About this Electrical Engineer II - Mixed Signal role at Thorlabs
At Thorlabs, we design and manufacture components, instruments, and systems that transform the world by identifying, enabling, and accelerating key photonics (i.e., light-based) technologies. Backed by a dedicated workforce of more than 3,000 employees worldwide, Thorlabs contributes to cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.
Whether you're early in your career or bringing years of experience, you’ll find opportunities to grow, take ownership, and make meaningful contributions from day one. We know every employee brings unique talents and perspectives that fuel our success, and we seek driven individuals who are excited to make an impact in a fun, fast-moving culture.
Thorlabs Ultrafast Optoelectronics (UFO) located in Ann Arbor, MI is a division of Thorlabs chartered to develop high-speed photonics components and instrumentation. Electrical engineers conceptualize, design, test, and implement circuits within the components and instrumentation developed by the group. This position will also provide technical support, troubleshoot production issues, and provide training to technicians and assemblers.
• Lead electrical design projects while mentoring junior staff.
• Interact with suppliers to identify, specify & procure external components.
• Coordinate procurement and prototyping of bare board and PCB assemblies.
• Assemble & test opto-electronic and electronic components of varying complexity.
• Independently support the transfer of products from development to production.
• Write, review, and approve assembly & test procedures for new products and processes.
• Resolve end of life electronic component issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve electronics related system issues.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of manufacturing and functional test processes for electrical products.
• Lead cross-functional expansions to existing product lines.
• Evaluate electrical non-conformance issues in products to determine the root cause and implement a solution.
• Propose, negotiate, & support product specifications.
• Routinely interface with software and firmware engineers to meet system design goals.
• Verify product specifications via testing and statistical analysis.
• Interact with both technical and non-technical personnel across the Thorlabs organization during product development & maintenance.
Requirements
Experience:
4+ years of experience in electrical design, development, and implementation.
Education:
BS (or higher) in Electrical Engineering or a related science field is required.
Specialized Knowledge and Skills:
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience in the design, simulation, layout, and validation of mixed-signal circuit systems.
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience of analog circuit design and layout (low noise designs, power supply designs, etc.)
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience of digital circuit design and layout (microcontrollers and communication via I2C, SPI, LVDS, etc.).
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience in analog signal processing, timing circuits, and digital logic.
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience using software for electrical design and layout (Altium preferred).
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience of analog circuit simulation tools (e.g. Spice).
- Must have demonstrated in-depth experience of high-speed time domain (oscilloscope) and frequency domain testing (spectrum analyzer, network analyzer).
- Must have basic understanding project management principles.
- Familiarity with FPGAs is a plus.
- Familiarity with microcontrollers and embedded system design is a plus.
- Basic understanding of (or limited experience with) RF and/or microwave simulation is a plus (linear circuit simulation, S-parameter simulation, electromagnetic simulation).
- Familiarity with EMC/EMI requirements is a plus.
- Must be proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
- Must be detail oriented, highly organized, and able to document work.
- Must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Must be comfortable in a fast paced, start-up type environment requiring a self-motivated individual.
The estimated pay range for this role is $84,000 - $ 115,000 annually
Thorlabs values its diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identify or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.
Benefits
Thorlabs offers a complete benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, a generous PTO package, a 401(k) plan, and tuition reimbursement just to name a few.












Contributed Pension Scheme
Group Life Cover
Private Health Care
Child Care Vouchers
Group Income Protection and more.