Electrical Engineer II – Photonics / Instrumentation – Denver
Location: Greater Denver, CO (Boulder/Lafayette Area – Relocation Available)
Compensation: $100–110K Base Salary
Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, 401K
Contact: Andrew Millar; andrew.millar@irisscientific.com; 647-205-7151
Iris Scientific is a specialty recruitment agency laser focused on commercial and technical roles within the North American Scientific Instrumentation industry.
We’re partnering with a global photonics innovator (confidential) to hire an Electrical Engineer II for their Colorado R+D Center.
The Opportunity
This is a hands-on engineering role focused on designing real, manufacturable scientific instruments—not just prototypes.
You’ll work directly with the Engineering team to develop mixed-signal electronic systems used in advanced photonics applications, including laser control, signal detection, and precision measurement.
Unlike purely R&D-focused roles, this position sits at the intersection of:
You’ll be responsible for taking designs from concept through build, test, and release to production, ensuring they can be manufactured, serviced, and scaled in a high-mix, low-volume environment.
You’ll thrive here if you enjoy:
- Designing electronics that actually get built, shipped, and supported in the field
- Thinking beyond the schematic: How will this be assembled? Tested? Repaired?
- Working on complex, real-world systems where analog, digital, and control all intersect
- Getting hands-on with hardware—debugging, testing, and refining designs
- Learning photonics and precision instrumentation in a fast-paced R&D environment
What you’ll do:
- Design and develop mixed-signal electronic systems (analog + digital) for scientific instrumentation
- Contribute to products such as:
- laser feedback and control systems
- lock-in amplifiers (signal extraction from noise)
- precision measurement and modulation systems
- Translate designs into production-ready hardware, including:
- manufacturing instructions
- Ensure designs are serviceable and repairable in real-world use
- Support build, debug, and validation of prototypes and early production units
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (mechanical, software, photonics)
- Participate in customer-facing technical discussions and industry events (e.g., Photonics West)
What you bring:
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering (or similar)
- ~4–6 years of experience in electronic product development
Core experience:
- Hands-on design of mixed-signal circuits (analog + digital)
- Experience taking at least one product through:
- design → build → debug → production handoff
- Strong understanding of design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for test (DFT)
- engineering documentation
- build or manufacturing instructions
Technical skills:
- Familiarity with circuit design and PCB development tools (Altium preferred)
- Experience with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, etc.)
- Exposure to control systems, signal processing, or feedback systems (PID, modulation, etc.)
Nice to have (not required):
- Low-noise or precision analog design (e.g., low-drift, low-current sensing, signal extraction)
- Embedded systems experience (microcontrollers, communication protocols such as I2C, SPI, UART, USB)
- Familiarity with signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) concepts
- Experience supporting NPI or low-volume production environments
- Exposure to automated test systems (Python, LabVIEW, or C/C++)
- Hands-on debugging and rework (e.g., SMT soldering, board-level troubleshooting)
- Exposure to photonics, laser systems, or precision instrumentation
- Limited experience with programmable logic (FPGA/CPLD)
Other Requirements:
- US Citizenship or Green Card required
- Willingness to relocate (relocation support available)