Senior Principal Electrical Engineer

Coherent Corp.•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Coherent is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials and networking components. We are a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Coherent provides a comprehensive career development platform within an environment that challenges employees to perform at their best, while rewarding excellence and hard-work through a competitive compensation program. It's an exciting opportunity to work for a company that offers stability, longevity and growth. Come Join Us! This role involves leading complete RF/microwave and high-speed mixed-signal hardware architecture for next-generation optical transceivers, evaluation boards, reference platforms, and production test hardware. The engineer will design high-speed schematics and PCBAs for advanced interconnects, own board-level tradeoffs, and architect/design high-performance instrumentation. They will also select and qualify components, define PCB stackups and materials, and partner with various engineering teams to deliver complete product and test solutions. Responsibilities include schematic capture, layout strategy, design verification, bring-up, debug, characterization, and production release. The role also involves defining digital control interfaces, developing validation plans, performing hands-on lab measurements, leading design reviews, and mentoring junior engineers. Engagement with suppliers and technical partners, as well as supporting customer discussions and executive reviews, are also key aspects of this position.

Requirements

15+ years of direct experience designing RF/microwave, high-speed mixed-signal, analog, digital, and precision measurement hardware.
15+ years of hands-on schematic, PCB layout guidance, bring-up, debug, and verification experience for complex high-speed PCBAs.
15+ years of experience designing or architecting test equipment, validation hardware, manufacturing test boards, automation fixtures, or instrumentation for high-performance electronics and/or optical communications.
Deep knowledge of high-speed PCB design for very-low-loss channels, including impedance control, crosstalk, skew, return loss, insertion loss, via transitions, connectors, cable launches, package breakout, return current, and reference plane management.
Proven understanding of RF/microwave design practices including controlled impedance transmission lines, RF launches, baluns, couplers, filters, attenuators, terminations, clock distribution, shielding, isolation, and grounding.
Expertise selecting PCB materials and stackups for high-frequency applications, including Rogers, Panasonic and equivalent low-loss laminate families, hybrid stackups, prepreg/core choices, resin systems, glass weave effects, fabrication tolerances, and cost/performance tradeoffs.
Strong command of precision analog design including low-noise sensing, voltage/current/temperature measurement, ADC/DAC interfaces, op amps, references, power monitoring, calibration, offset/gain error, noise, drift, and thermal effects.
Experience with optical module and networking ecosystems including OSFP, QSFP-DD and earlier MSA form factors; familiarity with CPO, XPO, NPO and 3.2T-class architecture challenges is strongly preferred.
Ability to evaluate high-speed ICs, drivers, TIAs, DSPs, retimers, clocking devices, power devices, sensors, controllers, and RF/microwave components across major suppliers.
Ability to create clear engineering documentation including architecture specifications, schematics, layout guidance, design review packages, validation plans, test reports, BOM rationale, risk registers, and manufacturing release documentation.
Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering or related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with CPO, XPO, NPO and 3.2T-class architecture challenges
Experience with simulation and analysis tools such as CST, HFSS, ADS, HyperLynx, Sigrity, Keysight PathWave, MATLAB/Python or equivalent is preferred.
Familiarity with test automation and data analysis using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, C#, C/C++, SCPI, VISA or equivalent environments.

Responsibilities

Lead complete RF/microwave and high-speed mixed-signal hardware architecture for next-generation optical transceivers, evaluation boards, reference platforms, and production test hardware.
Design high-speed schematics and PCBAs for 100G/lane, 200G/lane, 400G/lane and beyond interconnects, supporting 800G, 1.6T, 3.2T and future architectures where applicable.
Own board-level tradeoffs for signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, grounding, return path control, isolation, thermal performance, manufacturability, serviceability, cost, reliability, and schedule.
Architect and design high-performance instrumentation used for validation, characterization, calibration, automation, manufacturing test, and sustaining support of fiber optic transceiver modules.
Select and qualify high-speed, RF, microwave, analog, precision measurement, clocking, DSP, control, sensing, connector, cable, interconnect, and power components.
Define PCB stackups, materials, copper weights, dielectric selection, via structures, backdrill strategy, impedance targets, loss budgets, fabrication rules, assembly constraints, and acceptance criteria.
Partner with SI/PI, packaging, optics, firmware, software, mechanical, thermal, reliability, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations teams to deliver complete product and test solutions.
Lead schematic capture, layout strategy, layout review, RF structure review, BOM review, DFM/DFT review, design verification, bring-up, debug, characterization, and production release.
Define digital control interfaces and hardware/firmware interaction requirements for CPLDs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, DSPs, drivers, TIAs, modulators, lasers, sensors, ADCs, DACs, and power controllers.
Develop validation plans, test methods, calibration approaches, correlation methods, guardband strategies, and production screening methods for high-volume test environments.
Perform hands-on lab measurements and debug using oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, BERTs, pattern generators, optical power meters, optical spectrum analyzers, thermal chambers, power supplies, SMUs, and automated test systems.
Lead design reviews, risk reviews, failure analysis, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and lessons-learned across programs.
Mentor senior and mid-level engineers; establish hardware design best practices, checklists, libraries, reuse blocks, and review criteria.
Engage with suppliers and technical partners on advanced components, connectors, PCB materials, laminates, cable assemblies, sockets, fixtures, and precision measurement technologies.
Support critical customer discussions, roadmap evaluations, architecture tradeoffs, and executive-level technical reviews as required.