Electronics Shop Manager

Job Summary:

The Electronics Shop Manager provides advanced technical expertise in support of the research and teaching mission of the SEAS/Physics Electronics Shop shared by the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Department of Physics within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). This position serves as a key partner to faculty, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and students engaged in experimental research requiring custom electronic instrumentation, rapid prototyping, system integration, and specialized technical problem-solving.

The role is primarily technical and researcher-facing, with responsibility for consulting on, designing, fabricating, testing, troubleshooting, and refining custom electronic systems and instrumentation for a wide range of research applications. The Electronics Shop Manager also provides operational oversight for shop resources, including equipment, workflows, safety practices, inventory, budget support, and technical documentation.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Research Collaboration and Technical Consultation

• Provide advanced engineering consultation and hands-on technical support to faculty, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and students developing or modifying custom electronic instrumentation for research and instructional use.

• Collaborate with researchers to translate scientific and experimental requirements into practical engineering solutions, including development of prototypes, subsystems, and fully integrated instruments.

• Advise researchers on best practices in instrumentation design, signal integrity, grounding, shielding, noise reduction, measurement reliability, and maintainability.

• Support a broad range of experimental and instructional applications across SEAS, Physics, and other Harvard units.

Instrumentation Design, Fabrication, and Technical Execution

• Design, fabricate, assemble, test, troubleshoot, and refine custom electronic systems, often on accelerated timelines, in support of active research programs.

• Support instrumentation needs across a broad range of applications, including analog, digital, mixed-signal, embedded, sensing, and RF/microwave systems, as appropriate to project requirements.

• Develop and review schematics, PCB layouts, wiring diagrams, interface specifications, and related technical documentation.

• Program, configure, and troubleshoot microcontrollers, embedded systems, FPGA-based platforms, and associated hardware/software interfaces used in research instrumentation and control systems.

• Integrate commercial instruments, sensors, actuators, and data acquisition systems into custom experimental platforms.

• Perform diagnostic testing, failure analysis, debugging, repair, and iterative refinement of custom and existing instrumentation to ensure continuity of research operations.

Training, Mentorship, and User Support

• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff in the safe and effective design, fabrication, testing, and use of electronic systems and shop equipment.

• Lead or support safety training and orientation for shop users, including faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

• Provide guidance to users on the proper use of shop resources, tools, and instrumentation, promoting sound engineering practice and safe operation.

Shop Operations and Strategic Planning

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Electronics Shop, including prioritization of requests, coordination of workflows, and support of multiple concurrent projects.

• Develop recommendations for short- and long-term enhancements to shop capabilities, including acquisition of capital equipment, software, tools, and other technical resources.

• Oversee maintenance, calibration, and readiness of shop equipment, test instruments, and fabrication tools.

• Manage inventory of electronic components, consumables, and supplies; support purchasing and budget planning for shop operations.

• Establish and maintain shop procedures, technical documentation, and standard operating practices to support high-quality, safe, and reproducible work.

Safety, Compliance, and Shop Stewardship

• Partner with the Director of the SEAS Safety Program and Environmental Health and Safety to help maintain a safe, compliant, and well-managed shop. Stay up-to-date on, follow, and ensure compliance with University policies, procedures, and applicable legal rules and regulations.

• Prepare shop and related documentation for audits, inspections, and other compliance reviews.

• Promote a culture of safety, technical rigor, and responsible shop practice in all aspects of operations and researcher support.  

Perform other duties as required.

Working Conditions:

The work is performed in an electronics shop environment with occasional exposure to high voltage equipment.  Safety glasses are required and will be provided. 

Physical Requirements:

There are no significant physical demands of the position, beyond the ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.