Electrical Engineer, Reality Labs Hardware

Meta; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonus

Benefits

Job summary

Meta is seeking an Electrical Engineer in Reality Labs Hardware to own the electronics behind research prototypes for wearable displays. You will design the drive electronics for novel illumination sources and modulators, bring up custom boards on the bench, and instrument experiments to deliver trustworthy data.

This hands-on role blends hardware, optics, and firmware in a fast, ambiguous setting. You will collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to move systems from benchtop to wearable

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• 6+ years hands-on experience taking custom hardware from concept through bring-up and characterization.
• Schematic capture and PCB layout fluency with common EDA tools.
• Embedded systems experience: microcontroller selection, peripheral config, and common buses (I2C, SPI, UART, USB).
• Strong lab/bench practice: oscilloscope, DMM, power supply, DAQ, soldering, harness fabrication.

Responsibilities

• Own prototype electronics end to end: requirements, architecture, schematic capture, layout direction, fabrication, bring-up, characterization, and documentation.
• Design PCBs for weight- and power-constrained near-eye form factors with mechanical/optical engineers.
• Design drive electronics for illumination sources, displays, sensors, and modulators with multi-channel current control and synchronization.
• Lead display bring-up, interface definitions, timing generation, and coordination with other system elements.
• Support metrology/experience teams to characterize features of new displays and technologies.
• Bring up new boards on bench, debug cross-domain failures, optimize noise/thermal performance for optical measurements.
• Collaborate with optics, mechanics, and firmware to move systems from benchtop to wearable prototypes.

Skills

Embedded systems

Schematic capture

PCB layout

Lab instrumentation

Technical documentation

Python for instruments

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Tools

Altium

Cadence/OrCAD/Allegro

Mentor/Siemens

Job description

At Meta, we're building the future of human connection and the technology that enables it. This means continuously inventing and developing technologies for the next generation of experiences.Display Systems Research in Reality Labs Research invents the displays and optical architectures that future AR and VR devices will be built on. Our Hardware Research team is the group that turns those ideas into hardware you can actually put on your face: we design, build, instrument, and integrate the research prototypes that prove whether a display architecture works, and We are looking for an Electrical Engineer to own the electronics behind those prototypes. This is a hands‑on research hardware role. You will design the drive electronics for novel illumination sources and modulators that do not have off‑the‑shelf drivers, bring up custom boards on the bench, instrument experiments so researchers get trustworthy data, and carry systems from a benchtop optical setup to a wearable form factor demonstration. The problems are genuinely new — the architecture is often being invented while you build the electronics for it — so we care as much about judgment, debugging instinct, and comfort with ambiguity as we do about any specific tool on your resume.

Electrical Engineer, Reality Labs Hardware Responsibilities:

• Own prototype electronics end to end: requirements, architecture, schematic capture, layout direction, fabrication, bring-up, characterization, and documentation, including the build-versus-buy call on hardware you own
• Design rigid, flex, and rigid-flex PCBs for weight- and power-constrained near-eye form factors, working to outlines, bend zones, and height budgets set with mechanical and opto-mechanical engineers
• Design precision drive electronics for illumination sources, displays, and a variety of sensors and modulators: multi-channel current control, frame-synchronized pulsed waveforms, photodiode feedback, thermal interlocks, and crosstalk and uniformity control
• Own all aspects of new display bring-up, including interface definition and control, timing generation and synchronization, and supporting logic development for coordination with other system elements
• Support feature requests from metrology and experience development teams needed to characterize and demonstrate the features of new displays and other technologies
• Bring up new boards on the bench, debug ambiguous cross-domain failures, and drive efficiency, noise, and thermal performance to what the optical measurement requires
• Collaborate with optics, mechanics, and firmware to carry systems from benchtop to wearable prototypes
• build the instrumentation and documentation others depend on
• and turn researchers' optical requirements into electrical specs, finding creative system level solutions to difficult requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and/or equivalent practical experience
• 6+ years of hands‑on electrical engineering experience taking custom hardware from concept through schematic, layout, fabrication, bring-up, and characterization
• Schematic capture and PCB layout fluency (Altium, Cadence/OrCAD/Allegro, Mentor/Siemens, or equivalent)
• Embedded systems experience: microcontroller selection and bring-up, peripheral configuration, and the common digital buses (I2C, SPI, UART, USB), plus the ability to write and modify the firmware needed to make your own board work
• Strong lab and bench practice: oscilloscope, DMM, power supply, electronic load, LCR, spectrum or network analyzer, DAQ — plus soldering, rework, and harness fabrication on your own hardware
• Experience writing technical documentation and specs that enable other engineers to act independently

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
• Flex and rigid-flex design depth: stackup and material selection, bend-zone rules, copper balancing, strain relief, and working from ME-supplied outlines
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
• Display and modulator drive experience: LCD, LCoS, microLED, OLED, MEMS, DMD, or phase light modulators
• panel interfaces (MIPI DSI/CSI, eDP, DisplayPort, LVDS)
• timing controllers and backlight or illumination synchronization
• MS in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience, or a research or advanced-development background incubating new technology
• EMI/EMC fundamentals, laser safety (ANSI Z136 or equivalent), and electrical safety practice in a research lab
• Python for instrument control, automated measurement, and data analysis
• Photonics, optics, or display literacy — radiometry and photometry, étendue, wall-plug efficiency, color and gamut, or optical metrology — enough to speak the researchers' language
• Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
• Laser or LED driver design: constant-current drivers, modulation and pulsed drive, photodiode feedback and optical power stabilization, eye-safety interlocks, and thermal protection

About Meta:

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E‑Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

$144,000/year to $204,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.