Full-Time

Senior Electronics Engineer

Quaise Energy

Quaise Energy

51-200 employees

Deep geothermal energy via millimeter-wave drilling

No salary listed

Houston, TX, USA

In Person

Category
Electrical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Altium
Python
Circuit Design
MATLAB
VHDL
C/C++
FPGA

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Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering (or closely related field)
  • Minimum 8 years of experience in engineering with direct input or technical leadership in electronic design or architecture
  • Strong knowledge of electrical design principles and circuit analysis
  • Experience with downhole electronics, challenges, and troubleshooting
  • Experience with downhole tool design, specifically high temperature
  • Familiarity with silicon on insulator (SOI), silicon carbide (SiC), and other high temperature electronics manufacturing
  • High temperature electronic testing practices at 350C and beyond
  • Experience developing electronics for harsh environments such as high temperature, high shock/vibration
  • Experience with development, programming, and deployment of embedded systems (microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs)
  • Proficiency with electronic schematic capture and PCB layout software (preferably Altium Designer)
  • Proficiency in programming languages (Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, VHDL, C)
  • Experience with operating data acquisition systems in a lab environment
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify issues and develop practical solutions
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
  • Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
  • Ability to interact with customers and co-workers in the field and office
  • Ability to troubleshoot and recover from issues effectively
  • Ability to move between worksites and travel as needed
  • May supervise the work of junior engineers, technicians or contractors to ensure work is completed in accordance with project requirements
Responsibilities
  • Design, simulation, development, implementation, verification and validation of analog, digital, and power electronics-based systems and components used in downhole applications where the systems must withstand harsh environments and exhibit high reliability
  • Apply traditional downhole tool practices for innovative millimeter wave drilled wells and Super-Hot Rock geothermal products. This monitoring may be done while drilling with millimeter wave or after drilling, in the thermal well’s media for support of geothermal plant operations
  • Work with a multidisciplinary team of mechanical engineers, RF scientists, and drilling operators to deliver effective tools for drilling activities
  • Coordinate fabrication, installation and testing activities to ensure products and systems conform to engineering design and specification
  • Provide technical support to field operators, scientists, and engineering as it relates to electrical systems
  • Conduct lab experiments, design test plans and procedures, execute tests, and write detailed reports
  • Lead high temperature electronics tests and experiments, contributing to the development of downhole tool technology
  • Design and develop custom electronic circuits, including analog, digital, mixed signal systems and downhole power generation, with a focus on signal conditioning, filtering, control logic, digital signal processing, and power supplies
  • Utilize software tools to design circuits, create schematics, design PCB layouts, and run simulations
  • Fabricate and test working prototypes by wiring, soldering, and assembling electrical components, and develop packaging for finished designs
  • Performs other related duties as assigned
Desired Qualifications
  • Master’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering is preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree will be considered with suitable experience

Quaise Energy develops deep geothermal energy using a millimeter-wave drilling system to reach temperatures above 400°C at depths up to 20 kilometers. The goal is to retrofit existing coal and gas power plants to tap a stable, weather-independent clean energy source, avoiding hydraulic fracturing. The company leverages gyrotron-based drilling technology adapted from fusion research and has demonstrated field tests to show progress toward scalable deep geothermal deployment.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$238M

Headquarters

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Founded

2018

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Series B initial close raised $134 million for the first commercial plant.
  • Field testing reached 100 meters in Central Texas, reducing technical uncertainty.
  • Retrofitting existing power plants can cut siting and grid-interconnection friction.

What critics are saying

  • Commercial drilling to 20 kilometers remains unproven at industrial scale.
  • First-plant permitting and subsurface surprises can delay Project Obsidian for years.
  • A failed commercial borehole would damage credibility and block future financing.

What makes Quaise Energy unique

  • Gyrotron-powered millimeter-wave drilling replaces conventional downhole drill bits.
  • Hybrid drilling uses rotary tools in basement rock, then millimeter waves deeper.
  • Project Obsidian targets superhot rock near 300-500°C for baseload power.

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Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

1%
SolarVision
Apr 26th, 2026
World first superhot geothermal power plant in Oregon.

World first superhot geothermal power plant in Oregon. * 26/04/2026 Quaise Energy is spearheading a groundbreaking initiative in Oregon known as Project Obsidian, aiming to launch the world's first 50-megawatt superhot geothermal power plant by 2030. Utilizing advanced millimeter-wave drilling technology to reach depths of five kilometers, the facility targets rock temperatures exceeding 300°C. This innovative approach promises a high-density, constant renewable energy source with a significantly smaller land footprint than traditional solar or wind farms. If successful, the project could expand to a gigawatt capacity, marking a major milestone in deep geothermal energy extraction. Houston-based startup Quaise Energy has announced progress on its ambitious Project Obsidian, which aims to harness the intense heat found deep within the Earth's crust. The Oregon-based facility is designed to be the world's first power plant utilizing superhot geothermal energy, with an initial capacity of 50 megawatts. Construction is already underway, and the company expects the site to begin operations as early as 2030, providing a consistent source of carbon-free baseload power. The technology behind the project involves reaching rock temperatures above 300°C, a threshold where geothermal energy becomes significantly more energy-dense than conventional systems. To access these depths, Quaise is developing a specialized drilling method that uses millimeter wave energy to melt and vaporize rock. This technique allows for drilling much deeper than traditional mechanical bits, which typically degrade quickly when exposed to the extreme heat and pressure found several kilometers underground. Project Obsidian is situated at a Tier I site where these extreme temperatures are reachable at a depth of approximately five kilometers. The first phase of the project will utilize two different well systems to test various temperature zones - one reaching 315°C and another targeting 365°C. This strategy is intended to reduce technical risks by allowing engineers to refine their processes in the cooler zone before proceeding to the hotter, more challenging environment. A confirmation well is slated for operation later this year to gather essential data on rock strength and fluid behavior. The project's long-term vision is substantial, with plans to eventually scale the Oregon site to 250 megawatts and potentially reach a total output of one gigawatt. Despite its high power potential, the initial facility will have a remarkably small surface footprint of approximately eight hectares, making it far more land-efficient than comparable solar or wind installations. While the potential is high, Quaise engineers are still working to resolve several technical variables, such as the mineral content of the produced water and the final configuration of the power plant. If the project meets its performance goals, these superhot geothermal wells could rival the energy output of the most productive oil and gas wells while contributing to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. By unlocking deep geothermal resources, the company hopes to move beyond the geographic constraints that currently limit such energy sources to specific volcanic regions.