Job offer : Senior Hardware Engineer (M/F)

About the company

Actual Talent, Talent Acquisition Partner of the Actual group, the 5th largest player in the French employment market, is supporting Mu-Test in the recruitment of a Senior Hardware Engineer (M/F) based in Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds, near Saint-Étienne.

Mu-Test is a French company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of automated test instruments and systems for integrated circuits. Its equipment is used to test and characterize digital components, systems-on-chip, image sensors, memories, or electronic boards for an international professional clientele.

Founded in 2010, Mu-Test joined the Singaporean group AEM, an international publicly traded company, in 2020. The company maintains a human-sized R&D center of expertise in France, with high technical standards for ATE equipment.

Thanks to an innovative FPGA-based architecture, Mu-Test designs systems capable of handling very fast signals and data rates in complex and highly constrained electronic environments. The company works on subjects combining high-frequency electronics, high power, signal integrity, board validation, and close interaction with software and FPGA teams.

Why join Mu-Test?

• Join a French technological SME backed by a solid international group

• Work on complex, innovative products with high technical added value

• Evolve in a demanding R&D environment at the intersection of hardware, FPGA, and software

• Work on advanced electronic issues: multilayer PCBs, high frequency, high power, signal integrity

• Integrate into a human-sized team with strong international exposure to AEM teams and end customers

• Benefit from a flexible organization, with remote work, flexible hours, and autonomy in project management

Job description As part of the development of new projects, Mu-Test is creating a Senior Hardware Engineer (M/F) position.

Reporting to the Software / Hardware Manager, you will join an R&D team of approximately 25 people, composed notably of a hardware/FPGA team and a software team. You will work in close proximity with other hardware experts, FPGA teams, software teams, contacts based in Singapore, as well as with customers when technical subjects require it.

Your role consists of intervening in the specification, design, validation, and continuous improvement of electronic boards integrated into the test instruments developed by Mu-Test. You will contribute to defining the architecture of new instruments based on needs expressed by marketing and product teams, while identifying technical risks related to hardware design.

You will participate in the design of electronic schematics, layout reviews, the startup of initial prototypes, and the analysis of complex issues: noise, bandwidth, signal integrity, power supply, power, response time, or integration with FPGA and software layers.

The position also involves a strong dimension of characterization and validation. You will verify that the boards meet expected specifications, design test boards and means, contribute to the automation of validations, and intervene in demanding technical environments around FPGAs, DDR4 memories, DCDC converters, and boards delivering high currents at low voltages.

Finally, you are expected to act as a senior reference: defining good hardware design and validation practices, technical documentation, knowledge transfer to production or support teams, contributing to the robustness of developments, and supporting teams on the most complex subjects.

Profile sought Experience and Education:

• Higher education (Master's degree) in electronics, embedded systems, microelectronics, hardware design, or equivalent

• Proven experience of at least 10 years in hardware engineering roles, ideally in complex electronic environments

• Significant experience in the design, development, and validation of electronic boards

• Experience with systems integrating microprocessors, microcontrollers, or FPGAs

• Experience appreciated in R&D, instrumentation, electronic testing, semiconductors, embedded systems, or complex industrial equipment

• Ability to operate in an international context, in connection with teams and customers based notably in Asia or the United States

Significant experience or mandatory skills

• Concrete experience with complex PCBs, ideally with more than 20 layers

• Mastery of electronic board design integrating high-frequency, high-power, and signal integrity constraints

• Experience with high-frequency signals, typically between 200 MHz and 1 GHz

• Experience with FPGA-based boards, ideally Xilinx

• Knowledge of DDR4, DCDC, power supply, and voltage conversion environments

• Ability to work on high currents at low voltages, reaching several hundred amperes

• Understanding of fast response time constraints, on the order of 50 to 100 amperes per microsecond

• Mastery of Cadence for the schematic part or Altium Designer is a significant asset

Technical skills

• Design of complex electronic schematics

• Hardware architecture of advanced electronic boards

• Design and validation of multilayer PCBs

• Layout analysis and PCB preparation

• Startup and debug of prototypes

• Analysis of noise, bandwidth, and signal integrity

• Management of high-frequency signals

• Management of high power and low voltage / high current power supplies

• Characterization of electronic boards

• Design of test benches, boards, and means

• Automation of hardware validations

• Integration with FPGA and software environments

• Writing technical documentation

• Definition of good hardware design and validation practices

• Ability to diagnose and solve complex technical problems

Behavioral skills

• Technical leadership and ability to engage a team around shared solutions

• Rigor, autonomy, and sense of responsibility

• Excellent analytical and complex problem-solving skills

• Ability to prioritize in a demanding project context

• Interpersonal skills with various technical stakeholders

• Taste for teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration

• Ability to dialogue with hardware, FPGA, software, production, support, and customer teams

• Synthesis spirit and ability to clearly document one's work

• Adaptability in an international environment

• Responsiveness, resilience, and ability to keep perspective under pressure

• Service-oriented and customer satisfaction focus

Travel to be expected

Occasional international travel is to be expected, notably to Singapore, Taiwan, or the United States, directly with group teams or customers, in order to intervene on specific technical issues.

Proposed conditions

• Contract: CDI (Permanent contract)

• Status: Cadre (Executive)

• Working time organization: 218-day executive package

• Location: Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds, near Saint-Étienne

• Remote work: up to 2 days per week

• Hours: flexible

• Remuneration: €48,000 to €60,000 gross annual over 12 months depending on profile and experience

• Collective agreement: Metallurgy

• Benefits: RTT (reduced working time), remote work, health insurance, restaurant vouchers, company bonus, flexible hours

Ready to join the adventure?

Do you recognize yourself in the spirit of the position? Apply now!

This position is open to people with disabilities.

Committed to diversity and equal opportunities with our partners, we study every application without distinction: if this project inspires you, do not let self-censorship hold back your potential, dare to apply!