Senior Electrical Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead the design of the electronics inside our machine vision systems. This includes camera and sensor boards, laser and LED illumination drivers, motion and trigger interfaces, and the power and I/O that connect our inspection heads to production lines. You will own designs from concept through schematics, layout, release to purchasing, and production, working closely with optics, firmware, software, purchasing, and manufacturing. Our systems run 24/7 on factory floors, so reliability, signal integrity, and EMC matter as much as performance.

Minimum Experience

7+ years

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (Master's preferred)

Responsibilities

• Translate product and customer needs into electrical requirements, block diagrams, and architecture trade studies
• Design mixed-signal circuits for 2D/3D vision sensors, including image sensor interfaces, high-speed digital (MIPI CSI-2, LVDS, GigE/10GigE, USB3, PCIe), FPGA/SoC carrier boards, laser and LED strobe drivers, low-noise power, and trigger and encoder inputs
• Select components for performance, cost, lifecycle, and supply availability, and identify second sources
• Create complete, review-ready schematics and lay out multilayer, controlled-impedance PCBs yourself
• Perform signal integrity, power integrity, thermal, and worst-case analyses (SPICE, IBIS, SI/PI tools)
• Build, bring up, debug, and validate prototypes using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and spectrum and network analyzers
• Write and run design verification tests, and lead EMC and safety compliance (CE, FCC, UL/IEC 61010, IEC 60825-1)
• Release fabrication and assembly packages and controlled BOMs, and manage revisions through ECOs
• Support purchasing and contract manufacturers with sourcing, DFM/DFT feedback, test fixtures, failure analysis, and obsolescence
• Partner with firmware engineers on FPGA/MCU interfaces, timing, and camera control
• Support customers and field engineers integrating with PLCs, robots, and industrial networks (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, digital I/O)
• Lead design reviews and mentor junior engineers

Required Skills

• At least one product taken from concept through BOM release, purchasing hand-off, and volume production
• Strong mixed-signal design skills: high-speed digital, precision analog, and switch-mode power
• Hands-on schematic capture and PCB layout in Altium Designer, including multilayer, controlled-impedance boards
• Experience with FPGA- or SoC-based hardware (e.g., AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, NVIDIA Jetson)
• Proficiency with lab equipment and systematic hardware debugging
• Working knowledge of EMC design practices and regulatory compliance testing
• Clear written and verbal communication, and comfort presenting design trade-offs

Desired Skills

• Familiarity with COM Express platforms and computer architecture
• Experience in machine vision, 3D sensing (laser triangulation, structured light, time-of-flight), or industrial cameras
• Knowledge of CMOS image sensor characteristics: noise, dynamic range, global vs. rolling shutter
• Laser driver and eye-safety design experience (IEC 60825-1 Class 2/3R)
• Industrial electronics for harsh environments: 24 V I/O, isolation, surge/ESD protection, IP-rated enclosures
• Exposure to automotive, battery, or electronics manufacturing customers
• Scripting for test automation (Python, MATLAB) and basic firmware skills (C/C++)

Location

Ann Arbor, MI