors, optical systems, FPGA-based hardware, embedded processors, and lab equipment.
• Conduct hands-on testing and troubleshooting with oscilloscopes and lab instruments.
• Develop verification and characterization methods for board- and system-level tests.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Schematic capture

Circuit design

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

KiCad

Oscilloscope

Multimeter

Power supply

Function generator

Logic analyzer

Job description

Description

Are you an electrical engineer who enjoys designing, building, and troubleshooting hardware?

Do you enjoy taking electronic designs from schematic and PCB layout through fabrication, bring-up, integration, and test?

Are you interested in developing hardware systems that integrate electronics, sensors, optical hardware, and embedded processing?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL.

Our team develops advanced optical systemsused to evaluate and demonstrate complex sensing and control technologies. These systems combine custom electronics, optical components, real-time processing, instrumentation, and software to create high-fidelity test environments and advanced prototypes.

We are seeking an experienced electrical engineer to contribute to the design, implementation, integration, and testing of the electronic hardware that enables these capabilities. You will work closely with electrical, optical, mechanical, FPGA, software, and systems engineers to develop laboratory and fieldable systems that require precise timing, reliable interfaces, and high-performance real-time operation.

This position is well suited for an engineer who enjoys working across the full hardware development lifecycle and is equally comfortable designing a printed circuit board, bringing up new hardware at the bench, and troubleshooting an integrated system with an oscilloscope.

As an Electrical Design Engineer...

• Design analog, digital, and mixed-signal electronic circuits for real-time hardware-in-the-loop and optical test systems.
• Develop printed circuit boards from concept through schematic capture, PCB layout, fabrication, assembly, bring-up, and integration.
• Perform PCB design using tools such asAltium Designer and KiCad.
• Design electronics for sensor interfaces, signal conditioning, power distribution, communications, timing, synchronization, and control.
• Select components and develop hardware interfaces between optical systems, sensors, computers, FPGA-based hardware, embedded processors, and laboratory equipment.
• Perform hands‑on electronics testing, debugging, and troubleshooting using equipment such asoscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, function generators, logic analyzers, and other laboratory instrumentation.
• Develop test approaches and execute board-level and system-level verification and characterization.
• Integrate custom electronics into complex real-time hardware-in-the-loop optical systems.
• Diagnose hardware and system‑level issues involving signal integrity, timing, power, communications, and hardware/software interfaces.
• Support system integration, experimental testing, and demonstrations in laboratory environments.
• Develop documentation including schematics, interface definitions, test procedures, test results, and design review materials.
• Participate in peer reviews and collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams throughout the design and integration process.
• Work with FPGA and software engineers to define and implement real‑time hardware interfaces and system architectures.

Qualifications

You meet our qualifications for the job if you...

• A Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience designing, developing, integrating, or testing electronic hardware.
• Experience designinganalog, digital, and/or mixed-signal electronics.
• Hands‑on experience with schematic capture and printed circuit board development.
• Experience with PCB design tools such asAltium Designer, KiCad, or equivalent.
• Strong laboratory skills and experience troubleshooting electronics using oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, function generators, logic analyzers, and similar test equipment.
• Experience bringing up and debugging newly fabricated printed circuit boards.
• A working understanding of common digital and analog interfaces, signal conditioning, power electronics, and electronic component selection.
• Experience integrating electronic hardware into larger systems and troubleshooting interactions between multiple hardware and software components.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• The ability to independently solve technical problems while contributing effectively to a collaborative development environment.
• Are able to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

About Us

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world‑class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore‑Washington metro area.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [e-mail].

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign‑on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short‑term disability, long‑term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Minimum Rate

$100,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$245,000 Annually