Director, Design Engineering - Signal Integrity

Summary

As the Director, Engineering - Signal Integrity, you will be a pivotal strategic leader and subject matter expert, overseeing and guiding the complete lifecycle of digital PCB designs. This includes leading the technical direction from initial planning through rigorous lab verification and critical troubleshooting. You'll be responsible for managing a high-performing team of signal integrity engineers, fostering their development, and ensuring robust, high-quality product delivery. Your role will blend deep technical expertise in conducting advanced simulations, identifying and resolving complex signal integrity issues, and driving innovative electrical system and circuit development with crucial managerial oversight in resource allocation, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic roadmapping. You will enhance designs based on comprehensive feedback, ensuring our leading-edge products meet stringent performance, reliability, and manufacturing standards.

Detailed Description

Performs tasks such as, but not limited to, the following:

• Provides strategic leadership for all signal integrity engineering initiatives, aligning with overall product and business objectives.
• Manages and mentors a team of signal integrity engineers, fostering their technical growth and career development.
• Spearhead the planning of complex digital PCB designs, incorporating signal integrity best practices from the outset.
• Perform detailed simulations to predict and prevent signal integrity issues, ensuring optimal performance and compliance.
• Conduct rigorous lab verification and testing of designed systems to validate performance and identify potential issues.
• Expertly diagnose and resolve intricate signal integrity challenges on completed and existing designs.
• Provide essential feedback and insights on signal integrity concerns during design reviews of critical PCBs.
• Innovate and create new electrical systems and circuits for leading-edge products, from conceptualization to implementation.
• Accurately translate system ideas into detailed schematics and comprehensive system specifications.
• Thoroughly test, simulate, validate, and qualify designed systems, making necessary adjustments for optimal performance and reliability.
• Allocates resources effectively across multiple projects, managing priorities and ensuring timely completion of signal integrity tasks.
• Collaborates with senior leadership from other engineering disciplines, product management, and sales to define product roadmaps and technical requirements.
• Drives continuous improvement in signal integrity methodologies, tools, and processes.
• Acts as a primary technical liaison with key customers and suppliers regarding signal integrity capabilities and issues.
• Work closely with other designers, customers, manufacturing engineering, and project leadership within cross-functional teams to ensure robust and high-quality product development.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

• Expert in PCB design fundamentals, including single-ended and differential signals.
• Proficient in managing signal integrity challenges such as signal loss, impedance control, and crosstalk (near-end and far-end).
• Extensive experience with single-ended and differential signaling up to 50Gbps.
• Skilled in working with component models (Touchstone files) and cascading them to create comprehensive system models for simulation.
• Experienced in simulating digital interfaces (FPGA to DRAM, SERDES) and analog paths (PCB, connector, cable from signal driver to DUT).
• Proficient with 2D and 3D simulation tools (e.g., ADS, ANSYS HFSS, Sigrity).
• Capable of electrical length calculations for signal matching.
• Familiar with interpreting signals in both frequency (S-parameter) and time domains to assess suitability for applications.
• Highly proficient in generating and interpreting data-eye diagrams up to 50Gbps for NRZ and PAM4.
• Proficient with Allegro or similar layout tools and schematics.
• Expertise in PCB stack-up design, considering fabrication limitations and cost trade-offs.
• Experience with high-frequency board materials.
• Significant experience in measuring signal performance in the lab, including TDR and VNA measurements.
• Able to develop test fixtures, from custom test boards to ad hoc probing solutions for troubleshooting.
• Expert in balancing cost vs. performance tradeoffs in signal path design.
• Experience with flex circuit design for high-speed signaling.
• Proven leadership and management experience, including building, developing, and inspiring high-performing engineering teams.
• Exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to define and implement long-term technical roadmaps.
• Strong project and program management skills with a track record of successfully delivering complex engineering initiatives.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and adapt to evolving technological landscapes.
• Solid understanding of business acumen and how engineering decisions impact product success and profitability

Physical Demands

• Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
• Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data.
• Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
• Occasional travel may be required

Typical Experience

• 12+ years experience with High Speed Signal Delivery Design and Evaluation. This includes both signal integrity within a PCB and off the board (board to board connectors, ribbon cables, coaxial cable, etc.).
• Minimum of 5 years in a technical leadership or engineering management role.

Typical Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with emphasis in electromagnetic theory. Master's degree preferred.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.