Lead Electrical Engineer

Convergent Research; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the Bay Area is seeking an experienced Electrical Engineer to lead the design of electronic systems for an innovative brain-computer interface. This role involves significant responsibilities in systems integration and cross-functional collaboration, ideal for candidates with a strong background in electronics design and team management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-10 years in electronics system design and testing.
• Experience with product lifecycles in product-centered engineering.
• Preferred experience in ISO 13485 medical devices.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design electronic systems to meet specifications.
• Manage integration and testing across platforms including FPGAs and ASICs.
• Collaborate with teams to refine designs and ensure functionality.

Skills

Design and simulation of electronic systems

Coding in Python

Coding in C

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

Forest Neurotech is seeking an experienced electrical engineer to lead the electronic systems design for the world's first minimally invasive, ultrasound-on-chip implant for brain-computer interfacing.

About Forest Neurotech

Forest Neurotech is developing an ultrasound based BCI to accelerate the study and treatment of the human brain. Ultrasound is capable of measuring and stimulating brain-wide activity in a minimally invasive manner. This opens new avenues for research into personalized therapies across a range of psychiatric and cognitive disorders.

Forest launched out of Caltech with support from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Griffin Catalyst, the philanthropic organization of Citadel CEO Kenneth C. Griffin, the Riley & Susan Bechtel Foundation, and Amaranth Foundation founder James Fickel. Concurrent with its launch in October 2023, Forest partnered with Butterfly Network (NYSE:BFLY), a digital health company developing semiconductor-based ultrasound technology. Visit www.forestneurotech.org to learn more.

Structure

Forest is structured as a Focused Research Organization (FRO). FROs are a new type of startup-nonprofit hybrid organization for pursuing advanced scientific projects not achievable in academia or a VC-backed startup. As an FRO, Forest can execute with the intensity and focus of a founder-led startup, but with the mission and operational flexibility to maximally advance neurotechnology and benefit society.

Sumner Norman, Chief Executive Officer: Former Chief Scientist @ AE Studio & Della Martin Postdoctoral Scholar @ Caltech.

Tyson Aflalo, Chief Scientific Officer: Former Scientific Director, Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center @ Caltech.

Funding

Forest launched in late 2023 with five years of runway. Salaries are competitive with industry.

Job Description

At Forest Neurotech, we're not just creating devices; we're building a deeper understanding and personalized treatment of the human brain. Our mission is to pioneer the next frontier of neurotechnology, and we're looking for passionate and experienced people to be a part of this journey.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Electrical Engineer to join our team, focusing on the design and testing of the electronics systems and infrastructure of the device and equipment used in manufacturing and clinical environments. The successful candidate will have an in-depth understanding of electronic systems development, scripting, firmware, test development/infrastructure and PCB design/layout. This role requires leading internal and external cross-functional efforts as well as managing vendor relationships.

Location

Bay Area, CA. Relocation support available.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and simulate electronic systems to meet product level specifications and requirements.
• Manage integration and testing of multiple digital and hardware systems across the platform, including FPGAs, microcontrollers and ASICs.
• Work alongside internal and external software teams to prototype, implement and test device level software and algorithms.
• Design and layout of PCBAs for product iterations and testing infrastructure.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering and clinical teams to refine designs, ensure seamless system level integration and end-use-case functionality.
• Develop and maintain accurate and efficient design methodologies, processes and testing documentation for related development.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Advanced degree preferred.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in electronics system design, simulation, and testing.
• Delivered 3–5+ full product lifecycles in a product-centered engineering team
• Advanced analog + digital design experience (mixed signal, low-noise circuits, power architecture, thermal solutions).
• Experience interfacing with design vendors and working with PCBA assembly and test houses.
• Strong coding skills in Python and C.
• Familiarity with industry standards and best practices for PCB design and fabrication.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to have

• ISO 13485 medical device experience.
• Background in ultrasound, acoustic stimulation, or neural recording.
• Early-stage startup experience.
• Comfort mentoring or leading small EE teams.