Senior Electrical Engineer - Testing

Vector Atomic, Inc.; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Employer 401(k) contributions

Paid time off

Parental leave

Fully stocked kitchen

Job summary

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, seeks an experienced test engineer to lead hardware test efforts for quantum instruments in Pleasanton, CA. You will collaborate with physicists, electrical, mechanical, software, and optical engineers to verify designs and develop robust test plans.

Responsibilities include creating test procedures, mentoring junior engineers, and performing post‑test data analysis. The role involves onsite work with occasional travel and a strong emphasis on lab‑based

Qualifications

• BSEE/MSEE degree with experience testing precision instruments and/or sensors.
• Ability to write test scripts and code to support test activities.
• Proficient in post‑test data analysis to extract performance metrics.
• Experience devising testing protocols for precision instruments.

Responsibilities

• Be a technical leader for a growing group tasked with testing and debugging complex electronic circuits including FPGAs, MCUs, mixed-signal and photonics devices.
• Collaborate with physicists and engineers to develop test procedures verifying electronic designs for next‑generation quantum instruments.
• Define DFT and DFM improvements in collaboration with engineering and manufacturing.
• Create test plans for performance, environmental, EMI and EMC testing and oversee execution at external facilities when needed.
• Write automated test scripts and configure test systems for data collection and analysis.

Skills

Test scripting

Data analysis

Lab testing

Communication

Mentoring

Education

BSEE/MSEE degree

Tools

Oscilloscopes

VNA

SA (spectrum analyzer)

Power supplies

Function generators

DVM

Job description

About IonQ:

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting‑edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

About Vector Atomic:

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, is building quantum technology to transform navigation, timing, geophysical exploration, and telecommunications. Our team of engineers, scientists, software developers, and operations professionals works together to solve complex challenges and turn bold ideas into real‑world solutions. We value collaboration, curiosity, and diverse perspectives, and we give every team member the opportunity to make an immediate impact while growing their skills. If you're excited to work on breakthrough technology in a fast‑paced, hands‑on environment, we'd love to hear from you.

We are seeking an experienced test engineer to collaborate with our diverse group of physicists, electrical, mechanical, and optical engineers. Vector Atomics has the opportunity to disrupt industries with world‑beating sensor performance. Success requires rapid development of specialized, cutting‑edge electronics. To support the development effort, an equally challenging effort is required to rapidly improve our verification procedures and approaches.

In this critical role, you'll be part of the technical team defining the direction of our hardware test strategy. The right candidate will be comfortable not only executing test procedures, but also creating them. They should be able to work effectively in the lab and assist with debugging challenging board‑level issues with custom electronics. They must lead by example and actively engage early‑career engineers as mentors.
Location: This role is based onsite at our office in Pleasanton, CA.
Travel: Up to 10%, domestic or international.

What You’ll Do

• Be a technical leader for a growing group that is tasked with both testing and debugging complex electronic circuits. The circuits include a mix of technologies, including FPGAs, MCUs, mixed‑signal, precision analog and photonics devices.
• Collaborate with physicists, electrical, mechanical, software, and optical engineers to develop test procedures to verify electronic designs for next‑generation quantum instruments.
• Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing to define DFT and DFM improvements.
• Create test plans for performance, environmental, EMI and EMC testing. Oversee and manage execution of these plans at external facilities, when necessary. This role requires the ability to adapt test protocols on the fly to optimize results.
• Use electronic test and measurement equipment to characterize and verify performance.
• Define equipment for automated data systems for production systems.
• Write test scripts for automated test systems for configuraiton and measurement of results.

Required expertise:

• BSEE/MSEE Degree combined with experience testing precision instruments and/or sensors.
• Must be comfortable working in a laboratory environment.
• Able to write test scripts and code to support test activities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with coworkers and collaborators, both written and verbal. Able to create new test plans and procedures for novel instrumentation.
• Organize and manage test results. Take ownership of data storage and management systems to ensure valuable test data is retained and properly documented
• Experience with devising testing protocols for precision instruments. Including specifying appropriate equipment, writing programs/scripts to automate testing, and finally documenting procedures for the team to use.
• Must be proficient in post‑test data analysis to extract required performance metrics.
• Experience designing test loads, cabling, and custom equipment to support verification work
• Able to read schematics, data sheets, and technical information to define expected measurement ranges.
• Proficiency with laboratory test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, VNA, SA, power supplies, function generators, and DVM.
• To comply with the US export control laws, Vector Atomic employees must be U.S. citizens (born or naturalized), lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e. green card holders), and certain categories of refugees, and asylees.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using PCB Layout tools, particularly Altium
• Able to write test firmware for embedded MCUs to support testing of MCU‑based PCBs.
• Experience with compliance testingfor electronic products
• Experience with environmental testing for space electronics, including radiation effects, is a plus.

Vector Atomic values teamwork, open and honest discourse, and work‑life balance. We offer competitive compensation and benefits including:

• Platinum‑level family health coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employer 401(k) contributions
• 20 days of paid time off / 11 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Fully stocked kitchen

Pay Range

The approximate base salary range for this position is $140,000 - $175,000 per year. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity and benefits. Please note that it is less common for candidates to be hired at the top of this range, as final compensation is determined by factors such as job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Vector Atomic is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other classification protected by law.

Vector Atomic does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third‑party recruiting agencies in response to job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers or HR team.