Hardware Electrical Engineer AlpHa Measurement Solutions | Transmitter Platform Program
COMPANY OVERVIEW AlpHa Measurement Solutions is a liquid sensor technology platform serving the complex testing needs of water quality, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and industrial markets with an unmatched combination of precision, reliability, innovation, and flexibility. We are a vertically integrated manufacturer, creating thousands of units and processing several hundred orders and shipments each day for customers throughout the world. We approach the market as both an OEM manufacturer and with our own brands: Van London, ANDalyze, and Aurora Scientific Instruments.
Our company has over 100 years of liquid sensing experience, is growing, and is accelerating growth through its recent acquisition by Enpro Inc. (NYSE: NPO). Enpro is a leading industrial technology company manufacturing high-performance proprietary products for the semiconductor, aerospace, and compositional analysis sectors. Enpro companies employ nearly 4,000 associates globally, while AlpHa's team consists of over 350 employees, including 235 team members in Houston, Texas and 120 in Shanghai, China.
WHAT MAKES ALPHA MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS SPECIAL At AlpHa Measurement Solutions, we make analytical sensors and instruments that are essential to everyday life. What we do matters; our products are used to test and monitor water quality in industrial, health, and safety applications worldwide. Our sensors are critical for wastewater and drinking water processing, environmental monitoring, pharmaceutical (vaccine) manufacturing, food & beverage supply, power generation, and many other fundamental applications.
Municipalities, multinational organizations, and system integrators rely upon our sensors as critical, consumable components of their systems around the globe. We at AlpHa understand the important role we play in ensuring safe drinking water, clean aqueous environments, and the general health and safety of communities worldwide.
BENEFITS & PERKS - Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
- Short-Term Disability
- 401k
- Life insurance
- Paid Vacation
- 8 Paid Holidays per year
- Paid Jury Duty Leave
- Recognition and Reward Programs
- Diverse & Inclusive Work Culture
OPPORTUNITY AlpHa Measurement Solutions recognizes the need to own the electrical design and hardware build capability behind its next-generation measurement transmitters.
This program will deliver a family of loop-powered 4-20mA transmitters with Modbus RTU (RS-485) digital output, Class I Division 2 (C1D2) hazardous location certification, and a sensor portfolio spanning pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, optical, and pressure measurement types. AlpHa is seeking a Hardware Electrical Engineer to serve as the electrical design and hands-on build authority for the platform.
This is an equal-weight design-and-bench role. The right candidate is equally comfortable performing a power budget analysis in a spreadsheet and soldering a rework on a 0402 component under a microscope, and will work as a peer to the Firmware Engineer and Mechanical Engineer on the core platform design team.
Our global headquarters is conveniently located in Houston at the southwest intersection of I-69 and Sam Houston Tollway, just north of Sugar Land.
This individual will report to the Sr. Director of Product Engineering.
Classification: Salaried/Exempt, Full-Time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and as required to maintain business momentum.
JOB DESCRIPTION Position Summary The Hardware Electrical Engineer serves as the electrical design and hands-on build authority for the AlpHa transmitter platform. This is an equal-weight design-and-bench role: roughly half the time is spent on circuit design, schematic capture, and systems architecture, and the other half at the bench building prototypes, characterizing performance, and validating designs through certification testing. The platform targets a loop-powered 4-20mA architecture with Modbus RTU digital output, C1D2 hazardous location certification, and a sensor portfolio spanning pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, optical, and pressure measurement types.
This role requires both the analytical rigor of an electrical systems engineer and the practical instincts of an experienced technician. The right candidate is equally comfortable doing a power budget analysis in a spreadsheet and soldering a rework on a 0402 component under a microscope, and works as a peer to the Firmware Engineer and Mechanical Engineer on the core platform design team.
Essential Functions Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:
Circuit Design and Systems Architecture - Design the transmitter analog front-end signal chain, including precision instrumentation amplifier stages, low-noise ADC interfaces, and temperature compensation circuitry for the full AlpHa sensor probe portfolio.
- Develop and validate the 4-20mA loop-powered output stage, including DAC, V-to-I conversion, and loop compliance across the 12-40V supply range, and perform worst-case power budget analysis.
- Design isolated power supply sub-circuits where required (e.g., isolated 3.3V rail using coupled inductor flyback or equivalent topology) within tight loop power constraints.
- Define the overall embedded system architecture in collaboration with the Firmware Engineer: MCU selection, peripheral topology, memory map, and interface strategy across I2C, SPI, UART, and RS-485.
- Specify precision op-amps, voltage references, and ADCs to meet published accuracy targets, and perform full signal chain noise and error budget analysis.
- Evaluate ESD, reverse polarity, and transient protection requirements on all field-facing terminals per the IEC 61000-4 series.
Schematic Capture and PCB Layout - Produce schematics and direct PCB layout in Altium Designer or equivalent EDA tool, with attention to analog/digital ground separation, EMI-sensitive routing, and thermal management for dissipative components.
- Review and approve Gerber/ODB++ files, fab notes, and assembly drawings before release to the contract manufacturer.
- Maintain schematic and layout files in controlled revision management, and own the BOM with primary and approved alternate component sourcing.
- Evaluate third-party PCBA design packages for design quality, IP completeness, and missing deliverables, and document findings and remediation requirements.
Bench Build, Bring-Up, and Characterization - Hand-build prototype assemblies from bare boards through functional units, including soldering fine-pitch SMT components, applying conformal coating, and assembling into enclosures.
- Lead board bring-up with the Firmware Engineer: power sequencing verification, peripheral initialization debug, and early firmware integration.
- Characterize analog performance at the bench: offset, gain, linearity, noise floor, temperature drift, and power consumption across the full operating range.
- Maintain and operate bench instrumentation including oscilloscopes, precision multimeters, signal generators, loop calibrators, and protocol analyzers, and document setups for repeatability.
- Perform rework, component substitution, and hardware iteration on prototype PCBAs to resolve design issues quickly without waiting for new board spins.
Test, Validation, and Certification Support - Write and execute hardware validation test plans covering accuracy, repeatability, noise, power consumption, and environmental stress (temperature, humidity, vibration) per IEC 60068.
- Prepare hardware documentation packages for FM, UL, and/or CSA C1D2 certification: circuit descriptions, component ratings evidence, creepage/clearance analysis, and drawing packages.
- Conduct pre-compliance EMC screening (conducted emissions, radiated emissions, ESD, EFT) and lead corrective actions before formal test.
- Support FCC Part 15, ICES-003, CE (RED/EMC Directive), and UKCA certification for general-purpose product variants.
- Participate in FMEA reviews, and identify and resolve hardware-level failure modes flagged during certification audits or field escalations.
Manufacturing and Production Support - Support PPAP first-article inspection and ECO processing as designs transition from prototype to production.
- Develop and maintain manufacturing test fixtures and automated test scripts (Python or LabVIEW) to support PCBA functional test at the contract manufacturer.
- Collaborate with the Mechanical Engineer on conformal coating, potting, and environmental protection specifications for internal PCBAs.
Required Key Competencies - Functional/Technical Skills: Brings the analog signal chain depth (precision op-amps, ADC/DAC, isolated power) and genuine bench craftsmanship required to serve as the hardware build authority for the transmitter platform.
- Manages Complexity / Problem Solving: Applies systematic bring-up methodology and honest analysis to isolate root cause across complex analog/digital boundaries, noise, temperature drift, and EMC failure modes.
- Decision Quality: Makes sound component selection, system architecture, and error-budget tradeoffs balancing accuracy targets against loop-power (4-20mA) and C1D2 hazardous location constraints.
- Action Oriented: Reworks, substitutes, and iterates rapidly at the bench to resolve design defects directly on prototype assemblies without waiting on new board spins.
- Perseverance: Relentlessly pursues elusive certification requirements (FM, UL, CSA), EMC corrective actions, and difficult hardware anomalies through to formal listing.
- Collaborates / Peer Relationships: Operates as an open, trusted partner with the Firmware and Mechanical Engineers during board bring-up, and acts as a credible technical authority with certification agencies.
Required Qualifications and Experience - B.S. in Electrical Engineering or an equivalent combination of education and demonstrated experience; an Associate degree with a strong hands-on background will be considered.
- Demonstrated experience designing analog/mixed-signal circuits for industrial or instrumentation applications, including op-amp signal chains, ADC interfaces, and power supply design.
- Hands-on bench skills: SMT soldering, rework, oscilloscope and DMM proficiency, and a systematic bring-up methodology for new PCBAs.
- Proficiency in schematic capture using Altium Designer or an equivalent professional EDA tool.
- Ability to read and interpret firmware code at the level needed to collaborate on hardware-firmware integration and debug.
- Familiarity with EMC design practices and at least one major industrial certification standard (UL, FM, CSA, CE).
Preferred Qualifications - Experience with 4-20mA loop-powered transmitter circuits or equivalent current-loop industrial instrumentation.
- Direct experience with C1D2 or Zone 2 hardware certification (FM, UL, CSA, or ATEX/IECEx).
- Background in water quality, process measurement, or analytical instrumentation hardware.
- Experience with isolated power supply design (flyback, forward converter, or push-pull) under constrained power budgets.
- Python or LabVIEW scripting for test automation, calibration fixtures, or manufacturing test.
- Familiarity with HART FSK modem hardware or other industrial process communications physical layer design.
- Experience evaluating third-party PCBA design packages for IP completeness and design quality.
A Note on Seniority AlpHa is open on seniority level for this role. A mid-career engineer with strong hands-on instincts and solid analog design fundamentals is equally attractive to a senior candidate with deeper certification and systems architecture experience. Compensation and title will be calibrated to the candidate. What is non-negotiable is the combination of design capability and genuine bench competence.
WORKING CONDITIONS This role partners daily with the Firmware Engineer and Mechanical Engineer as the core transmitter platform design team. The Hardware Electrical Engineer engages with certification agency engineers throughout the FM/UL listing process and serves as a primary technical interface on circuit-level topics. Work spans office, laboratory, and bench/prototype environments, and occasional visits to customer sites or contract manufacturing facilities are expected.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EEO and Culture Statement:
AlpHa Measurement Solutions is a subsidiary of Enpro, a leading industrial technology company focused on critical applications across many end-markets, including semiconductor, industrial process, commercial vehicle, sustainable power generation, aerospace, food and pharma, photonics and life sciences.
At Enpro, we believe that diversity drives innovation and inclusion fosters growth. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. Our employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military service, or any other status protected by applicable law. If you require accommodation due to a disability at any time during the recruitment and/or assessment process, please contact Human Resources, and we will make all reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.
*Enpro Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. We will not sponsor employment visas now or in the future for this job.
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