Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer

Xscape Photonics Inc; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Xscape Photonics Inc in the Bay Area is seeking a Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer to own the electrical architecture of our optical transceiver modules, spanning low-noise analog/control loops and high-speed PCB design. You will lead a PCB layout engineer from component placement through manufacturing data, and serve as a deep technical contributor on mixed-signal, power, and high-speed decisions.

You will collaborate with photonics, firmware, test, NPI, and supply chain teams to bring

Qualifications

• Proven experience owning electrical architecture for complex mixed-signal boards.
• Experience with control/validation boards for photonics or transceivers is preferred.
• Strong background in low-noise analog, PDN design, and high-speed interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end electrical architecture for control and validation boards.
• Design detailed schematics and review peers’ work as needed.
• Collaborate with system architects, photonics, and firmware to align electrical design with system goals.
• Guide PCB layout from component placement to manufacturing data release.

Skills

Mixed-signal design

Low-noise analog design

Power electronics

High-speed digital design

System integration

Cross-functional collaboration

SPICE simulation

Firmware familiarity

Vendor engagement

DFX/DFM knowledge

Education

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro

OrCAD

PADS

Arena PLM

Job description

Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer — Circuit Design & Low-Noise/High-Speed PCB

Level: This posting spans Staff and Principal levels. Candidates will be placed based on demonstrated experience and scope of technical ownership (see Experience bands below).

Job Summary

Xscape Photonics is seeking a Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer to own the electrical architecture of our optical transceiver modules, spanning low-noise analog/control-loop design and high-speed digital/PCB design. You will direct a dedicated PCB layout engineer from component placement through manufacturing data, and serve as a deep technical contributor on mixed-signal, power, and high-speed design decisions. You will work cross-functionally with photonics, firmware, test, NPI, and supply chain teams to bring next-generation transceiver hardware from architecture to production.

Job Location: Bay Area (on-site required)

Responsibilities

Circuit Schematic & Electrical Architecture

• Own end-to-end electrical architecture for control and validation boards supporting photonic integrated circuits and transceiver modules.
• Develop detailed circuit schematics, providing input and informal review on the work of other EE team members as needed.
• Collaborate with system architects, photonics engineers, and firmware engineers to align electrical design with overall system goals.
• Utilize industry-standard schematic capture tools (OrCAD, PADS, Altium Designer).

Mixed-Signal & Power Design

• Architect low-noise analog circuits, including noise budgeting and grounding/shielding strategy for sensitive photonic control loops.
• Design and optimize power delivery for high-current, high-thermal-load conditions, including power distribution network (PDN) design and power efficiency optimization.
• Apply extensive experience in power supply topologies (buck, boost, LDO) and EMI filtering.
• Integrate MCU, SoC, ASIC, and FPGA components into board-level designs.
• Use SPICE simulation to validate analog and power circuit performance ahead of layout.

High-Speed Digital Design

• Design high-speed digital circuits and interfaces, applying sound impedance-controlled routing and high-speed serial interface practices.
• Guide PCB layout for signal integrity, power distribution, and thermal management on complex, high-density boards.

Component Selection & Vendor Engagement

• Select and evaluate components for performance, reliability, availability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Develop second-source strategies and manage long-lead/EOL component risk.
• Evaluate cost tradeoffs in component and design choices.
• Work directly with vendors to test and qualify new components using evaluation kits.

PCB Layout Direction

• Work closely with the PCB layout engineer across the full layout cycle — from component placement through manufacturing data release, including DFM.
• Guide the layout engineer to meet electrical, thermal, and mechanical requirements: floor plan, routing optimization, layer usage, cost reduction, and thermal improvement.
• Drive design-for-excellence practices across DFM, DFT (design for test), DFA (design for assembly), and DFR (design for reliability).
• Hands-on PCB layout experience is a plus but not required.

Product Lifecycle & Test Collaboration

• Own electrical design through the full product lifecycle, from proof-of-concept and prototype builds through Design Validation (DV) and Production Validation (PV).
• Work closely with Test Engineers to guide test procedure development across EVT, DV, and PV stages, including test item definition and pass/fail criteria.
• Support NPI and production readiness through DFX, test planning, and procurement coordination.
• Collaborate with testing and validation teams to identify and resolve performance or reliability issues at each stage.

Supply Chain Collaboration

• Partner with the supply chain team on component procurement planning, including second-source and EOL risk mitigation.
• Plan PCB procurement, including fabrication and assembly, in coordination with supply chain and NPI.

Documentation & Design Governance

• Own and approve design review documentation, including schematics, BOM, and assembly drawings.
• Review and gate the PCB layout engineer's deliverables against electrical, thermal, and manufacturing requirements.
• Manage design release and part number generation in Arena PLM.
• Maintain accurate records of design changes, iterations, and testing results.

Cross-Functional Communication

• Communicate clearly with cross-functional stakeholders, including firmware, photonics, mechanical, test, NPI, and supply chain teams, as well as non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Experience requirement (Staff floor to Principal range, based on scope demonstrated):
• BS: 10–15 years
• MS: 8–12 years
• PhD: 5–9 years
• Proven track record owning electrical architecture for complex, mixed-signal boards, ideally including control and validation boards for photonic integrated circuits or transceiver applications.

Technical Skills

• Extensive mixed-signal design experience, including low-noise analog, high-current design, high thermal load management, power efficiency optimization, and power distribution network (PDN) design.
• Strong experience with power supply topologies (buck, boost, LDO) and EMI filtering.
• Experience integrating MCU, SoC, ASIC, and FPGA platforms into board-level designs.
• Proficiency with SPICE simulation for circuit-level validation.
• Strong understanding of high-speed digital design: impedance-controlled routing and high-speed serial interfaces.
• Proficiency in industry-standard schematic and PCB tools (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD, PADS).
• Experience with PLM tools (Arena) for design release and part number management.
• Knowledge of PCB fabrication processes, DFM, DFT, DFA, and DFR practices.
• Firmware experience is a plus.
• Hands-on PCB layout experience is a plus but not required.

Communication & Problem-Solving

• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to convey complex technical tradeoffs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot circuit- and system-level issues.