Electrical Engineer 2

Illumina; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Illumina in San Francisco is seeking an Electrical Engineer II to drive development, introduction, and lifecycle support for advanced DNA sequencing instruments. This hands-on role spans NPI, manufacturing transfer, sustaining engineering, and product lifecycle management.

The engineer will manage smart PCAs, high-performance compute platforms, and cable/interconnect systems, leading component changes, qualification activities, and issue investigation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 2+ years of relevant engineering experience supporting product development.

Responsibilities

• Support NPI activities from concept through manufacturing transfer, including design reviews and prototype builds.
• Execute sustaining engineering initiatives for released products including obsolescence and supplier transitions.
• Assess technical impact of proposed product changes and contribute to risk assessments and qualification plans.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation including specs, schematics, BOMs, test plans, and change orders.
• Manage assigned projects and communicate status, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Support qualification, integration, and lifecycle management of server-class compute platforms powering sequencing instruments.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues involving POST/boot, memory training, PCIe enumeration, firmware interactions, and logs.
• Design and modify cable assemblies, wiring diagrams, and BOMs, ensuring signal integrity and mechanical robustness.
• Investigate manufacturing defects, supplier issues, RMAs, and field failures using structured root-cause methodologies.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Hands-on lab experience

Collaboration

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients.

Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

The Electrical Engineer 2 plays a key role in the development, introduction, and lifecycle support of complex DNA sequencing instruments. This hands‑on engineering position spans New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing transfer, sustaining engineering, and product lifecycle management.

The role combines broad electrical engineering fundamentals with technical ownership of smart PCAs, high-performance compute (HPC) platforms, and cable/interconnect systems used in advanced genomic instrumentation. The engineer will drive component and supplier changes, execute qualification activities, investigate product and manufacturing issues, and support continuous improvements in product reliability, performance, manufacturability, and supply continuity.

Success in this role requires strong troubleshooting ability, hands‑on laboratory experience, and the ability to collaborate effectively across Product Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Field Service, and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

Product Lifecycle, NPI & Sustaining Engineering:

• Support NPI activities from concept through manufacturing transfer, including design reviews, prototype builds, design verification, pilot production, and release readiness.
• Execute sustaining engineering initiatives for released products, including component obsolescence, supplier transitions, cost reductions, quality improvements, and field issue resolution.
• Assess technical impact of proposed product changes and contribute to risk assessments, FMEAs, qualification plans, and implementation activities.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation including specifications, schematics, BOMs, test plans, engineering change orders, and technical reports.
• Manage assigned projects and deliverables while communicating status, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders.

HPC & Compute Engine Systems

• Support qualification, integration, and lifecycle management of server‑class compute platforms that power sequencing instruments.
• Apply knowledge of x86 server architectures, CPU and memory subsystems, PCIe devices, NVMe storage, networking interfaces, power delivery, thermal management, and platform management technologies.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues involving POST and boot behavior, memory training, PCIe enumeration, firmware interactions, storage compatibility, system logs, and intermittent failures.
• Execute hardware validation plans, analyze results, document findings, and partner with software, firmware, systems, and manufacturing teams to resolve complex issues.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to maintain platform reliability, serviceability, performance, and supply continuity.

Cable Harness & Interconnect Design

• Design and modify cable assemblies supporting power, control, sensor, communication, and high‑speed data interfaces.
• Develop wiring diagrams, pin assignments, connector selections, grounding strategies, shielding requirements, assembly drawings, and BOMs.
• Perform engineering analyses related to current capacity, voltage drop, derating, signal integrity, routing constraints, shielding effectiveness, and mechanical robustness.
• Support verification testing including continuity, insulation resistance, hipot, EMI/EMC, environmental, and system‑level qualification testing.
• Partner with mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure designs meet performance, quality, and manufacturability requirements.

Failure Analysis, Quality & Compliance

• Investigate manufacturing defects, supplier issues, RMAs, and field failures using structured root‑cause methodologies.
• Support development of test methods, diagnostic tools, fixtures, and acceptance criteria.
• Review supplier and contract manufacturer qualification data to ensure engineering decisions are supported by objective evidence.
• Implement engineering changes through PLM, ERP, and configuration management processes while maintaining traceability and design integrity.
• Support compliance with applicable electrical safety, EMI/EMC, ESD, environmental, and product‑quality requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of relevant engineering experience supporting product development