Staff Electrical Engineer - Testing

Vector Atomic • Pleasanton, CA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

IonQ’s Vector Atomic is seeking an experienced test engineer to help develop and execute verification procedures for specialized electronics used in next-generation quantum instruments. The role works with physicists and electrical, mechanical, software, and optical engineers to test and debug complex electronic circuits, including FPGAs, MCUs, mixed-signal and precision analog circuits, and photonics devices. The engineer will help lead the hardware test strategy, define procedures, work hands-on in the laboratory, and mentor early-career engineers. The position is based onsite in Pleasanton, California, with up to 10% domestic or international travel.

The role includes developing test plans and procedures, collaborating on design-for-test and design-for-manufacturing improvements, overseeing environmental and EMI/EMC testing, and using test equipment to characterize and verify performance. It also involves defining equipment and software for automated production data systems, managing and documenting test results, and analyzing data to extract performance metrics. Candidates must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residence, or an eligible refugee or asylee category.

Requirements

• BSEE or MSEE degree combined with leadership experience testing precision instruments and/or sensors.
• Comfort working in a laboratory environment.
• Effective written and verbal communication with coworkers and collaborators.
• Ability to create test plans and procedures for novel instrumentation.
• Experience devising testing protocols for precision instruments, including equipment specification, test automation programming or scripting, and procedure documentation.
• Proficiency in post-test data analysis to extract performance metrics.
• Experience designing test loads, cabling, and custom equipment for verification work.
• Ability to read schematics, data sheets, and technical information to define expected measurement ranges.
• Proficiency with laboratory test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, VNA, SA, power supplies, function generators, and DVM.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident, or fall within certain eligible refugee or asylee categories to comply with U.S. export-control laws.

Nice To Haves

• Experience using PCB layout tools, particularly Altium.
• Ability to write test firmware for embedded MCUs to support testing of MCU-based PCBs.
• Background with AS9100 compliance.
• Experience with environmental testing for space electronics, including radiation effects.

Responsibilities

• Lead a growing team responsible for testing and debugging complex electronic circuits.
• Collaborate with physicists and electrical, mechanical, software, and optical engineers to develop procedures that verify electronic designs for next-generation quantum instruments.
• Work with engineering and manufacturing to define design-for-test (DFT) and design-for-manufacturing (DFM) improvements.
• Create environmental, EMI, and EMC test plans; oversee their execution at external facilities when needed and adjust protocols to optimize results.
• Use electronic test and measurement equipment to characterize and verify performance.
• Define equipment and software for automated data systems used for production systems.
• Develop test protocols for precision instruments, including specifying equipment, writing automation programs or scripts, and documenting procedures for team use.
• Organize and manage test results; take ownership of data storage and management systems so test data is retained and documented.
• Analyze post-test data to extract required performance metrics.
• Design test loads, cabling, and custom equipment to support verification work.
• Read schematics, data sheets, and technical information to establish expected measurement ranges.
• Mentor early-career engineers and lead by example.

Benefits

• Platinum-level family medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
• Employer 401(k) contributions.
• 20 days of paid time off and 11 paid holidays.
• Paid parental leave.
• Fully stocked kitchen.
• Competitive compensation package including base salary, bonus, equity, and benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior