X-ray Spectroscopy Electrical Engineer Associate

SLAC; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 91,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

PTO days 18+ per year

Tuition and training assistance

403b/401k plan

Flexible work options

Job summary

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, CA is seeking an X-ray Spectroscopy Electrical Engineer Associate to support beamline electrical systems and experimental equipment. You will assist visiting scientists and staff, contributing to daily operations and continuous improvement of beamline instrumentation.

The role requires an Associate degree or equivalent experience, circuit design expertise, and ability to document procedures.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or certificate in electrical engineering or related field.
• Experience with prototype development and testing of equipment or systems.
• Ability to document procedures and maintain research records.
• Work well in a team and unsupervised under procedures.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Solid understanding of basic electrical theory and circuits.
• Experience with test equipment for voltage, current and frequency measurements.
• Familiarity with 3D printing and microcontroller-based projects preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, assemble, fabricate, test, troubleshoot, and maintain electronic and electromechanical systems.
• Fabricate and assemble mechanical systems, enclosures, and fixtures from CAD drawings.
• Design, build, label and install custom cable assemblies.
• Perform electrical/mechanical repairs and preventive maintenance.
• Create schematics and wiring diagrams with ECAD; document safety procedures.
• Collaborate with engineers, physicists, chemists, technicians and other teams.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Prototype development

Documentation

Team collaboration

Analytical thinking

Ohm's law

Education

Associate degree in electrical engineering

Tools

ECAD software

3D CAD (Solid Edge)

Altium

EasyEDA

Raspberry Pi

Microcontrollers AVR ATmega/ATxmega

Galil RIO/CLICK

Markforged 3D printing

Formlabs printers

PCB design

Job description

X-ray Spectroscopy Electrical Engineer Associate

Job Overview

Position overview:

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), is a Department of Energy national scientific user facility. SSRL operates ~30 experimental stations (beam lines) that enable research in areas such as chemistry, catalysis, biology, medical, environmental, and materials sciences. Each beam line is tailored to specific techniques, spanning a specific x-ray energy range, to study materials from atomic to mm size level and over different time scales, necessitating a highly varied approach to instrumentation, sample environment and data acquisition. The beamline facilities are made available to an international scientific user community, with SSRL staff providing scientific and technical support in their use.

SSRL is seeking a Science and Engineering Associate to be part of a dynamic scientific research environment. In this position, you will provide technical support and operational oversight for the X-ray spectroscopy beam lines and associated experimental equipment. You will provide support for visiting scientific users as well as scientific and engineering staff. In this role you will contribute to day-to-day operations and continuous improvement of beamline electrical and electromechanical systems.

Your specific responsibilities include:

• Design, assemble, fabricate, test, troubleshoot, and maintain electronic and electro-mechanical systems.
• Fabricate and assemble mechanical systems, electronic enclosures, and fixtures based on 3D CAD models, technical drawings, or sketches.
• Design, build, label and install custom cable assemblies for specialized applications.
• Conduct electrical and mechanical repairs and implement preventive maintenance on equipment.
• Create and maintain schematics and wiring diagrams using ECAD software. Document operational and safety procedures in compliance with laboratory and industry standards.
• Collaborate with engineers, physicists, chemists, technicians and other teams to design, install, and modify various systems.

To be successful in this position you will bring:

• Associate degree or certificate of completion in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, related fields or three years of equivalent work experience in electronics and instrumentation or combination of education and relevant experience
• Experience with design, and development of prototypes, equipment, and/or systems related to area of specialization.
• Ability to write clear documentation, perform administrative duties, and research protocol maintenance related to research studies and/or scientific/engineering projects.
• Ability to work in a team environment as well as work unsupervised within strict procedural guidelines.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate, liaise, and work with staff, students, faculty, and outside vendors.
• Ability to interpret and determine validity of data and verify own work.
• Solid understanding of Ohms law, simple digital and analog electrical circuits.
• Proficiency in using commercial test equipment for voltage, current, frequency, and other electrical measurements.
• Skilled use of hand tools, including electric drills, hole punches, saws, sanders, and other small power tools.
• Ability to provide guidance and coordinate with other team members effectively.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to discuss technical challenges with senior engineers, operators, technical support personnel, vendors, and other stakeholders in a diverse, multicultural environment.

In addition, preferred requirements include:

• Experience with 3-D printing using Markforged and Formlabs printers.
• Experience with microcontrollers (e.g. Microchip AVR ATmega and ATxmega), single board computers (e.g. Raspberry Pi 4 and 5) and PLCs (e.g. Galil RIO, CLICK).
• Experience with mechanical 3D CAD software (e.g. Solid Edge) and electronics CAD software (e.g. Easy EDA, Altium).
• Experience with multi-layer PCB design.
• Effective Decisions: Uses job knowledge and solid judgment to make quality decisions in a timely manner.
• Self-Development: Pursues a variety of venues and opportunities to continue learning and developing.
• Dependability: Can be counted on to deliver results with a sense of personal responsibility for expected outcomes.
• Initiative: Pursues work and interactions proactively with optimism, positive energy, and motivation to move things forward.
• Adaptability: Flexes as needed when change occurs, maintains an open outlook while adjusting and accommodating changes.
• Communication: Ensures effective information flow to various audiences and creates and delivers clear, appropriate written, spoken, presented messages.
• Relationships: Builds relationships to foster trust, collaboration, and a positive climate to achieve common goals.
• Customer Focus: Builds strong customer relationships and deliver customer centric solutions.
• Tech Savvy: Anticipates and adopts innovations in technology applications.
• Manage Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quality and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm.

Physical requirements and working conditions:

• Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Work standards:

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for environment, safety and security; communicates related concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.Meets the applicable roles and responsibilities as described in the ESH Manual, Chapter 1General Policy and Responsibilities: http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/esh/eshmanual/pdfs/ESHch01.pdf
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide, http://adminguide.stanford.edu
• As a national laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication.The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

• Classification Title: Science and Engineering Associate 1
• Job code: 4991 Grade: I
• Duration: Regular continuing

The expected pay range for this position is $91,339 - $119,362 per annum

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At SLAC/Stanford, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package.

Responsibilities

Minimum Qualifications

• Fixed Term N
• SLAC Business Area Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource Directorate (SSRL)
• Locations Menlo Park, CA, United States
• Job Schedule Full time
• Regular or Temporary Regular
• Job Category Research
• Posting Date 04/07/2026, 12:00 AM
• Grade I
• Job Identification 6707

Benefits that support you, and your future

18+ PTO days per year

Health benefits start when you start

Flexible work options

$6000+ annual tuition and training assistance

403k plan

Mental health and wellness programs

Free and discounted commuter transportation

Applies to regular full-time positions.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classifications and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of their job.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

As a national laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is responsible for Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation), illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates

If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three year residency requirement, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Why work at SLAC

Bold People

To achieve our ambitious goals and keep SLAC a great place to work, the lab needs people with a wide variety of experiences, ideas, skills and backgrounds.

Visionary Science

We explore how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invent powerful tools used by scientists around the globe.

Real Impact

Our research helps solve real-world problems and advances the interests of the nation.