Electrical Engineer II in Columbia

Job DescriptionJob Description

About the Company:

Based in Maryland, Nextage has provided trusted aerospace engineering services for over ten years. We specialize in avionics and aerospace systems engineering, electrical engineering, software design, and automated test system development. Our team of dedicated engineers proudly supports global missions, bringing integrity and technical excellence to every project.

Key Elements:

In the role, the Electrical Engineer II will complete Digital Design work through Schematic Development and PCB Layout, focus on Electrical testing of assembled boards, and perform minor software development to execute on Raspberry Pi and custom PC Boards. This role is critical for the physical realization and hardware stability of the PolarFire SoC-based systems.

The ideal candidate will live in Maryland and be able to commute regularly to the Columbia, MD, office. This is a contract role.

Key Skills and Abilities:

In this role, the Electrical Engineer II will:

• Schematic & PCB Design: Develop multi-layer boards featuring high-speed digital interfaces (DDR4, PCIe, GigE) and complex SoC pin-out mapping
• Power Integrity (PI) & Analog Design: Design and simulate DC-DC conversion stages and power-up sequencing specific to FPGA/SoC requirements
• Hardware Bring-up & Validation: Lead the initial "smoke test" and functional validation of new boards using oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and logic analyzers
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Interface with vendors to ensure PCB layouts are optimized for yield and reliability
• Cross-Functional Debugging: Work with firmware/RTL teams to troubleshoot hardware-level bugs in the digital logic or peripheral interfaces

Key Qualifications:

• Proven ability to design point-of-load (POL) power supplies and manage thermal constraints
• Proficiency in Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or KiCad for schematic capture and multi-layer layout
• Hands-on experience with high-bandwidth laboratory equipment for signal debugging.
  • Use of electrical test equipment (Oscilloscope, DMM, Power supplies)

Minimal Requirements:

• Located in Maryland and able to commute to the Columbia, MD office when needed.
• Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) or Computer Engineering.
• Experience: 5+ years in hardware design with a focus on embedded systems, schematic development, PCB layout, and active components, FPGAs, Raspberry Pi, and basic software programming
• Direct experience with the Microchip PolarFire SoC family
• Familiarity with RISC-V architecture and hardware-level debugging
• Experience with EMI/EMC compliance testing and mitigation techniques
• Basic ability to read/understand Verilog or VHDL for hardware-to-logic troubleshooting

Nextage is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.