Hardware Engineer

$110,000 - $180,000/Yr

Scientific Applications & Research Associates, (Sara) - Colorado Springs, CO

Full-time - Mid Level

Colorado Springs, CO

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Hardware Engineer position at Scientific Applications & Research Associates (SARA), Inc. involves supporting research and development activities in the High Power Electromagnetics Division. The role focuses on the design and delivery of hardware and electronics systems, with opportunities for collaboration in a multidisciplinary environment. The engineer will work on innovative technologies for the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, contributing to projects from conception through operation.

Responsibilities

• Multi-Disciplinary Hardware & Electronics Design, from concept inception to hardware delivery
• System concepts, requirements, and architecture development
• Schematic capture
• Physical PCB layout
• Choreographing manufacturing and assembly
• Testing, characterization, and delivery of PCB systems
• Execution of the design process for R&D purposes, including implementation, maintenance, and improvement of electrical systems
• High-power solid-state switching systems and devices
• Pioneer of high voltage system design and improvements
• Complex power generation
• Gate-drive circuits
• Snubber circuits
• Protection circuits
• Microcontroller based control systems
• FPGA based systems
• Data acquisition systems
• Device physics understanding of components
• Developing and operating SPICE simulations of complex electrical architectures
• Testing of new products, developing systems to gather digital and analog data
• Participate in firmware and hardware testing of high voltage systems
• Develop ongoing quality control testing procedures to be incorporated into the regular design process
• Write detailed technical reports
• Comprehensive design documentation
• Design review documentation (PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Customer facing interactions and presentations
• Complex design specifications and characteristics
• Support highly technical engineering and scientific teams on field test activities when necessary
• Provide technical mentoring to support team development

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
• 10+ years' design experience
• Experience using basic data acquisition equipment including multimeters, oscilloscopes, network analyzers, voltage probes, current probes, and spectrum analyzers
• Experience with data processing software including Excel, MATLAB, and Mathcad
• Experience with analog and digital circuit design and layout
• Experience with software including DipTrace, OrCAD, P-SPICE, and LTSPICE
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills including attention to detail and multitasking skills
• Willingness to occasionally travel to brief customers or participate in development testing
• US Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain DoD Top Secret security clearance

Nice-to-haves

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering
• 12+ years' experience in designing Power Electronics, Pulsed Power, High Power Solid-State Switching, Power Conditioning, DC/DC & AC/DC Power Conversion, High Voltage (1s to 100s of kilovolts), Protection Circuits, High-Speed Communication Circuits, Digital and Analog Controls, Power Magnetics, Gate Drives, I/O Interface Circuits, Control Hardware, Electromagnetics, Microelectronics, Fiber Optics
• Active DoD Top Secret or DoE Q clearance

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; and other supplemental programs
• A generous PTO program (vacation, sick, holiday)
• Tuition & certification reimbursement
• Flexible work schedules
• Discretionary Employee bonuses
• 401(k) match/profit sharing
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)