Electrical Engineer - Measurement Electronics & Controls

Electrical Engineer - Measurement Electronics & Controls About Zap Energy

Zap is advancing the next generation of nuclear power technology across fusion, fission and hybrid applications. Built on an integrated platform of high-energy-density physics and pulsed power, liquid metals and advanced materials, and compact, modular systems, Zap is building the foundational technologies needed to deploy the energy sources of the future.

We are seeking an Electrical Engineer with dual competency in analog/mixed-signal electronics and PLC-based industrial control systems. The primary focus of this role is the design, prototyping, and qualification of custom measurement electronics for plasma diagnostics: schematic capture, PCB design, precision analog front-ends, and high-speed digitizer interfaces. As a secondary focus, you will contribute to PLC control system development for plasma devices and facility infrastructure, applying your hardware knowledge to close the loop between what the machine measures and how it is commanded to behave.

This is a hands-on, lab-embedded role. You will work at the bench and at the rack, bridging instrumentation hardware and the control systems that depend on it.

Analog & Mixed-Signal Circuit Design and Schematic Capture [Primary]

• Own the full analog and mixed-signal design flow: requirements capture, schematic entry, BOM generation, design review, layout guidance, and design-for-test.
• Develop schematics in Solid Works Electrical, Altium Designer or any other equivalent EDA tools; maintain a structured component library with accurate symbols and SPICE models.
• Collaborate with PCB layout engineers or perform layout for high-speed, high-sensitivity, or noise-critical boards; apply best practices for ground plane management, shielding, and differential routing.
• Produce thorough design documentation: block diagrams, signal flow descriptions, net lists, and design review packages.
• Design precision analog front-ends for current, voltage, and magnetic field measurement: instrumentation amplifiers, transimpedance amplifiers, differential receivers, and anti-aliasing filters.
• Design and characterize passive and active signal conditioning networks: attenuators, voltage dividers, impedance-matching networks, and isolation amplifiers for high-voltage environments.
• Develop mixed-signal interfaces between sensor front-ends and high-speed ADCs; design clocking, reference, and power supply distribution for low-noise digitizer front-ends.
• Design galvanic isolation circuits for high-common-mode-voltage measurement: optocouplers, digital isolators, and isolated DC/DC converters.

Measurement Systems for Pulsed-Power & Plasma Diagnostics [Primary]

• Design and qualify Rogowski coils, current transformers, and shunt-based current measurement circuits for high-current (kA–MA) pulsed discharges with nanosecond–microsecond rise times.
• Design voltage measurement systems: capacitive and resistive dividers for high-voltage (kV–MV) transient signals.
• Develop magnetic pickup coil circuits (B-dot probes, integrators, flux loops) and characterize their frequency response using VNA and impulse methods.
• Interface measurement electronics to high-speed digitizers (8–14 bit, 10 MS/s–1 GS/s) from D-TACQ, CAEN, Spectrum Instrumentation, and NI; manage signal-path impedance, termination, and cable delay.
• Characterize diagnostic signals in high-EMI pulsed-power environments; design shielding, filtering, and grounding strategies to maximize signal integrity.

Prototyping, Test & Characterization [Primary]

• Build and debug prototype circuits; perform bench-level characterization: frequency response (VNA), noise floor, linearity, and dynamic range.
• Develop and execute board-level test and calibration procedures; document acceptance criteria and calibration chains.
• Use lab instrumentation proficiently: oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, LCR meters, VNAs, function generators, and precision DMMs.

PLC Control System Development [Secondary]

• Develop and maintain PLC programs in IEC 61131-3 (Structured Text, Function Block Diagram) using Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 on EtherCAT-based I/O architectures.
• Implement…