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Afe Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mixed Signal & Analog Circuit Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$100 - $110/hr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Architecture and design of high-speed I/O circuit blocks such as TX, PLL, CDR, Analog Front-End (AFE/CTLE), DFE. * Master in Electrical Engineering or more. * Solid background in mixed-signal circuit ...

Analog Mixed Signal Circuit Design

San Jose, CA · Hybrid

$191K - $263K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Influence AFE and PHY architecture decisions through deep technical expertise. Mentor senior and midlevel designers and contribute to design best practices. Job Qualification: Education MSEE or PhD ...

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Afe information

See California salary details

$18

$32

$44

How much do afe jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average hourly pay for afe in California is $32.18, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $28.46 and $34.86 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an AFE?

An AFE (Authorization for Expenditure) job typically involves managing and tracking project budgets, particularly in industries like oil and gas. Professionals in this role ensure that project expenses align with approved budgets and financial guidelines. They work closely with finance teams, project managers, and stakeholders to oversee cost estimates, approvals, and expenditures. The role requires strong financial analysis and reporting skills to support decision-making and cost control.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the AFE position?

To thrive as an AFE (Assistant Field Engineer), you need a solid understanding of engineering principles, site safety, and construction practices, typically supported by a relevant engineering degree or diploma. Familiarity with project management software, AutoCAD, surveying equipment, and basic Microsoft Office tools is frequently required. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and clear communication skills help AFEs excel in coordinating with teams and managing field operations. These competencies are vital to ensure project accuracy, safety compliance, and effective teamwork on site.

What are the typical career advancement opportunities for an Assistant Field Engineer (AFE)?

Assistant Field Engineers often have a clear pathway for career progression within the construction and engineering industries. With hands-on experience and demonstrated proficiency, AFEs may advance to roles such as Field Engineer, Project Engineer, or Site Manager after gaining additional experience and/or certifications. Career growth may also involve specialization in areas such as structural, civil, or mechanical engineering, depending on the type of projects you work on. Companies value AFEs who are proactive, detail-oriented, and committed to learning, making this a great entry-level role for those aspiring to higher technical or managerial positions.

What are the most commonly searched types of Afe jobs in California?

The most popular types of Afe jobs in California are:

Infographic showing various Afe job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 97% Full Time, 1% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $66,941 per year, or $32.2 per hour.

Coherent Systems Architect - Mixed Signal AFE development

Nokia

San Jose, CA • On-site

$159K - $295K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 29 days ago


Nokia rating

7.9

Company rating: 7.9 out of 10

Based on 6 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

30th of 99 rated telecommunications companies


Job description


We are seeking a hands-on Coherent RF Architect to lead silicon bring-up, validation, and production test development for a mixed-signal Analog Front-End (AFE) featuring high-speed DACs, ADCs, PLL/clocking , and the RF electrical interface to the Transmitter and Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly (TROSA) used in the optical coherent pluggable. The role owns end-to-end AFE characterization, from bench measurement and automation through correlation to simulation test coverage.
NION2026
Responsibilities
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Silicon Bring-up & Debug

  • Own first-silicon bring-up for DAC/ADC/PLL blocks: power-up sequencing, register access, clock tree bring-up, and initial functional validation.

  • Debug mixed-signal issues across domains (clocking, analog biasing, digital control, interfaces, and test modes).

  • Create debug playbooks and "known-good" procedures to accelerate lab triage and cross-team communication.

  • Full AFE Characterization (Bench + Automation)

  • DAC: SFDR, IMD, THD, SNR, ENOB, spurs vs. output amplitude, output frequency, sampling frequency, temperature, supply, and code format; static linearity where applicable.

  • ADC: SNR, ENOB, SFDR, interleaving mismatch (offset/gain/timing), harmonic/spurious behavior, clock sensitivity.

  • PLL/Clocking: phase noise, integrated jitter, spur analysis, jitter transfer/tolerance where relevant to the system.

  • AFE-level metrics: frequency response, passband ripple, impedance/termination impact, crosstalk, noise coupling, and sensitivity to board/connector effects.

  • Design experiments for PVT sweeps and margin analysis; develop guard-banding strategies aligned to production realities.

  • RF characterization of TROSA

  • Characterize RF electrical behavior of the Transmitter and Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly, including bandwidth, frequency response, impedance matching, insertion and return loss, Gain, noise figure (where applicable), and linearity.

  • Work closely with photonics, SiGe IC, and module teams to correlate electrical AFE performance to optical metrics.

  • Support electro-optical (E/O) and opto-electrical (O/E) RF validation for coherent transmit and receive chains.

  • Measurement Infrastructure & Data Analytics

  • Build and maintain automated measurement systems using Python and standard instrument control (SCPI/PyVISA).

  • Use robust data practices: versioned test scripts, metadata capture, calibration traceability, and reproducible analysis notebooks.

  • Create dashboards/reports summarizing performance trends, correlations, and anomalies.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration & Requirements

  • Work with design teams to define: test hooks, observability, calibration registers, and design-for-test requirements for analog blocks.

  • Define measurable acceptance criteria aligned to coherent system requirements.

  • Collaborate closely with Analog/RF design, SiGe IC teams, DSP, Signal Integrity (SI), photonics, module, and manufacturing teams.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications
  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics with experience in mixed-signal silicon test/validation/characterization, high-speed electronics or systems.

  • Strong fundamentals in high speed electronics and practical experience with test equipment such as high bandwidth oscilloscopes, phase noise analyzer, spectrum analyzer, VNA.

  • Experience characterizing high-speed RF and mm-wave interconnects, amplifiers, and components

  • Solid automation skills in Python including data pipelines and plotting.

  • Ability to read schematics, understand board-level effects, and debug signal integrity/power integrity interactions.

  • Comfortable in a fast-moving lab environment: hands-on probing, rework coordination, fixture bring-up

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with optical coherent systems and coherent transceiver architectures.

  • Experience with MZ modulator drivers (MZMD) and TIAs in coherent links.

  • Experience with high-speed data converters, interleaved ADCs, and calibration techniques.

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