Sr. Electrical Engineer

Novanta Inc.; Town of Bedford (NY); On-site; USD 121,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Financial benefits

Job summary

Novanta is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer in New York to design, simulate, and test mixed‑signal electronics that power precision motion control sensors and encoders. You will create PCBs, troubleshoot subsystems, and validate performance with cross‑functional teams.

You will contribute to system integration, maintain rigorous documentation, and support supplier quality and continuous improvement initiatives in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related advanced field.
• Proficiency in analog and digital electronics design, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Experience with mixed-signal circuit design and PCB development.
• Proficient in Altium PCB design and LTspice or similar tools.
• Strong laboratory skills and ability to set up experiments and validate designs.
• Familiarity with test equipment: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, signal generators.
• Knowledge of EtherCAT, BiSS‑C, SPI and SSI communication protocols.
• Excellent problem-solving and cross‑functional collaboration abilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, and test mixed-signal electronics for motion control sensors and encoders.
• Lead design and development of optical encoder electronics and sensing systems.
• Develop photodiode interface circuits and analog front‑end conditioning.
• Analyze encoder signal quality and optimize for noise, amplitude, and interpolation.
• Collaborate with optical, firmware, mechanical, and manufacturing teams; review PCB layouts.
• Conduct troubleshooting and system testing; deliver detailed analysis reports.
• Support system integration activities and maintain engineering documentation.
• Address supplier quality and contribute to continuous improvement efforts.

Skills

Analog & Digital Electronics

Mixed-Signal Circuit Design

PCB Design (Altium)

LTspice / SPICE

Lab Skills

Diagnostics & Troubleshooting

EtherCAT / BiSS-C / SPI / SSI

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Programming (Python/MATLAB/C++)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium

LTspice

Oscilloscopes

Logic Analyzers

Job description

Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission‑critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing.

Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta.

Summary

• As a Senior Electrical Engineer, you will design, simulate, and test mixed‑signal electronic systems that support advanced motion control sensors and encoders. You will collaborate closely with optical, firmware, mechanical and cross‑functional engineering teams to refine system requirements and ensure optimal product performance. Responsibilities include developing PCBs, conducting detailed troubleshooting, validating electronic subsystems, and performing data‑driven system testing. You will maintain rigorous technical documentation, support system integration activities, manage supplier quality and apply engineering principles to enhance product reliability and functionality

Electronic System Design & Testing.

• Design, simulate, and validate electronics for mixed‑signal systems, motion‑control sensors, and encoder technologies.
• Lead the design and development of optical encoder electronics and sensing systems for precision motion control applications.
• Develop photodiode interface circuits, LED/VCSEL drive electronics, and analog front‑end signal conditioning circuits.
• Analyze and optimize encoder signal quality, including amplitude balance, phase error, harmonics, noise performance, and interpolation accuracy.
• Collaborate with optical, mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing teams to achieve system‑level performance objectives.
• Develop and review PCB layouts to ensure electrical, mechanical, and project alignment.
• Conduct troubleshooting and diagnostic testing to ensure performance and reliability of components and subsystems.
• Participate in system‑level testing and deliver detailed written analysis reports.

System Integration & Collaboration

• Work with technical leads and cross‑functional engineering teams to support system integration and product development activities.
• Document system designs, test results, and engineering processes to maintain robust technical records and promote knowledge sharing.

Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Address Supplier’s DFM questions and ensure best cost efficiency
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, implementing structured problem‑solving methodologies (e.g., 8D, 5 Whys, root cause analysis) when resolving complex electronic issues.
• Assist in designing test plans aligned with engineering quality standards and product risk.
• Support the validation and verification of new designs, including test development and documentation.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience in electrical engineering focused on mixed‑signal circuit design, development, and testing.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related advanced field.
• Proficiency in analog and digital electronics design, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Proficiency in laboratory skills, including setting up and running experiments.
• Proficiency in laboratory equipment like oscilloscopes, USB logic analyzers, signal generators, etc.
• Proficiency in Altium PCB design tools and methodologies.
• Proficiency in LTspice or comparable simulation tools.
• Knowledge of industrial communication protocols such as EtherCAT, BiSS‑C, SPI and SSI
• Excellent problem‑solving skills with a detail‑oriented mindset.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary engineering team

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in optical Encoders, magnetic Encoders, or torque sensors
• Familiarity with analytical tools and programming languages such as MATLAB, Python, or C++ embedded firmware.
• Experience with photodiode sensors, transimpedance amplifiers (TIA), and low‑noise analog signal conditioning circuits.
• Understanding of encoder signal processing, including Sin/Cos interpolation, error compensation, and position feedback systems.

• The salary for this role will range from $121,000 to $180,000 annually based on full‑time employment. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to location, relevant skills, training, experience, education, etc.

• Certain roles may be eligible for performance‑based incentive compensation and/or long‑term incentives. Incentives could be discretionary or non‑discretionary depending on the plan.

• Novanta supports all aspects of your life’s needs. This position provides a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits to make your quality of life better.

Novanta is proud to be an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action workplace. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, military and veteran status, disability, genetics, or any other category protected by federal law or Novanta policy.

Please call [phone] if you need a disability accommodation for any part of the employment process.