Design engineer Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Help grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, and this position is not eligible for sponsorship
Company: Alicat Scientific, Inc.
Role: Senior Electrical Design Engineer
Reports To: Manager of Engineering
Location: Tucson, Arizona 85743
Full-Time and In-Office position (Tucson-85743)
Salary starting at: 150K

About Us

At Alicat, engineers design hardware that is built, tested, and manufactured under the same roof, giving you direct ownership and immediate impact on real products.

We specialize in high-performance instrumentation for measuring and controlling flow and pressure. Our products support aerospace, bioprocessing, energy, environmental science, and advanced research, where precision and reliability are essential.

Our engineering environment is tightly integrated and highly collaborative. We avoid bureaucracy, make decisions quickly, and value engineers who take ownership and enjoy solving real technical problems.

All our instruments are built in-house at our Tucson, Arizona facility. This vertical integration gives engineers full visibility from concept through production and enables rapid iteration, strong cross-functional collaboration, and consistently high product quality.

Alicat's mission is to accelerate the evolution of science and technology by giving researchers and innovators the tools to explore, build, and solve complex challenges. We are part of Halma plc, a global FTSE 100 group focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future. Through Halma, we benefit from long-term stability and investment while maintaining the agility and culture of a mid-sized engineering team.

If you want to work at the intersection of science, engineering, and real-world impact, and help build instrumentation that enables the next generation of technological breakthroughs, Alicat is an exceptional place to do it. #Alicat
Job Summary

As a Senior Electrical Design Engineer at Alicat Scientific, you will design and develop high-precision electronics that power our flow and pressure control systems. You will contribute to tightly integrated analog, mixed-signal, embedded, and sensor-interface designs that directly influence how scientists and engineers measure, test, and control flow in demanding real-world applications.

You will work at the intersection of physics, materials, and electronics, solving system-level challenges that require stability, accuracy, and responsiveness under dynamic flow and pressure conditions. Your designs will interface with precision sensors and embedded control electronics and will be expected to perform reliably across a wide range of environments.

This is a deeply hands-on role for an engineer who enjoys exploring the science behind hardware, solving complex electrical problems, and seeing their work move quickly into production. Based full-time at our Tucson, Arizona facility, you will have visibility into the product lifecycle and contribute meaningfully from initial architecture through manufacturing release.
Technical Functions

• Design and develop electronics for advanced flow and pressure control instruments.
• Create analog and mixed-signal circuitry, including filters, amplifiers, power supplies, ADCs, DACs, comparators, PLLs, and timing systems.
• Design digital systems using high-speed microcontrollers and interfaces such as PWM, I²C, SPI, TTL, and MIPI.
• Implement valve and motor control circuits.
• Integrate communication interfaces including USB, RS232/RS485, wireless technologies, and industrial protocols such as EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, and Modbus TCP.
• Use ECAD tools for schematic capture, PCB layout oversight, and library management.
• Run simulations and analyses to validate concepts and ensure robust real-world performance.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical issues during bring-up and validation, and lead schematic and layout reviews.
• Collaborate closely with Firmware, Mechanical, Software, and Test Engineering to ensure strong system integration.
• Support validation, compliance testing, and product qualification activities.
• Contribute to scalable hardware architectures that support future product evolution.

Qualifications - Education and Experience

• BS in Electrical Engineering required; MS in Electrical Engineering is a plus.
• 6+ years of experience in electrical design and hardware development for instrumentation, controls, or embedded systems.
• Expert-level knowledge in analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuit design.
• Proficiency with schematic capture, PCB layout, and library management tools.
• Skilled in circuit simulation using LTSpice or similar platforms.
• Strong hands-on experience with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, network analyzers, function generators, etc.).
• Experience designing with Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi interfaces.
• Familiarity with electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and signal integrity considerations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation and cross-functional communication.
• Demonstrated ability to lead design efforts, mentor peers, and manage complex, multi-disciplinary projects.
• Strong analytical mindset, creative problem-solving skills, and close attention to detail.

Not the right fit? Let us know you're interested in a future opportunity by clicking Introduce Yourself in the top-right corner of the page or create an account to set up email alerts as new job postings become available that meet your interest!