Principal Hardware Engineer, Analog & RFThe RoleWe are hiring a Principal Hardware Engineer to own the board-level control electronics at the core of our chip-scale atomic clock. This is a circuit board design role, not an IC design role: you will take precision analog and RF boards from schematic through layout, bring-up, characterization, and production.
You will be the senior hardware engineer on the clock. You own the analog front end, the microwave synthesis chain, the laser drive and thermal control electronics, and the boards that tie them together. You will work daily with our AMO physics, photonics, firmware, and systems teams, and you will set the standard for how Mesa Quantum designs hardware.
This is a hands-on principal role. You are expected to personally do the bulk of the circuit and PCB design work, not delegate it. We want an engineer who loves designing circuits, takes pride in clean analog topology and a well-routed board, and would rather be at the bench than in front of slides. Reports to the CTO. Full-time, on-site in Boulder, CO.
What You Will Do- Design and lay out multi-layer precision analog and RF circuit boards yourself, from schematic capture and simulation through PCB layout, fabrication, bring-up, and debug
- Own the precision analog front end: photodetector signal conditioning, low-noise transimpedance and instrumentation amplification, and lock-in detection for weak atomic signal recovery
- Design and validate the microwave synthesis chain that drives atomic interrogation, including PLL and VCO design, phase noise optimization, and reference distribution
- Design precision VCSEL current drive and thermal control electronics for the laser and physics package
- Architect successive generations of the control electronics, driving size, power, and noise down at each iteration
- Build characterization protocols, test fixtures, and automation to validate clock performance against Allan deviation, phase noise, and holdover targets
- Partner with firmware engineers on the hardware and software interface, and with physicists on the system noise budget
- Drive Design for Manufacturability and Design for Test with PCB fabricators, assembly houses, and contract manufacturers as we scale toward volume production
- Set hardware design standards, lead design reviews, and mentor engineers
RequirementsWhat You Bring:- 10+ years of board-level analog and RF hardware design, including at least one product taken from prototype through volume production
- A track record of multi-layer boards you personally designed and laid out, mixing sensitive analog, RF, and digital circuits: stack-up definition, controlled impedance, grounding and return-path control, shielding, and thermal management. Be ready to walk us through one in the interview.
- Current, hands-on proficiency in a professional PCB design tool such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD, or KiCad
- Deep expertise in low-noise precision analog: signal conditioning, low-noise amplifiers, ADC and DAC interfacing, and rigorous noise budgeting
- RF circuit design through GHz frequencies, with hands-on experience in low phase noise frequency synthesis, PLLs, and VCOs
- Strong SPICE simulation and circuit analysis skills, including noise, stability, and tolerance analysis
- Hands-on bench proficiency with oscilloscopes, spectrum and phase noise analyzers, network analyzers, source measure units, and signal generators
- Scripting experience for instrument control, characterization, and data analysis
- Version control (Git or similar) for hardware design files
Strongly Preferred
- Chip-scale atomic clocks, rubidium or cesium oscillators, OCXOs, or other precision frequency references
- Optoelectronics: VCSEL or laser diode drive, photodetector readout, laser frequency locking
- Embedded firmware in C/C++ on ARM Cortex-M class microcontrollers
- FPGA development in Verilog or SystemVerilog, including real-time DSP (lock-in detection, PID, digital filtering)
- Hardware design under hard size, weight, and power budgets
- Board-level integration of custom mixed-signal silicon, including block specification or characterization
- Hands-on management of PCB fabricators, assembly houses, and contract manufacturers
- Defense, aerospace, or space-qualified hardware experience
- Familiarity with atomic physics or other quantum sensing modalities
- Experience leading or mentoring a small hardware team
EligibilityDue to U.S. Department of Defense funding requirements, applicants must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents). The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance may be required for certain projects.
Benefits- Base salary of $180,000 to $230,000, based on experience, skills, and demonstrated expertise
- Meaningful equity in a deep-tech company at the inflection point between prototype and product
- Comprehensive benefits package
- Direct ownership of a critical subsystem with measurable impact on a product that matters to U.S. national security
- A team that includes deep AMO physics, RF, photonics, and microfabrication expertise
- Boulder location with access to Colorado's strongest tech and outdoor communitie
