Electrical Hardware Engineer

nEye Systems, Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading optical switch startup is seeking an Electrical Hardware Engineer to develop and validate electronic systems for optical switching platforms. In this role, you will be involved in hands-on hardware development, collaborating on schematic design and PCB layout. The ideal candidate has 5–10 years of experience in electronic hardware, strong lab skills, and proficiency in using tools like Altium Designer. The role offers a competitive salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 based on experience and skills.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of experience designing and debugging electronic hardware.
• Strong PCB design experience using Altium Designer.
• Hands-on experience with board bring-up, debugging, and hardware validation.

Responsibilities

• Perform initial bring-up of new circuit boards and hardware prototypes.
• Debug and troubleshoot electrical issues using lab equipment.
• Develop and execute test plans for prototype hardware.

Skills

Schematic design

PCB layout

Troubleshooting

Debugging

Hardware validation

Lab testing

Education

BS or MS in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

Oscilloscopes

Multimeters

Logic analyzers

Job description

About us

nEye.ai, a well-funded optical switch startup, is poised to revolutionize the future of data centers. nEye’s MEMS‑based silicon photonics optical circuit switches (OCS) eliminate critical bottlenecks in AI processing by enabling direct optical connections among thousands of GPUs and memory units. The company's OCS is an ultra‑low power consumption, high radix, compact chip‑scale design, offering hyperscale data centers enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability.

Job Overview

We are seeking an Electrical Hardware Engineer to join our hardware team and work closely with the Lead Hardware Engineer, Digital & Embedded Systems to develop, bring up, debug, and validate electronic systems that control our optical switching platform.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys hands‑on hardware development and lab work: someone who can move between schematic design, PCB layout, board bring‑up, debugging, and system testing.

You will play a key role in bringing new hardware designs to life, helping integrate electronic systems with MEMS and photonics technology.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware Bring‑Up & Debugging

• Perform initial bring‑up of new circuit boards and hardware prototypes
• Debug and troubleshoot electrical issues using lab equipment
• Diagnose problems related to power systems, digital interfaces, and mixed‑signal circuits
• Work closely with firmware and FPGA engineers to validate hardware functionality

Hardware Testing & Validation

• Develop and execute test plans for prototype hardware
• Build test setups and validation environments for electronic systems
• Characterize hardware performance and identify root causes of failures
• Support system‑level testing and integration

Hardware Design Support

• Assist with schematic capture and PCB design using Altium Designer
• Contribute to the design and implementation of mixed‑signal electronic systems
• Work with the hardware lead to implement subsystem designs and revisions
• Support component selection and board revisions as designs evolve
• Assist in defining electrical hardware standards, processes and libraries for nEye designs

System Integration

• Integrate control electronics with optical switching hardware
• Collaborate with photonics, firmware, and FPGA teams
• Participate in design reviews and hardware validation activities

Required Qualifications & Skills

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering
• 5–10 years of experience designing and debugging electronic hardware
• Strong PCB design experience using Altium Designer
• Hands‑on experience with board bring‑up, debugging, and hardware validation
• Strong lab skills using equipment such as: oscilloscopes, multimeters, electronic loads, logic analyzers
• Strong soldering skills, including ability to work with small components (down to 0402 size)
• Experience with digital and mixed‑signal circuit design
• Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis skills

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with FPGA‑based systems (including knowledge of Verilog/VHDL)
• Embedded firmware experience (C/C++)
• Familiarity with high‑speed interfaces (PCIe, DDR, Ethernet, LVDS, etc.)
• Experience building prototype hardware systems
• Experience working in early‑stage hardware development environments

$150,000 - $200,000 a year

Starting salary and title will depend on, and be commensurate with, relevant experience, skills, training, education, market demands, and the ultimate job duties and requirements.

nEye is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.