Lead Electrical Engineer

INFICON is a leading provider of innovative instrumentation, critical sensor technologies, and Smart Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 software solutions that enhance productivity and quality of tools, processes, and complete factories. These analysis, measurement and control products are essential for gas leak detection in air conditioning/refrigeration and automotive manufacturing. They are vital to equipment manufacturers and end-users in the complex fabrication of semiconductors and thin film coatings for optics, flat panel displays, solar cells and industrial vacuum coating applications. Other users of our vacuum-based processes include the life sciences, research, aerospace, packaging, heat treatment, laser cutting and many other industrial processes. We also leverage our expertise in vacuum technology to provide unique, toxic chemical analysis products for emergency response, security, and environmental health and safety.

We are seeking a versatile Lead Electrical Engineer who thrives at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and AI. This role is designed for a self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset who can balance the high-stakes innovation of New Product Development (NPD) with the critical rigor of sustaining engineering. You will be instrumental in architecting embedded systems that leverage the latest technologies to bring real-time intelligence to our hardware.

You will join INFICON's Electrical Engineering team at our Syracuse, NY location, which designs the precision electronics at the heart of our sensor and instrumentation products. The team works across the full spectrum of electronics: high-precision analog circuits, digital systems, embedded systems, RF electronics, power supplies, PCB layout, component selection, and prototype testing, from breadboard-level MVPs delivered directly into customer hands to series production designs. We measure currents in the nanoampere range and capacitances in the femtofarad range, and we ship these circuits into products used in the fabrication of the most advanced semiconductors, medical devices, automotive, energy and security applications, space exploration, and more.

This is a technical leadership role, not a people management role. You will set the technical direction for your subsystems, and you will help the team evaluate how AI-enabled tools can improve our electronics workflows.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design from initial concept and schematic capture through high-density PCB layout to production launch.

• Provide hands-on technical leadership in high-precision analog design, digital electronics, power management, embedded systems based on MCUs, DSPs, or FPGAs, and EMI/EMC compliance.

• Collaborate with hardware and software teams to integrate DSP solutions into larger system architectures, ensuring seamless interoperability and debugging complex system-level issues.

• Balance NPD (prototyping, validation, and innovation) with sustaining engineering (troubleshooting field issues, managing component obsolescence, and driving cost-reduction initiatives).

• Champion a lean, hypothesis-driven approach: build breadboard MVPs, get them into customers' hands, validate assumptions, and iterate.

• Review designs, test plans, and documentation, and provide technical guidance to other electrical engineers.

• Work within a cross-functional Agile team, participating in sprints and communicating effectively across hardware, software, mechanical, and product functions.

• Stay current with emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, new component technologies, and design methodologies, and help the team evaluate how they could change how we work.

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field

Required Skills & Experience

• 5–10 years of experience in electrical and embedded systems design, with experience taking products from concept through production and maintaining the product lifecycle.

• Expert-level proficiency in EDA tools such as Cadence OrCAD.

• Deep understanding of analog and digital circuit design, power management, and EMI/EMC compliance.

• Design and implementation of systems centered around MCUs, DSPs, or FPGAs.

• Ability to act as a "product owner" for your subsystems, making data-backed decisions under ambiguity.

• Versatility to shift gears between high-level architectural brainstorming and deep-dive troubleshooting of production issues.

• Familiarity with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, or similar) and with tools such as Jira for managing tasks.

• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience with precision analog electronics design.

• Curiosity about what's beyond electronics: You are excited about working with physicists, chemists, materials scientists, software and mechanical engineers to bring a product vision to life.

• Enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and guiding other engineers on technical topics.

A reasonable estimate of the current range is: $120,000-$135,000/annually. The actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law. In addition, INFICON employees are eligible for a profit-sharing bonus with a target of 10% as well as 401K match up to 8% (vesting schedule).

INFICON provides a dynamic work environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees experience ongoing green initiatives, flexible work hours, and a variety of health and wellness programs.

INFICON’s forward-thinking approach offers countless opportunities to design, support, and manufacture a diverse product portfolio that expands globally. Our Lean and Agile work environment offers competitive compensation, relocation assistance, a discretionary bonus, and generous employee benefits; major medical, dental, health, vision, 401K, vacation and sick time, tuition reimbursement, and more!

INFICON is committed to ensuring that our online application process provides an equal opportunity to all job seekers that apply without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, gender, age, protected veteran status, disability status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. A notice describing Federal equal employment opportunity laws is available here to reaffirm this commitment.   Any contact that would like to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact [email protected].

INFICON, Inc. strictly complies with all aspects of the Export Administration Regulations ('EAR'), including those sections dealing with deemed exports to foreign nationals.