Principal Electrical Engineer

Position Overview

The Material Metrology Division at Nova is looking for a highly technical Principal Electrical Engineer (Technical Lead) to support our growth in the semiconductor material metrology segment in Fremont, CA. You will have the opportunity to develop electronics, firmware, and controllers for metrology systems, where your embedded system design skills can be fully utilized. You will participate in a team of electrical and firmware engineers and work directly with scientists to deliver innovative electrical/electronic solutions from research pathfinding to product realization.

Pay Range: $140,000- $190,000 Annually (DOE)

Nova (NASDAQ: NVMI) is a global leader in innovative metrology solutions for semiconductor manufacturing. With a team of approximately 1200 professionals across three R&D centers and 27 field offices, we harness expertise in physics, optics, chemistry, and algorithms to develop breakthrough measurement systems. Join us if you are a dreamer and a high achiever who sees the impossible as the starting point and loves working in a multidisciplinary global team.

If you need assistance due to a disability, please contact us at talent@novami.com.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect the electrical systems for next-generation semiconductor metrology platforms, focusing on high-voltage power systems and complex cabling, and integrating analog, mixed-signal, and digital circuit design.
• Lead and oversee the complete PCBA development lifecycle, from requirements specification and architecture to design, simulation, prototyping, validation, and release to manufacturing.
• Define and enforce design standards, power budgets, and validation protocols, ensuring robust documentation and traceability.
• Serve as a technical authority, mentoring engineers and guiding cross-functional teams through complex design challenges.
• Collaborate with senior technical leads, scientists, and stakeholders to align product development with strategic goals and ensure timely, high-quality delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 10+ years of industry experience in electrical hardware design and development.
• Strong proficiency with electronic components including diodes, BJTs, FETs, op-amps, instrumentation amplifiers, ADCs, DACs, microcontrollers, FPGAs, and more.
• Expertise in board-level (PCBA) analog and mixed-signal circuit design and analysis, including schematic capture, layout, design best practices, DFM, and DFT.
• Proven skills in developing and executing electrical design verification and characterization tests, and a deep understanding of hardware design and manufacturing test parameters.
• Experience in creating test plans for functional, verification, and validation testing, including writing and executing test scripts (preferably in Python or C#).
• Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting abilities from component-level to system-level, including root cause analysis and DFMEA.
• Proficient in PCB CAD tools, preferably Altium Designer.
• Experience with lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, waveform generators, and other diagnostic tools.
• Familiarity with high-voltage circuit and PCBA design (e.g., 5kV, 20kV).
• Knowledge of the full product development lifecycle, including requirements definition, design reviews, and document release through the ECO process.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and driven to learn and achieve goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong commitment to effective teamwork.

Benefits & Perks

• Certified Great Place to Work: Recognized in 2022, 2023, and 2024 based on employee feedback, and consistently ranked among the Top 30 companies in our industry for workplace excellence.
• Customer-Focused Environment: Work closely with customers to understand their needs and deliver high-impact solutions.
• Culture of Continuous Learning: Collaborate with top engineers, work with cutting-edge metrology tools, and participate in ongoing industry training programs.