Senior Electrical Systems Architect

Pacific Biosciences of California; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 294,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific Biosciences of California seeks an experienced Electrical Systems Engineer to own the instrument system architecture for next-gen DNA sequencing devices. You will design and validate cables, harnesses, and high-speed boards, coordinating with firmware, software, and mechanical teams to ensure robust, production-ready instruments.

You will lead cross-functional reviews, manage supplier transitions, and drive design-for-manufacture improvements while maintaining regulatory and safety

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline with 7–14+ years (or 5–12+ with a Master's, or 3–11+ with a PhD).
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB design/layout using Altium, Cadence, or similar tools.
• Experience with USB, CAN, EtherCAT interfaces in electronic architectures.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and manufacturing partners on PCB layout, component selection and production release.
• Strong cable and harness architecture, documentation, prototyping, and sourcing skills.
• Laboratory and troubleshooting skills with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, power supplies.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain instrument system-level electronic block diagrams.
• Define, design, prototype, and validate cables and wire harnesses, including connector selection and grounding.
• Work with internal technicians and external suppliers to transition cable designs into production.
• Design, prototype, bring up, debug, and validate complex mixed-signal circuit boards.
• Collaborate across teams to define interfaces and deliver integrated instrument designs.
• Lead system-level troubleshooting and root-cause investigations across hardware, firmware, software, and optics.

Skills

System architecture

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

Cadence

Oscilloscope

Logic analyzers

DMM

Power supplies

Job description

Pacific Biosciences of California seeks an experienced Electrical Systems Engineer to own the instrument system architecture for next-gen DNA sequencing devices. You will design and validate cables, harnesses, and high-speed boards, coordinating with firmware, software, and mechanical teams to ensure robust, production-ready instruments.

You will lead cross-functional reviews, manage supplier transitions, and drive design-for-manufacture improvements while maintaining regulatory and safety