RF Engineer

Access Laser Company•Everett, WA

2d•$115,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Looking for engineering work that goes beyond the ordinary? Join a team whose work enables some of the world's most advanced scientific and industrial applications. We don't just build lasers—our precision laser systems support groundbreaking research, next-generation manufacturing, fusion energy development and advanced medical technologies. If you enjoy solving complex real-world problems, pushing technical boundaries, and want to see your work make a meaningful impact, you'll find exciting opportunities here. This is a hands-on individual contributor role for an electrical engineer with deep RF power experience to design, validate, and release RF, analog, and mixed mode circuits and systems for RF driven molecular CO2 laser products. The primary emphasis is new RF design, proof of concept development, prototype validation, product release, and design rigor for high power RF amplifier and matching network designs operating in real product environments where plasma/load interaction, impedance variation, thermal behavior, EMC, manufacturability, and long-term reliability all interact. The successful candidate will take technical ownership of assigned RF designs from concept through release and design continuity while working closely with optical, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, service, supplier, and customer facing teams.

Requirements

M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, or B.Sc. with more than 7 years of relevant experience. Equivalent depth may be considered for candidates with strong RF design ownership and hands on product development experience.
Demonstrated hands on ownership of RF power design through at least one meaningful lifecycle phase, such as concept development, prototype validation, product release, design continuity, or significant redesign.
Strong understanding and practical application of circuit theory, RF power amplifier design, impedance matching, RF measurements, thermal constraints, layout parasitics, and high-power implementation limits.
Experience with RF power amplifier topologies and practical implementation challenges, including Class E, Class F, inverse Class F, matching networks, device limitations, load sensitivity, and high-power RF measurement.
Ability to independently investigate difficult technical problems, define an engineering approach, execute simulation and bench work, and communicate clear conclusions and recommendations.
Experience with EDA tools for schematic capture and PCB layout, such as Altium.
Experience with RF simulation software, such as ADS or AWR.
Working knowledge of designing and testing for EMC or similar regulatory requirements in high power electronic products.
Proficiency with lab test equipment, including vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, and related RF measurement equipment.
Strong interpersonal skills, with excellent written and verbal communication abilities and disciplined technical documentation.

Nice To Haves

In depth understanding of physical phenomena involved in high power and high frequency circuit design, including nonlinear behavior, thermal behavior, parasitic, and load dependent performance.
Experience with RF driven lasers, CO2 laser systems, plasma loads, or other high power industrial RF applications.
Experience taking an RF design from concept through qualification, release, or product lifecycle support.
Experience debugging high power RF failures in the lab or in released products.
Experience with microwave engineering concepts, including distributed circuits and transmission lines.
Familiarity with synthesizers, PLLs, mixers, switching power supplies, and other adjacent RF/analog building blocks.
Ability to interact with suppliers and external partners to support product quality, component selection, compliance, and project execution.
Experience using Product Lifecycle Management tools, such as Agile.
Commitment to scientific rigor, technical documentation quality, knowledge sharing, and individual skills advancement within the company's technical team.

Responsibilities

Design, simulate, model, and validate RF, analog, and mixed mode circuits and systems, with a focus on high power RF amplifiers from 100 W to multi kilowatt levels in the 10s to 100s MHz range, matching networks, combiners, VSWR/protection circuits, power oscillators, and related CO2 laser subsystems.
Develop and own proof of concept and prototype designs, including requirements definition, circuit analysis and simulation, schematic capture, PCB layout guidance, lab bring up, troubleshooting, optimization, and documentation.
Analyze high power RF behavior in real operating conditions, including nonlinear amplifier behavior, impedance variation, plasma/load interaction, thermal constraints, layout parasitic, EMC behavior, and failure modes.
Translate product and system requirements into well-defined technical specifications, test plans, design review material, verification evidence, and risk mitigation plans.
Conduct RF measurements and validation using vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power meters, oscilloscopes, directional couplers, RF loads, thermal instrumentation, and related RF measurement equipment.
Identify and resolve RF design challenges to improve efficiency, stability, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and long-term product performance.
Collaborate with cross functional teams, including optical, mechanical, manufacturing, quality, service, suppliers, and customers, to support integration and successful product launches.
Contribute to technical documentation, design standards, lessons learned, and knowledge sharing that improve RF design rigor within the team.