System Validation Engineer - Hands-on Hardware Ownership

Per International; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Retirement plans

Flexible time off

Job summary

Per International is seeking a hands-on System Validation Engineer to lead system-level bring-up, debugging, and validation of advanced electro-optical hardware featuring mixed-signal ASICs, photonic modules, DSPs, and PMICs. The role emphasizes analog/mixed-signal expertise, lab skills, and cross-functional collaboration.

The engineer will own validation plans, troubleshoot at component to system levels, develop Python-based test automation, and collaborate with electronics, firmware,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on PCB bring-up, system validation, signal/power integrity, hardware debugging, or failure analysis.
• Strong understanding of analog and mixed-signal electronics, including bias networks, LDOs, PLLs, ADCs, DACs, and mixed-signal interfaces.
• Proven experience troubleshooting and debugging electronic hardware at PCB and system levels.
• Hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other electronic test equipment.
• Experience with optoelectronic testing or debugging using optical power meters, photodetectors, or related instrumentation.
• Understanding of signal integrity, power integrity, noise analysis, and hardware performance validation.
• Working knowledge of Python for laboratory automation, test development, and data analysis.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, PCB layouts, and component datasheets.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigation skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead PCB and system-level bring-up, from initial power-on through functional validation.
• Debug complex electro-optical systems involving mixed-signal ASICs, photonic modules, DSP chips, and power management ICs.
• Identify and isolate hardware failures, determining root causes at the component or subsystem level.
• Troubleshoot analog circuits and hardware/firmware interactions using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other laboratory instruments.
• Perform signal integrity and power integrity measurements, identifying sources of noise, interference, and crosstalk.
• Conduct failure analysis on prototype and production hardware, recommending corrective actions to improve performance and reliability.
• Validate chip-to-board communication interfaces, including I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO.
• Develop and execute system-level validation plans with clearly defined pass/fail criteria.
• Create Python scripts for test automation, data collection, analysis, and laboratory testing.
• Collaborate with electrical, firmware, photonics, and manufacturing engineering teams to resolve integration challenges.
• Support manufacturing partners with assembly validation, calibration, and production testing.
• Document test procedures, validation results, technical findings, and troubleshooting activities.

Skills

PCB bring-up

System validation

Hardware debugging

Analog/mixed-signal electronics

Python for automation

Signal integrity / power integrity

Schematic reading

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Spectrum analyzers

Digital multimeters

Python

Job description

Per International is seeking a hands-on System Validation Engineer to lead system-level bring-up, debugging, and validation of advanced electro-optical hardware featuring mixed-signal ASICs, photonic modules, DSPs, and PMICs. The role emphasizes analog/mixed-signal expertise, lab skills, and cross-functional collaboration.

The engineer will own validation plans, troubleshoot at component to system levels, develop Python-based test automation, and collaborate with electronics, firmware,