R&D Hardware Engineer

Overview

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~15,000 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award-winningculture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

This position is in Santa Rosa, in the heart of California’s beautiful wine country, is the corporate headquarters of Keysight , home to a diverse group of R&D labs.  The Digital and Photonics R&D team in Santa Rosa develops and produces the world’s highest performance oscilloscopes.

You will work in close collaboration with a diverse multi-functional team of engineers, scientists, and researchers around the globe to meet the communications electronics measurement challenges of today and tomorrow.  Giving customers insight into developing digital communication and Internet infrastructure signals and devices is our focus.  Keysight is committed to providing innovative measurement solutions that enable our customers and partners to deliver the products and services that make a measurable difference in the lives of people everywhere.

We are seeking an Electrical Engineer to design, develop, integrate, and validate high-performance electronic hardware for advanced instrumentation and measurement systems. The role focuses on high-speed board-level digital and mixed-signal design, with signal content and interfaces extending toward approximately 10 GHz, requiring careful attention to signal integrity, power integrity, timing, PCB materials, and stack-up, interconnects, grounding, and board-level parasitics. We are looking for an engineer who brings strong fundamentals and hands-on problem-solving skills while also being motivated to learn from, contribute to, and collaborate with experienced technical specialists.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high-speed PC board-level digital and mixed-signal electronic hardware, including designs operating at multi-GHz frequencies and approaching 10 GHz where applicable.
• Own hardware development from architecture and component selection through schematic capture, PCB/PCA implementation, board bring-up, characterization, validation, and troubleshooting.
• Develop hardware designing from basic RLC circuits to high-speed op-amp, filters, low-noise oscillators, microcontrollers, FPGAs, ADCs/DACs, memory, and power supply conditioning.
• Design and evaluate precision clock and timing architectures, including oscillators, PLLs, clock generators, clock buffers, synchronization, clock distribution, and jitter-sensitive circuitry.
• Apply high-speed signal-integrity principles and noise control
• Develop robust power architectures incorporating DC/DC converters, LDOs, sequencing, decoupling, grounding, and low-noise power distribution for sensitive analog, digital, FPGA, and clock circuitry.
• Work closely with PCB and SI engineers on PCB materials, stack-up, impedance targets, placement, high-speed routing, via structures, connectors, grounding, power planes, and return paths.
• Evaluate PCB/PCA behavior at multi-GHz frequencies where interconnects, packages, connectors, launches, vias, and board materials become part of the electrical design rather than ideal connections.
• Participate in pre-layout and post-layout design reviews and, where applicable, use SPICE, IBIS/IBIS-AMI, S-parameters, and SI/PI simulation to predict and correlate board-level performance.
• Perform hands-on board bring-up and troubleshooting using high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, VNAs where applicable, TDR/TDT techniques, logic analyzers, DMMs, and power supplies.
• Diagnose complex problems involving signal integrity, timing, jitter, clocks, power integrity, interfaces, FPGA behavior, embedded firmware, and PCB implementation.
• Collaborate with software and FPGA engineers on device initialization, register configuration, diagnostics, communication interfaces, and HW/SW integration.
• Participate in multi-functional peer design reviews and use measurement results to improve subsequent hardware revisions.
• Support hardware verification, design documentation, design-for-manufacturability, EMI/EMC activities, and transition to production.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 2 to 5 years of relevant board-level hardware development experience, or equivalent demonstrated hands-on hardware development through substantial internships, university research, or engineering projects.
• Demonstrated experience designing and debugging high-speed PCBs/PCAs, preferably with multi-GHz signals or high-speed serial interfaces.
• Strong digital-electronics fundamentals with practical knowledge of analog and mixed-signal circuitry.
• Hands-on experience with schematic design, PCB/PCA development, board bring-up, measurement, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis.
• Practical understanding of transmission lines, controlled impedance, termination, reflections, crosstalk, return paths, and PCB parasitics.
• Understanding of signal integrity and power integrity and their interaction in high-performance hardware.
• Experience with interfaces high-speed interfaces.
• Familiarity with clock/timing circuitry including oscillators, PLLs, clock generation/distribution, synchronization, and jitter.
• Strong hands-on laboratory troubleshooting skills.
• Working knowledge of software and FPGA firmware sufficient to troubleshoot complex HW/SW interactions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated board-level experience with signal frequencies, edge rates, or serial links requiring design techniques relevant to approximately 10 GHz operation.
• Experience with high-speed ADCs/DACs and FPGA-based acquisition or signal-processing hardware.
• Experience with SERDES and multi-gigabit serial links.  (probably not necessary)
• Familiarity with S-parameters, VNA measurements, TDR/TDT, eye diagrams, jitter analysis, and channel characterization.
• Experience with ADS and System Vue, S-parameter models, or SI/PI simulation tools.
• Experience considering PCB dielectric properties, insertion loss, copper loss, surface roughness, connectors, vias, and interconnect discontinuities in high-frequency designs.
• EMI/EMC design and troubleshooting experience.
• Python, C/C++, MATLAB, or similar languages to be able to write scripts for hardware characterization, diagnostics, data analysis, and test automation.
• Experience developing electronic instrumentation, measurement systems, data-acquisition hardware, or other high-performance electronic products.

Other Information
This position is on-site in Santa Rosa, California
Relocation is available for this position

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position

Santa Rosa, CA Pay Range: MIN $138,960.00 - MAX $231,600.00

Most offers will be between the minimum and the midpoint of the Salary Range listed above.

Note: For other locations, pay ranges will vary by region

Careers Privacy Statement***Keysight is an Equal Opportunity Employer.***

US Employees may be eligible for the following benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision
• Health Savings Account
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life, Accident, Disability insurance
• Business Travel Accident and Business Travel Health
• 401(k) Plan
• Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays
• Paid Family Leave
• Discounts, Perks
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Adoption Assistance
• ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

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