About Synchron
Synchron’s vision is to build non-surgical brain–computer interfaces at global scale that protect the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and autonomy. Our first mission is to develop motor decoders that restore the ability of 15 million people with paralysis to interact with the digital world. Our second mission is to develop whole-brain cognitive decoders that enable hundreds of millions of people with cognitive decline to preserve and expand their agency as cognition changes over time. In pursuing these goals, we aim not only to help humans flourish, but also to drive fundamental discoveries in human intelligence. Our team operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology, translating breakthrough research into real-world, safety-critical systems.
Principal Electrical Engineer, ASIC Program Lead
Department:
Location: On-Site – San Diego, CA
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience Required: 12+ years
About the Role
Our next-generation system will utilize custom silicon to capture neural signals at the fidelity, power, and reliability a chronic implant demands. We are hiring a Principal Electrical Engineer to own that silicon. You will be the technical owner of our custom ASIC program. This is a senior individual contributor and technical leadership role for someone who has successfully shepherded a custom ASIC from early concept and specification generation through design, verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release. That end-to-end ASIC experience is the most important requirement for this role.
The ideal candidate has a strong mixed-signal foundation, with deep analog expertise in neural analog front-end systems and verification, combined with strong digital experience in data path architecture, multiplexing, serialization, timing, signal integrity, and reliable digital handling of high-channel-count neural data within the system architecture. This person will work across internal electrical, firmware, signal processing, mechanical, clinical, manufacturing, and external ASIC design/vendor teams to ensure the ASIC meets system-level performance, reliability, power, and production requirements.
This role requires both technical depth and broad electrical engineering judgment. The Principal Electrical Engineer will be expected to drive requirements, make architecture tradeoffs, review vendor work, lead verification strategy, support bring-up and debugging, and help translate custom silicon into a production-ready implantable medical device system.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the custom ASIC program from concept and specification through verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release. Own ASIC requirements and architecture tradeoffs across neural signal acquisition, analog front-end performance, digital data path design, power, testability, reliability, manufacturability, and system integration. Drive verification strategy for the ASIC and broader electrical system, with emphasis on low-noise AFE performance, high-channel-count data handling, timing, interfaces, and signal integrity. Serve as the primary technical interface with ASIC vendors, semiconductor design partners, foundries, packaging partners, and production test resources. Lead pre-silicon and post-silicon debugging, characterization, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions across analog, digital, firmware, packaging, PCB, and system boundaries. Define and support production test strategy, including DFT/DFM considerations, test coverage, qualification data review, yield improvement, and manufacturing issue resolution. Partner with firmware, systems, signal processing, mechanical, clinical, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing teams to ensure the ASIC meets product-level performance and reliability requirements. Contribute to design reviews, technical risk assessments, FMEA, verification documentation, regulatory documentation, and design history files.Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. Advanced degree preferred.10+ years of experience in electrical engineering, mixed-signal systems, ASIC/SoC development, or high-reliability electronic product development.Demonstrated ownership of at least one custom ASIC program from concept and specification generation through verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release. This experience is required.Strong analog or mixed-signal background, especially with low-noise analog front ends, sensor interfaces, neural signal acquisition, biopotential measurement, precision instrumentation, ADC interfaces, and microvolt-level signals.Strong digital background, including data path architecture, multiplexing, serialization, timing closure concepts, clock domain crossing, low-power digital design, data integrity, and robust high-channel-count data handling.Experience reviewing or driving ASIC verification plans, including analog, digital, mixed-signal, and system-level verification.Experience working with external ASIC vendors, design partners, foundries, packaging teams, or semiconductor test/manufacturing partners.Strong understanding of ASIC development flow, including architecture, specification, RTL/design review, verification, synthesis/timing concepts, DFT, physical implementation review, tapeout, silicon bring-up, characterization, and production test.Ability to work across analog, digital, firmware, packaging, PCB, and system boundaries to preserve signal fidelity throughout the acquisition and processing chain.Strong lab and debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, precision measurement equipment, and custom test fixtures.Experience developing and executing verification plans, test reports, requirements traceability, failure analysis, and corrective actions.Familiarity with IEC 60601, ISO 13485, design controls, design history files, risk management, and regulated product development. Strong documentation skills and ability to translate complex system needs into clear technical requirements and design specifications.Excellent communication skills with the ability to lead technical discussions across internal teams, external vendors, and senior leadership.Preferred Qualifications
Experience with implantable, wearable, or high-reliability medical devices.Experience with neural recording, bioinstrumentation, electrophysiology, or other low-amplitude physiological signal acquisition systems.Experience with ultra-low-power ASICs, low-leakage circuits, sub-microwatt/channel front ends, power domains, and power/performance optimization.Experience with mixed-signal designs where isolation, crosstalk, substrate noise, ground bounce, coupling, and packaging parasitics are critical.Familiarity with Verilog/VHDL/SystemVerilog, UVM concepts, EDA tools, and ASIC verification methodologies.Experience with Python, MATLAB, C/C++, Tcl, or other scripting/programming tools for test automation, modeling, data analysis, or lab characterization.Experience supporting production test, yield improvement, reliability testing, accelerated life testing, supplier qualification, or contract manufacturing.Experience mentoring senior engineers or leading cross-functional technical teams without requiring formal people-management authority.Work Environment
Reporting and Collaboration
This position reports to the Director of Electrical and Firmware Engineering and will collaborate closely with the VP of R&D, ASIC vendors, firmware developers, signal processing scientists, systems engineers, clinical engineering teams, quality/regulatory teams, manufacturing partners, physicians, and external semiconductor design partners.
CompensationThe base salary range for this role is $160,000 – $200,000 depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or equity grants, subject to board approval and company policy.
Visa Sponsorship
We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.
Benefits (for W-2, full-time, exempt employees in the US only) ***Intern positions not eligible
Subsidized medical and dental insurance coverage for you and your dependent(s) Life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability 401k Discretionary unlimited PTO Flexible Spending Account for you and your dependent(s), with eligible plan electionsCommuter benefits for NY employeesEqual Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Synchron is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.
Join Us
At Synchron, you will be part of a transformative mission and you will work alongside driven people who believe in the power of collaboration and innovation to make a lasting impact. If you are excited to stretch your skills and contribute to something meaningful, apply and now and build the future with us.
About Synchron
Synchron’s vision is to build non-surgical brain–computer interfaces at global scale that protect the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and autonomy. Our first mission is to develop motor decoders that restore the ability of 15 million people with paralysis to interact with the digital world. Our second mission is to develop whole-brain cognitive decoders that enable hundreds of millions of people with cognitive decline to preserve and expand their agency as cognition changes over time. In pursuing these goals, we aim not only to help humans flourish, but also to drive fundamental discoveries in human intelligence. Our team operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology, translating breakthrough research into real-world, safety-critical systems.
Senior R & D Engineer, Electrical EngineeringAbout the Role
We are seeking a R&D Electrical Engineer to own the electrical and electronic hardware design of Synchron’s implantable devices. This individual will serve as the engineering authority for the implant’s electrical architecture - spanning neural front-end acquisition, mixed-signal ASIC integration, power management, RF telemetry, and PCB/flex-circuit design - with accountability from concept through design verification.
This is a hands-on, technically deep role with significant cross-functional visibility. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable reviewing schematic details and defining system-level electrical architecture as the program moves through typical development phases.
• Own the end-to-end electrical architecture of the implant, including neural acquisition front end, mixed-signal processing, power regulation, and RF telemetry subsystems
• Lead schematic design, component selection, and circuit simulation for ultra-low-power implantable electronics
• Define electrical interface specifications and performance budgets across the implant system (power, noise, bandwidth, data throughput)
• Drive ASIC integration and co-design with silicon partners, defining specifications, test plans, and bring-up procedures
• Lead design of miniaturized, high-density PCB and flex-rigid circuit assemblies suitable for chronic implantation
• Manage layout reviews, signal integrity analysis, and design-for-manufacturing constraints at implant scale
• Coordinate with mechanical engineering on board-level integration within hermetically sealed enclosures
• Architect power delivery and energy harvesting/storage strategies for long-duration implant operation
• Design and optimize wireless communication links (custom RF, BLE, or inductive) under biological tissue constraints
• Establish power budgets and duty-cycling strategies that balance neural data throughput against implant longevity
• Define and execute electrical verification and validation test plans aligned with design control requirements
• Lead bench-level characterization, environmental testing, and EMC/EMI assessment of implant electronics
• Own failure analysis and root-cause investigation for electrical anomalies across prototype and production builds
• Establish design-for-reliability practices including derating analysis, accelerated life testing, and worst-case circuit analysis
• Serve as electrical engineering lead within the design controls framework (IEC 60601, IEC 62304)
• Author and maintain electrical design inputs, risk analyses (per ISO 14971), and verification/validation protocols
• Support regulatory submissions with electrical test reports, design rationale, and traceability documentation
• Partner closely with firmware, mechanical, and systems engineers to co-optimize the implant across all domains
• Collaborate with the wider R&D team on neural interface electrical requirements and signal quality
• Work with contract manufacturers and test houses to transfer designs into scalable production
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline
• 8+ years of experience in analog/mixed-signal hardware design for miniaturized, high-reliability electronic systems
• Deep expertise in low-noise neural or bioelectric front-end design, including amplifier chains, ADC interfacing, and filtering
• Strong PCB and flex-circuit design experience with high-density, space-constrained layouts
• Proficiency with EDA tools (Altium, Cadence, or equivalent) and circuit simulation
• Hands-on experience bringing electronic subsystems from prototype through design verification into production
• Active implantable medical device experience (e.g., neurostimulators, cochlear implants, cardiac rhythm devices)
• ASIC integration or co-design experience, including specification development and silicon bring-up
• RF or wireless telemetry design for implantable or body-worn devices
• Familiarity with ISO 14708, IEC 60601, and FDA guidance for implantable electronics
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions (IDE, PMA, or 510(k)) with electrical design evidence
• Background in power management for energy-constrained, long-life implantable systems
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is $140,000 – $200,000 depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or equity grants, subject to board approval and company policy.
Visa Sponsorship
We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.
Benefits (for W-2, full-time, exempt employees in the US only) ***Intern positions not eligible
Subsidized medical and dental insurance coverage for you and your dependent(s) Life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability 401k Discretionary unlimited PTO Flexible Spending Account for you and your dependent(s), with eligible plan electionsCommuter benefits for NY employeesEqual Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Synchron is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.
Join Us
At Synchron, you will be part of a transformative mission and you will work alongside driven people who believe in the power of collaboration and innovation to make a lasting impact. If you are excited to stretch your skills and contribute to something meaningful, apply and now and build the future with us.
Read LessAbout Synchron
Synchron’s vision is to build non-surgical brain–computer interfaces at global scale that protect the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and autonomy. Our first mission is to develop motor decoders that restore the ability of 15 million people with paralysis to interact with the digital world. Our second mission is to develop whole-brain cognitive decoders that enable hundreds of millions of people with cognitive decline to preserve and expand their agency as cognition changes over time. In pursuing these goals, we aim not only to help humans flourish, but also to drive fundamental discoveries in human intelligence. Our team operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology, translating breakthrough research into real-world, safety-critical systems.
Senior Engineer, Mechanical EngineeringEmployment Type: Full-Time
About the Role
We are seeking a R&D Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical design and development of Synchron’s implantable devices. This individual will lead the design of an implantable device, interfacing closely with electrical, firmware, and systems engineering teams to deliver an integrated implantable platform.
This is a deeply technical, hands-on role. The successful candidate will drive mechanical architecture decisions from concept through verification, balancing biocompatibility, manufacturability, thermal management, and regulatory requirements as the program scales toward pivotal trials.
• Own the end-to-end mechanical design of the implantable device, including enclosures, feedthroughs, internal component packaging, and structural interfaces.
• Drive miniaturization strategies that meet volumetric constraints while preserving thermal, electrical, and structural performance
• Define and maintain mechanical interface control documents across the implant system
• Lead trade studies and design reviews for enclosure geometry, sealing methods, and material selection
• Specify materials and surface treatments compatible with long-term implantation (titanium, ceramic, biocompatible polymers)
• Design and validate encapsulation approaches (laser welding, brazing, glass-to-metal seals) to ensure implant longevity
• Collaborate with biocompatibility and quality teams to ensure compliance with ISO 10993 and related standards
• Define accelerated aging and environmental test protocols for mechanical subsystems
• Develop manufacturing processes for implant assembly, including precision bonding, micro-assembly, and clean-room operations
• Own mechanical DFM/DFA and drive design iterations to support scalable production
• Partner with contract manufacturers to establish robust, repeatable build processes
• Serve as mechanical engineering lead within the design controls framework (e.g. ISO 14708)
• Author and maintain mechanical design inputs, risk analyses, and verification/validation protocols
• Support regulatory submissions with mechanical test reports, design rationale, and traceability documentation
• Partner closely with electrical, firmware, and systems engineers to co-optimize the implant across all domains
• Work with the wider R&D team and delivery system engineers to ensure mechanical compatibility at the system level
• Contribute to failure analysis and root-cause investigations spanning mechanical, electrical, and environmental factors
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, or a related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in mechanical design of miniaturized, high-reliability electromechanical systems
• Demonstrated expertise in hermetic packaging, precision assembly, and biocompatible materials
• Proficiency with 3D CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent)
• Strong understanding of GD&T, tolerance stack-up analysis, and mechanical drawing standards
• Hands-on experience taking mechanical subsystems from prototype through design verification and into production
• Active implantable medical device experience (e.g., neurostimulators, cochlear implants, cardiac rhythm devices)
• Experience with hermetic sealing technologies such as laser welding, brazing, or diffusion bonding
• Background in thermal management of implantable electronics
• Familiarity with ISO 14708, IEC 60601, and FDA guidance for implantable devices
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions (IDE, PMA, or 510(k)) with mechanical design evidence
• Track record of working in cross-functional hardware teams in a startup or high-growth environment
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is $140,000 – $160,000 depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.
In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or equity grants, subject to board approval and company policy.
Visa Sponsorship
We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position at this time.
Benefits (for W-2, full-time, exempt employees in the US only) ***Intern positions not eligible
Subsidized medical and dental insurance coverage for you and your dependent(s) Life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability 401k Discretionary unlimited PTO Flexible Spending Account for you and your dependent(s), with eligible plan electionsCommuter benefits for NY employeesEqual Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Synchron is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.
Join Us
At Synchron, you will be part of a transformative mission and you will work alongside driven people who believe in the power of collaboration and innovation to make a lasting impact. If you are excited to stretch your skills and contribute to something meaningful, apply and now and build the future with us.
