The Role
Lead electrical design and development for precision laser-based trace gas analyzers. Responsibilities include analog front-end, laser driver, ADC/DAC, communications, PCB architecture, simulation, prototyping, validation, component selection, and production support. The engineer will collaborate cross-functionally, improve existing products, lead technically complex projects, mentor engineers, and drive hardware from concept through production.
Summary Generated by Built In
Project Canary is a climate technology company offering an enterprise data platform that helps energy companies improve and report on their emissions footprint. Project Canary builds high-fidelity sensors, ingests data from various other technologies and sources, and leverages proprietary analytics and models to deliver insights that operators can act on to reduce emissions. The data-driven technology enables energy operators to stop leaks faster, reduce risk, streamline reporting, and differentiate their operations for key stakeholders.
The Senior Electrical Engineer will join the Hardware team based out of our office in Denver, Colorado. This role will focus on the electrical design and development of our next generation of high-precision, ultra-sensitive trace gas analyzers. The ideal candidate will have experience designing electronics for laser-based gas spectroscopy systems, with a deep understanding of MIR/NIR lasers, optical detection chains, and the exceptional signal fidelity required for trace gas measurement. Working closely with cross-functional engineering teams, this person will own the electrical architecture from concept through production, helping drive new product development and continuous improvement of existing systems.
The Senior Electrical Engineer will join the Hardware team based out of our office in Denver, Colorado. This role will focus on the electrical design and development of our next generation of high-precision, ultra-sensitive trace gas analyzers. The ideal candidate will have experience designing electronics for laser-based gas spectroscopy systems, with a deep understanding of MIR/NIR lasers, optical detection chains, and the exceptional signal fidelity required for trace gas measurement. Working closely with cross-functional engineering teams, this person will own the electrical architecture from concept through production, helping drive new product development and continuous improvement of existing systems.
We're looking for an engineer who enjoys solving difficult technical problems and is energized by building products that move from concept into production. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with curiosity, collaboration, and a practical approach to engineering, helping turn complex optical systems into reliable products that customers depend on.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, build, debug, and validate the electronics for next-generation laser-based gas analyzers.
- Lead the design and development of high-precision electrical systems, including analog front-ends for photodetectors, laser driver circuits, high-ENOB ADC/DAC chains, and high-speed communications.
- Select and integrate components for ultra-sensitive trace gas analyzers used in production environments.
- Drive circuit modeling, simulation, prototyping, and validation against demanding noise, stability, and precision requirements.
- Lead the PCB lifecycle from architecture and layout through production and continuous product improvement.
- Explore and evaluate emerging lasers, detection approaches, and signal processing techniques to improve analyzer performance.
- Partner closely with software, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, sales, and operations to bring new products from concept to production and continuously improve existing systems.
- Mentor engineers as the team grows while remaining actively engaged in hands-on design and development.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field. Advanced degree is a plus.
- 7+ years of electrical engineering experience with a strong focus on analog circuit design, signal processing, and system integration.
- Experience designing electronics for laser-based spectroscopy or closely related optical sensing systems.
- Experience working with MIR/NIR lasers, optical detection chains, and precision low-noise analog circuitry.
- Direct professional experience with laser-based gas spectroscopy or optical gas sensing instruments is strongly preferred. Candidates with deep analog/RF design experience in other high-precision optical or scientific instrumentation will also be considered.
- Demonstrated ability to ramp quickly in active hardware development environments and contribute to production-ready designs early in the development cycle.
- Proven experience leading engineering teams, driving R&D projects into production, and managing complex, technically demanding projects.
- Strong knowledge of analog and mixed-signal electronics, including signal conditioning and processing for high-precision optical and laser-based measurement systems.
- Proficiency with PCB design tools and circuit simulation software, such as OrCAD and LTspice.
- Experience with embedded systems, microcontroller programming, and serial communication protocols (UART, I2C, SPI). Familiarity with high-level scripting languages such as Python is also preferred.
- Proficiency with laboratory test equipment, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, function generators, power supplies, high-precision digital multimeters (DMMs), and data loggers.
- Demonstrated ability to balance technical rigor with practical execution, making sound engineering decisions that move products toward production.
Nice to Have:
- Demonstrated track record of shipping products to production, beyond prototypes or laboratory demonstrations.
- Hands-on experience with MIR lasers and laser diode driver circuits.
- Experience designing photodetector front ends, including transimpedance amplifiers, lock-in detection, or similar architectures.
- Knowledge of C/C++ and Linux operating systems.
- Familiarity with power management and battery charging systems.
- Familiarity with electronics regulatory compliance standards, including UL and CE.
Benefits
- Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 annual base
- Health, dental, and vision insurance with low deductibles and premiums paid by company 99% for self and 50% for dependents and/or spouse
- 401K with company match (no vesting period)
- Student loan assistance
- Generous culture around time off, including:
- Unlimited PTO
- 6 days of sick time per year
- 11 paid company holidays per year
- up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave (gender neutral) including adoptions
About
Project Canary was founded in 2019 with a vision to measure what matters – the greenhouse gases emitted from critical parts of our energy infrastructure. Our team is constantly pushing the envelope to bring more visibility to the emissions problem than ever before – enabling the energy sector to reduce its carbon footprint.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- 7+ years of electrical engineering experience focused on analog circuit design, signal processing, and system integration
- Experience designing electronics for laser-based spectroscopy or closely related optical sensing systems
- Experience with MIR/NIR lasers, optical detection chains, and precision low-noise analog circuitry
- Experience ramping quickly in active hardware development environments and contributing to production-ready designs
- Experience leading engineering teams, driving R&D projects into production, and managing complex technical projects
- Strong knowledge of analog and mixed-signal electronics, signal conditioning, and precision optical measurement systems
- Proficiency with PCB design tools and circuit simulation software such as OrCAD and LTspice
- Experience with embedded systems, microcontroller programming, and UART, I2C, and SPI protocols
- Proficiency with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, function generators, power supplies, precision DMMs, and data loggers
- Ability to balance technical rigor with practical execution and production-focused engineering decisions
- Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field
- Direct experience with laser-based gas spectroscopy or optical gas sensing instruments
- Deep analog/RF design experience in high-precision optical or scientific instrumentation
- Experience shipping products to production beyond prototypes or laboratory demonstrations
- Hands-on experience with MIR lasers and laser diode driver circuits
- Experience designing photodetector front ends, transimpedance amplifiers, lock-in detection, or similar architectures
- Familiarity with Python or other high-level scripting languages
- Knowledge of C/C++ and Linux
- Familiarity with power management and battery charging systems
- Familiarity with UL and CE electronics regulatory compliance standards
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The Company
What We Do
Project Canary® is an environmental data and software company that collects, analyzes, quantifies, and visualizes asset-level environmental risk assessments and emission profiles. As a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) solution, the Canary SENSE Platform™ integrates a networked sensor canopy, including 3rd party sensor data and assessment scores, to provide independently verifiable climate attribute data for upstream, midstream, and CCS (carbon capture and sequestration) projects. Project Canary’s insights help energy organizations improve performance, manage risks, and deliver auditable decarbonization data. Formed as a Public Benefit Corporation, the U.S. Colorado-based team includes scientists, engineers, and industry operators focused on the path to True Zero™.
