Electrical Hardware Engineer Job at Avery Bio in San Diego

Overview

Avery is a trailblazer in developing transformative technologies to solve the world’s most pressing biological and industrial challenges. We are building the world’s first fully automated genetic engineering platform—an end-to-end system that integrates novel semiconductor chip devices to scale the synthesis, assembly and testing of genetic components in both cellular and cell-free environments. Leveraging CMOS technology, these “lab-on-chip” devices bridge the digital and biological realms, enabling unprecedented speed and precision and scale in bioengineering. Our mission is to revolutionize industries—from drug discovery and precision medicine to advanced materials and sustainable agriculture—by unlocking the full potential of programmable biology.

If you’re passionate about creating technologies that change the world, and want to work at the cutting edge of science and engineering, we’d love to hear from you. Help us unlock and accelerate the engineering of life.

Position

Electrical Hardware Engineer

Avery is seeking an experienced electrical hardware engineer to design and bring up system boards that support our proprietary CMOS chip development and system integration. In this role, you will report to the Director of Electrical Engineering, and work in a team that is responsible for the design, tapeout, electrical testing and bring-up, and system integration of our CMOS “lab-on-chip” devices. This role requires working closely with chip designers and system integration engineers to develop board specifications. The work will include board design, board assembly and bring up, and supporting the work of the test and system integration engineers. This role also requires producing materials for design reviews, technical documentation, technical publications, patent filings and internal briefings.

Responsibilities

• Design analog and mixed-signal systems, perform SPICE-based simulations, and implement designs in Altium Designer to deliver robust, cost-effective multilayer PCBs
• Develop analog interfacing circuits for signal generation, acquisition, and conditioning to connect with digital cores (FPGAs, microcontrollers, SoCs)
• Apply strong knowledge of analog building blocks, including TIAs, DACs, ADCs, amplifiers, PLLs/CDRs, voltage regulators (linear and switching), precision references, and feedback theory
• Implement and validate sensor interfaces (e.g., temperature, motion) and control circuitry for electromechanical components such as motors and actuators
• Diagnoses and resolve signal- and power-integrity challenges in complex PCB systems
• Utilize JTAG interfaces for low-level hardware debugging, boundary scan, and board validation
• Develop and implement firmware for microcontrollers, with emphasis on board bring-up and system integration; proficiency in C, GCC, and GDB is required
• Develop BIST algorithms for system validation and low-level PCB interrogation
• Support board bring-up and debugging in close collaboration with firmware and test engineering teams
• Contribute to system integration across multiple subassemblies for modular testing and product builds
• Work with digital interfaces including USB, UART/COM, Ethernet, I²C, and SPI
• Collaborating with suppliers and vendors for PCB fabrication, component sourcing, and assembly services
• Prepare documentation and contribute to design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) reviews

Bonus Skills

• Design and validate electrochemical interfaces for systems performing CV, EIS, and related measurements
• Experience with Cadence Allegro or Siemens PADS for schematic capture and PCB layout
• Strong understanding of microprocessor architectures and memory devices (RAM, ROM), with ability to implement digital interfacing modules on FPGAs/CPLDs
• Hands-on experience with Linux kernel bring-up on embedded platforms (raspberry PI, Beagle bone, NVIDIA Jetson, …)
• Ability to build and deploy Linux distributions for hardware prototypes (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu, …)
• Experience testing and validating hardware interfaces under Linux (e.g., USB, UART, Ethernet, SPI, I²C)

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline
• 3–7 years of experience designing and debugging high-performance PCB and mixed-signal systems
• Proven experience with SPICE simulation, schematic capture, PCB layout, signal/power integrity, and thermal management
• Proven record with board bring-up workflows, firmware integration, and validation processes, with a track record of working with industrial interfaces
• Proficient with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, network analyzers, power supplies, source measurement units, etc.)
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced R&D environment

Working Conditions

• Under standard working conditions, this position is based in our San Diego, CA office.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• A candidate must be willing and able to travel to the San Diego, CA office to report to work.
• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds required.

Avery is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.