Principal Electrical and Firmware Systems Architect (opens in a new tab)

Monarch Quantum; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan with 4% employer matching

20 PTO days

13 company holidays

9/80 work schedule

Job summary

Monarch Quantum in San Diego seeks a Principal Electrical and Firmware Systems Architect to own the electrical and firmware architecture of our laser and photonic systems. You will translate system requirements into testable electrical and firmware specifications for FPGA, DSP, and control loops, partnering with photonics and software teams.

You will shape FPGA partitioning, servo control, power, grounding, and thermal design, while mentoring engineers and driving design-for-manufacturability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience architecting, designing, and testing electronics and firmware for complex electro-optical, laser, or precision measurement systems.

Responsibilities

• Own electrical and firmware architecture for laser and photonics systems.
• Define FPGA architecture and partitioning across FPGA, microcontroller, and host processing.
• Lead system-level troubleshooting across electrical/firmware boundary and drive root-cause analysis.
• Present and defend architecture at SRR/PDR/CDR to leadership and customers.

Skills

Communications topology

Low-noise analog signal processing

FPGA architecture

Real-time DSP

Electronics infrastructure

Frequency-locking

C/C++ firmware

HDL (VHDL/Verilog)

Lab skills

Leadership

Laser/photonic systems

EMC testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Spectrum analyzer

Network analyzer

Job description

Join our fast-paced and passionate Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test team as a Principal Electrical and Firmware Systems Architect. You will own the electrical and firmware architecture of our laser and photonic systems, translating system-level photonic requirements into clear, testable requirements for every electrical and firmware element of the system, from communications and electronics infrastructure to analog signal processing, FPGA, and frequency-locking servo control. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll work on cutting-edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and build the engineering practices that support our mission and growth. Your key responsibilities are as follows:

• Partner with the Photonic Systems Architect to decompose and flow down system requirements into electrical and firmware requirements, specifications, and acceptance criteria.
• Define the system communications topology and architecture, including internal buses, controller hierarchy, external interfaces, timing, and data flow between subsystems and the host software.
• Architect analog signal processing and control chains, including photodetection, signal conditioning, low-noise amplification, and data conversion, and own the associated noise and bandwidth budgets.
• Define FPGA architecture and partitioning between FPGA, microcontroller, and host processing, including real-time control, data acquisition, and digital signal processing functions.
• Architect frequency-locking and servo control systems for laser stabilization, including error-signal generation, loop design, bandwidth and stability analysis, and lock acquisition and recovery.
• Define the electronics infrastructure, including power distribution, grounding, shielding, thermal management, cabling, and board and chassis-level partitioning.
• Define and control electrical and firmware interfaces through interface control documents (ICDs), working directly with the photonics, mechanical, and software teams.
• Develop integration and verification strategies, including test plans, requirements traceability, and system-level characterization on real hardware.
• Lead system-level troubleshooting across the optical/electrical/firmware boundary, and drive root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Present and defend electrical and firmware architecture and maturity at technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR) to leadership and customers.
• Drive design for manufacturability, testability, and reliability to support scalable production.
• Mentor engineers and build a culture of technical rigor, ownership, and cross-functional collaboration.

Please note: This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of experience architecting, designing, and testing electronics and firmware for complex electro-optical, laser, or precision measurement systems.

Skills:

Demonstrated expertise in:

• Communications topology and architecture for multi-board embedded systems
• Low-noise analog signal processing and control electronics.
• FPGA architecture and real-time digital signal processing.
• Electronics infrastructure, including power, grounding, shielding, and thermal design.
• Frequency-locking techniques and servo controller design (e.g., PDH, PID, lock-in detection).
• Proven track record of architecting and delivering high-reliability electronics and firmware from development through production.
• Strong command of systems engineering practices, including requirements flow-down, interface management, and design reviews.
• Proficiency with embedded firmware development (C/C++) and HDL (VHDL or Verilog).
• Hands-on lab skills with oscilloscopes, spectrum and network analyzers, and noise characterization.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with demonstrated ability to drive technical decisions across teams.
• Experience with laser systems, photonics, quantum systems, or precision metrology is a strong plus.
• Experience with EMC, environmental testing, or qualification is a plus

Startup Mindset:

• You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
• You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

The expected annual salary range for this position is $175,000-$225,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
• 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
• 13 paid company holidays
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.