Electronics Design Engineer

The Role

The Electronics Design Engineer will be a member of the hardware team delivering low‑noise, high‑frequency mixed‑signal control and instrumentation for our QKD systems. The role spans end‑to‑end board design in Altium (schematics, layout, DFM/DFT), precision analog signal chains, prototype bring‑up/validation, and, where needed, STM32 (F4/H7) firmware in C for control, calibration, and integration. You will work with existing automated measurement software in Python and extend it where needed, collaborate closely with optics, FPGA, and software, and support manufacturing.

The Responsibilities

The Electronics Design Engineer should expect to work in the following activities.

• Hardware design, prototyping, and validation
  • Owning hardware architecture and component selection for precision, lownoise, and highfrequency performance
  • Designing lownoise analog and mixedsignal schematics and PCB layout in Altium
  • Managing prototype builds and vendors; executing bringup; precision and highfrequency measurements (DC accuracy, noise spectral density, longterm drift, frequency response); lab debug and reworks
  • Working with existing automated measurement software (Python) and extending it where needed
• Firmware development on STM32 and interfacing in Python (secondary scope)
  • Designing and modifying STM32 F4/H7 firmware in C (HAL)
  • Interfacing with Python drivers/scripts for control and data acquisition

• Test automation and CI
  • Building and extending automated board/firmware test setups (Python; instrument control via VISA/SCPI through the existing automated measurement software) to capture logs/metrics
  • Establishing repeatable build/test pipelines for firmware and board validation; archiving artifacts, measurements, and calibration data

• Manufacturing support and releases
  • Producing manufacturing packages; supporting vendors through fabrication and assembly; designing/maintaining simple test fixtures
  • Owning hardware/firmware versioning and release notes; maintaining traceable revisions

• Cross‑team collaboration and documentation
  • Collaborating with optics/FPGA/software on interfaces, calibration, timing/latency budgets, and integration
  • Authoring design docs, analyses and budgets, calibration/bringup procedures, and change logs
  • Maintaining detailed experimental documentation in Confluence

The Requirements

The Electronics Design Engineer is expected to have the following qualifications and experience.

• 5+ years analog/mixedsignal electronics design for R&D/instrumentation; strong Altium for schematics and PCB layout; DFM/DFT

• Deep analog fundamentals: lownoise signal chains (e.g., highfrequency TIAs/preamps, ADC drivers, antialiasing/reconstruction filters), precision references/measurements, grounding/guarding/shielding, lowleakage layout

• Ability to set/close noise and error budgets; tolerance/Monte Carlo and worstcase analysis; SPICEclass simulation (LTspice/PSPICE, etc.)

• Lab expertise: precision/HF measurements (DC accuracy, noise spectral density, longterm drift, frequency response, temperature dependency); oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers; VNA as applicable

• Awareness of EMC/EMI and safety constraints; designforcompliance and precompliance testing

• Python for lab/test automation and instrument control; Git‑centric workflow

• Proficiency in written and spoken English

• Ability to be on‑site in Munich or Potsdam offices to work with hardware, when required

• Applicants must have the right to work in Germany at the time of application. We do not provide visa sponsorship.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain either (a) a U.S. Secret (or higher) security clearance or (b) an EU SECRET (or national equivalent) personnel security clearance. Employment is contingent on meeting applicable government security requirements; eligibility is determined by the competent authorities.

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