Sensor and Detector Design Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

21h•Onsite

About The Position

Are you passionate about developing next-generation infrared sensors and electro-optical instrumentation for groundbreaking space missions? Do you want to see the technology you design fly on missions that advance our understanding of the solar system? If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL! We are seeking talented engineers with expertise in infrared sensors, detector characterization, and electro-optical instrumentation to contribute to the research, development, integration, and testing of spaceflight instruments. If you are passionate about infrared detector technologies, focal plane arrays, and advancing state-of-the-art instrumentation for spaceflight missions, we would be excited to have you join our team. The Space Science Electronics Group at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory builds instruments and electronics systems that generate data used in scientific research. Our group of approximately 40 engineers brings technical expertise across all aspects of instrument development, including systems engineering, digital and analog electronics design, FPGA design, software design detector and detector electronics. We work closely with engineers and scientists across the Laboratory to develop instruments for spaceflight missions. Examples of our work include the instrument suite on the MESSENGER spacecraft, instruments for Europa Clipper, imagers on DART, and many other missions. We are currently developing instruments for Dragonfly and NOAA SOLAR missions. The instruments we build include magnetometers, optical imagers, particle instruments, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers.

Requirements

A Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or an equivalent technical field, with 2+ years of experience in sensor and detector systems design.
Experience with designing, developing, or characterizing electro-optical, infrared, or other sensor technologies.
Experience with laboratory testing, characterization, and analysis of electronic or electro-optical systems.
Proficiency with computer-aided design and circuit simulation tools.
Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Eligibility to obtain a Secret-level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

A PhD. in Electrical Engineering or equivalent 5+ years of technical experience in sensor and detector systems, analog electronics, and mixed-signal circuit design.
Experience designing space-qualified electronics, including custom detector electronics, part selection, de-rating, and worst-case analysis, radiation considerations, and design margin assessment.
Experience designing, troubleshooting, and operating laboratory test equipment and instrumentation
Experience supporting the development of spaceflight, aerospace, or defense instrumentation.
Leadership and organizational capabilities.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
The ability to work independently and mentor early-career engineers.

Responsibilities

Conduct research, design, and development of electro-optical and infrared sensing technologies for spaceflight instruments.
Design, model, analyze, and optimize detector and sensor systems, including focal plane arrays, readout electronics, and associated instrumentation.
Develop and execute lab experiments to characterize detector performance across various spectral bands.
Perform electrical, optical, spectral, and environmental characterization of detector technologies and evaluate performance against mission requirements.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers throughout all phases of instrument development.
Support proposal development and contribute technical expertise to future spaceflight opportunities.
Preparing for and presenting at design reviews.
Generating test plans and technical documentation.