Electronics Engineer

• HEW Level 7 ($114,992 – $124,676 per annum), plus 17% superannuation and annual leave loading
• Full-time, fixed-term role
• Macquarie University, Wallumattagal Campus, North Ryde

Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) at Macquarie University is seeking a talented Electronics Engineer to join a world-class, multidisciplinary team designing and delivering the next generation of astronomical instrumentation for observatories around the globe. Our instruments fly on flagship facilities — from 8-metre-class telescopes such as Subaru, Gemini and the VLT to the era of the Extremely Large Telescopes — and the electronics you design will directly enable discoveries that would otherwise be impossible.

This is a hands-on, end-to-end engineering role. You won't be stuck tuning one small block on someone else's board — you will architect complex electronic systems, write the firmware that brings them to life, and see them through to first light on a mountaintop. 

About the Role

Reporting to the Electronics Engineering Manager, you will provide specialised design and engineering expertise across the full instrument lifecycle — from concept and prototyping through construction, integration, test and on-sky commissioning. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with optical, mechanical, software engineers and with the scientists who will ultimately use the instruments, solving genuinely hard problems under exacting performance, schedule and budget constraints.

The work spans some of the most demanding electronics engineering in the research sector: ultra-low-noise scientific detector systems, high-speed real-time control, precision analog and mixed-signal design, and electronics that must operate in or interface with cryogenic and vacuum environments.

Your key activities and responsibilities will include:

• Design complex, high-performance electronics. Architect and develop multi-layer, mixed-signal PCBs and electronic assemblies – combine low-noise precision analog, high-speed digital, power and signal-conditioning stages – for instrument control, detector readout and data acquisition
• Bring scientific detectors to life. Develop & integrate readout and control electronics for state-of-the-art image sensors: CCDs, near-infrared arrays, sCMOS and microbolometers, squeezing the last electron of performance from the detector
• Engineer for cryogenic and vacuum environments. Design systems that operate at and interface reliably with cryogenic & vacuum environments: cryo-compatible signal routing, vacuum feedthroughs, thermal management, and the sensing and control needed to keep detectors and optics at their operating points
• Write firmware and real-time logic. Develop FPGA/SoC firmware for real-time control, high-throughput data acquisition and detector sequencing, and embedded firmware for microcontrollers and PLCs. Where the application demands deterministic, low-latency control, such as adaptive-optics wavefront control loops, you'll be designing at the frontier
• Control the electro-mechanical world. Develop control and interface solutions for servo and stepper motors, piezo actuators, relays, solenoids, resolvers, encoders and a wide range of sensors, integrating them into coherent instrument control systems
• Select, build and prove. Evaluate and select COTS components and assemblies (detector & motion controllers, amplifiers, power supplies, digital interfaces, enclosures and connectors) then design, construct and test the assemblies, cable looms, enclosures and racks that tie a whole instrument together
• Prototype and de-risk. Build proof-of-concept prototypes for design studies and trade-offs, and write the supporting analysis and test software to characterise performance and validate designs
• Integrate, test and commission. Develop and execute test and commissioning plans at sub-system, system and full-instrument levels, working across disciplines — including hands-on integration and on-sky commissioning at observatories
• Communicate and document. Prepare and present technical work at internal and external design reviews, and produce clear operational, maintenance and design documentation
• Support delivery. Assist lead engineers, systems engineers and project managers in meeting project objectives, plans and budgets
• Occasional national and international travel to telescopes and partner institutions for reviews, installation, commissioning and support is part of the role.

 About Us

The AAO group has a 50+ year heritage designing, building and deploying some of the most advanced scientific instrumentation to the world’s leading astronomical observatories and research institutions. We have an enviable reputation for precision engineering capability and expertise within astronomy instrumentation across optical, mechanical, electronic and software engineering. Our work has contributed to major scientific discoveries and we continue to support researchers at the edge of technology and scientific capability with our innovative instruments and software systems.

• Our people. We care about our team. The AAO has a long-standing commitment to advancing equity and diversity principles, holding silver status in the Pleiades awards (Australia's scheme for certifying progress in equity, diversity and inclusion in astronomy and physics) and are committed to continual improvement
• Real scientific impact. The instruments you help build on the world's premier telescopes enable frontier astrophysics — from exoplanets to the early Universe
• Genuinely hard, varied engineering. Few roles let an engineer touch complex board design, FPGA firmware, detector physics, cryogenics and on-sky commissioning. Here you can
• A world-class team. You'll work alongside leading optical, mechanical, cryogenic, software and detector specialists, and with astronomers who will use your products
• Ownership and growth. End-to-end involvement, exposure to state-of-the-art technology, and the backing of a leading research university
• International reach. Collaboration and travel with partner institutions and observatories around the world.

If you want your electronics on a mountaintop, pointed at the sky, we'd love to hear from you.

About You (Selection Criteria)

You are skilled electronics engineer who enjoys applying technical expertise to complex challenges within a multi-disciplinary team. You bring sound design capability, clear communication, and a methodical approach to building and testing electronic systems, and can demonstrate that you have the following skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical/electronics engineering or a related discipline, with at least 5 years relevant experience
• Design of complex electronic circuits and PCBs, including analog, mixed-signal and/or high-speed digital designs through to working tested products, interfacing electro-mechanical devices and systems, actuators, infrared and optical detector arrays, and cabling systems
• Firmware/software development in one or more of FPGA design, embedded microcontroller programming, and instrument control or test software
• Ability to specify, evaluate and select components from commercial suppliers
• Construction, packaging and integration of electronic assemblies and systems
• Strong laboratory and debugging skills with standard test equipment, and a rigorous, measurement-driven approach to testing and debugging electronics assemblies at component and board level
• Work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and communicate clearly across engineering and scientific domains

Additional highly desirable skills include:

• Scientific detector electronics: CCD, IR-array, sCMOS, bolometers
• FPGA/SoC development for real-time control or high-throughput data acquisition
• Cryogenic and/or vacuum instrumentation
• Precision motion control, servo systems, adaptive-optics or real-time control
• Signal integrity, EMC, and grounding/shielding design for low-noise systems
• Delivering to formal systems-engineering processes and design reviews on complex projects
• Knowledge of work health and safety requirements in a technical and laboratory environment

Pre-Employment Checks

Macquarie University cultivates a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity. Prior to completion of an offer of employment, preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.

Your employment is conditional upon the completion and maintenance of all role-required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University.