Job Title:  Senior Electrical Design Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Senior Electrical Design Engineer to support the development of current and next-generation cameras, imaging energy filters, specimen preparation equipment, and other electron microscopy (EM) products. Based in Pleasanton, CA, this role will work closely with Software and Hardware teams to develop electrical designs and contribute to complex, high-performance digital systems.

Key Responsibilities:

Hardware Architecture & Design

• Design and develop complex, high-performance digital hardware systems.
• Define system architectures, hardware platforms, and high-speed interfaces.
• Contribute to hardware design, system performance analysis, technology evaluation, integration, and testing.
• Define system requirements and support system-level integration activities.

Digital System Development

• Design and develop high-performance digital boards and support board layout activities.
• Develop systems utilizing technologies such as: LPDDR5, SerDes, Optical transports, PCIe Gen5, JESD204B, Switching power supplies, Communication interfaces and protocols

FPGA/CPLD Development

• Design CPLD and FPGA logic using SystemVerilog.
• Perform synthesis and layout activities for programmable logic devices.

Embedded Systems & Debug

• Work with SoCs and microprocessor peripherals, including: Ethernet, USB, PCIe, UART, I²C, SPI, RS485
• Utilize digital embedded system debug tools, including: ICE, Logic analyzers, JTAG, Oscilloscopes

Collaboration & Productization

• Partner closely with Software, Hardware, NPI, and Manufacturing teams to support product development and productization efforts.
• Apply strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrate the ability and willingness to use AI tools to improve productivity, decision-making, work quality, and cost efficiency, while critically evaluating AI-generated outputs and identifying appropriate use cases.

Requirements:

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering from a four-year college or university.
• 10+ years of hardware development experience.
• Experience in high-performance digital design, board design, and board layout.
• Experience with board design tools such as: Altium, Orcad, Allegro
• Experience designing high-performance systems incorporating modern memory, communications, power, and interface technologies.
• Experience with CPLD/FPGA design using SystemVerilog.
• Ability to architect hardware platforms and high-speed interfaces.
• Experience working with SoCs and embedded peripheral interfaces.
• Strong laboratory troubleshooting and hardware debugging skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of image sensors.
• Experience with analog circuit design and circuit simulation.
• MS degree in Electrical Engineering.

About the Business Unit:

Gatan is an AMETEK business unit and the world’s leading manufacturer of instrumentation and software for electron microscopy. Its technologies help scientists and researchers explore materials and biological structures at the nanoscale, enabling discoveries in semiconductors, advanced materials, life sciences, and energy research.  

Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Pleasanton, California, and with offices and service teams around the world, Gatan combines a long history of innovation with a collaborative, customer-focused culture. Its solutions are trusted by leading research institutions, universities, and technology companies to advance scientific breakthroughs and solve complex global challenges.

For more information, visit www.ametek.com/ and www.gatan.com/