Lead Electrical Engineer

Alicat Scientific; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Alicat Scientific in Tucson, Arizona is seeking a Lead Senior Electrical Design Engineer to design high-precision electronics for flow and pressure control systems. This role demands ownership of design integration, mentoring a small team, and seamless collaboration with firmware, mechanical, and software engineers.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in electrical design, along with strong leadership skills and a passion for solving real-world challenges. This position offers a hands-on approach and opportunities for impactful contributions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in electrical design and hardware development.
• Experience leading and mentoring other engineers.
• Strong hands-on experience with various lab instruments.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and development of high-precision electronics.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams for system integration.
• Mentor and develop a small team of electrical engineers.

Skills

Analog circuit design

Digital circuit design

Mixed-signal circuit design

Circuit simulation

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

MS in Electrical Engineering

Tools

LTSpice

ECAD tools

Lab instrumentation

Job description

At Alicat, engineers design hardware that is built, tested, and manufactured under the same roof, giving you direct ownership and immediate impact on real products.

We specialize in high-performance instrumentation for measuring and controlling flow and pressure. Our products support aerospace, bioprocessing, energy, environmental science, and advanced research, where precision and reliability are essential.

Our engineering environment is tightly integrated and highly collaborative. We avoid bureaucracy, make decisions quickly, and value engineers who take ownership and enjoy solving real technical problems.

All our instruments are built in-house at our Tucson, Arizona facility. This vertical integration gives engineers full visibility from concept through production and enables rapid iteration, strong cross‑functional collaboration, and consistently high product quality.

Alicat’s mission is to accelerate the evolution of science and technology by giving researchers and innovators the tools to explore, build, and solve complex challenges. We are part of Halma plc, a global FTSE 100 group focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future. Through Halma, we benefit from long‑term stability and investment while maintaining the agility and culture of a mid‑sized engineering team.

If you want to work at the intersection of science, engineering, and real‑world impact, and help build instrumentation that enables the next generation of technological breakthroughs, Alicat is an exceptional place to do it.

Job Summary

As a Lead Senior Electrical Design Engineer at Alicat Scientific, you will own the design and development of the high‑precision electronics that power our flow and pressure control systems. You will architect and deliver tightly integrated analog, mixed‑signal, embedded, and sensor‑interface designs that directly influence how scientists and engineers measure, test, and control flow in demanding real‑world applications.

You will work at the point where physics, materials, and electronics interact, solving system‑level challenges that require stability, accuracy, and responsiveness under dynamic flow and pressure conditions. Your designs will interface cleanly with precision sensors and advanced control electronics and will be expected to perform exceptionally across a wide range of environments.

Collaboration is central to this role. You will work closely with firmware, mechanical, software, and test engineers to ensure seamless system integration from concept through production. Your insight will shape architecture decisions, design tradeoffs, and cross‑disciplinary problem solving.

In addition to your technical contributions, you will provide leadership for a small electrical engineering team. You will guide project scoping, lead design reviews, mentor engineers, and support prioritization, documentation, and best practices suited to Alicat’s fast‑iteration engineering environment.

This is a deeply hands‑on role for an engineer who enjoys exploring the science behind hardware, solving complex electrical problems, and seeing their work move quickly into production. Based full‑time at our Tucson, Arizona facility, you will have full visibility into the product lifecycle and own meaningful design outcomes from initial architecture through manufacturing release.

Technical Functions

• Architect and design electronics for advanced flow and pressure control instruments.
• Develop analog and mixed‑signal circuitry, including filters, amplifiers, power supplies, ADCs, DACs, comparators, PLLs, and timing systems.
• Design digital systems using high‑speed microcontrollers and interfaces such as PWM, I²C, SPI, TTL, and MIPI. Implement valve and motor control circuits.
• Integrate communication interfaces including USB, RS232/RS485, wireless technologies, and industrial protocols such as EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, and Modbus TCP.
• Use ECAD tools for schematic capture, PCB layout oversight, library management, run simulations and analyses to validate concepts and ensure robust real‑world performance.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical issues during bring‑up and validation, and lead schematic and layout reviews.
• Collaborate with Test Engineering on validation, compliance, and product qualification.
• Develop modular, scalable hardware architectures that support future product expansion.

Leadership

• Mentor and develop a small team of electrical engineers, providing guidance, feedback, and support to grow technical depth and execution strength.
• Set clear expectations for deliverables, timelines, and technical quality, and ensure strong communication across Electrical, Mechanical, Firmware, Test, and Operations.
• Establish lightweight, effective processes for design reviews, documentation, prototyping, and cross‑functional collaboration suited to Alicat’s fast‑iteration, high‑mix environment.
• Coordinate team tasking and prioritization so engineers stay focused on high‑impact work, and lead regular checkpoints to track progress and remove roadblocks early.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high ownership while ensuring design outputs meet quality, reliability, and manufacturability goals.
• Identify skill gaps and growth opportunities, partnering with engineering leadership to build long‑term team capability.
• Drive best practices in ECAD, design controls, documentation, and prototype workflows, and lead early‑stage electrical planning in collaboration with project managers and cross‑functional leads.

Qualifications – Education and Experience

• BS in Electrical Engineering required; MS in Electrical Engineering is a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in electrical design and hardware development for instrumentation, controls, or embedded systems.
• Proven experience leading or mentoring other engineers while remaining hands‑on in mechanical design and analysis.
• Expert‑level knowledge in analog, digital, and mixed‑signal circuit design.
• Proficiency with schematic capture, PCB layout, and library management tools.
• Skilled in circuit simulation using LTSpice or similar platforms.
• Strong hands‑on experience with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, network analyzers, function generators, etc.).
• Experience designing with Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, and Wi‑Fi interfaces.
• Familiarity with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and signal integrity considerations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation and cross‑functional communication.
• Demonstrated ability to lead design efforts, mentor peers, and manage complex, multi‑disciplinary projects.
• Strong analytical mindset, creative problem‑solving skills, and high attention to detail.