Senior Principal, Design Engineering

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Date: Mar 5, 2026

Location: San Jose, CA, US

Company: Celestica International LP

Req ID: 131895 
Region: Americas 
Country: USA 
State/Province: California 
City:  San Jose 

Detailed Description

 
- AI Architecture & Development: Lead the hands-on design and coding of RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures and agentic workflows. Build systems that allow hardware engineers to "query" complex design rules and legacy data with high accuracy.
- Engineering Data Strategy: Write custom Python scripts and parsers to extract structured intelligence from diverse sources, including PDF datasheets, EDA output files, Netlists, and complex block diagrams.
- Model Optimization & Tuning: Execute fine-tuning runs for foundation models (e.g., Gemini/Vertex AI) using proprietary historical data to create a domain-specific expert model for hardware design.
- Multimodal Analysis: Develop capabilities for AI to interpret visual engineering data, such as thermal heatmaps, mechanical drawings, and circuit diagrams, to automate technical documentation and manuals.
- Predictive Analytics: Implement "Shift-Left" algorithms that utilize historical yield and manufacturing data to predict potential defects during the early stages of the design cycle.
- Vector Database Management: Build and optimize the vectorization pipeline (using Pinecone, Milvus, or similar) to ensure the AI can retrieve specific design rules without "hallucinations."
- Technical Leadership: Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for AI/ML within the engineering organization, providing guidance on tool integration and automating workflows within EDA suites.
 
Other Duties
 
- Manage relationships with key AI research partners and cloud vendors.
- Research emerging AI/ML trends and develop implementation plans for the engineering roadmap.
- Design and implement systems that meet both internal efficiency goals and customer-specific design standards.
- Liaise with hardware SMEs, software teams, and external contractors to ensure tool adoption.
- Recommend system modifications based on user feedback from the engineering floor.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

Must-Have Skills
 
- The "Builder" DNA: Strong evidence of building and deploying AI-powered applications.
- Python Mastery: Ability to write clean, scalable, and efficient Python code.
- Data Wrangling: Ability to extract signals from unstructured data, including complex technical PDFs and log files.
- Product Sense: Demonstrated ability to turn user requirements into functional AI features.
 
Good-to-Have Skills
 
- Hardware Curiosity: Interest in PCBs, schematics, and manufacturing processes.
-Knowldge in Hardware design tools e.g: Cadence Allegro, Siemens 
- Cloud Fluency: Experience with Google Vertex AI or similar enterprise platforms.
- Background in Complex Systems for e.g: Experience in  datacenter solutions for Hyperscalers 
- Advanced Degrees: MS or PhD in a relevant field (EE, Computer enginerring, Computer Science)  or a strong portfolio of technical leadership.

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 overnight travel is required.

 

Salary

Salary Range: $190k-$27-k Annually

The salary range described in this posting is an estimate by the Company, and may change based on several factors, including by not limited to a change in the duties covered by the job posting, or the credentials, experience or geographic jurisdiction of the successful candidate. 

 

Compensation includes the Base Salary and the target Short-Term Incentive (STI)/ bonus.  A comprehensive benefits package is offered in addition to this.


.

Typical Experience

10 to 15+ years of related experience 

Typical Education

Bachelor of Engineering (EE/ Computer Science/ Computer Engineering) 

- Advanced Degrees: MS or PhD in a relevant field (EE, Computer enginerring, Computer Science)  or a strong portfolio of technical leadership.

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.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Celestica's policy on equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran or disability status, or other characteristics protected by law. 
This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

 

COMPANY OVERVIEW:
Celestica (NYSE, TSX: CLS) enables the world's best brands. Through our recognized customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in Aerospace and Defense, Communications, Enterprise, HealthTech, Industrial, Capital Equipment and Energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development – from drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services for products from advanced medical devices, to highly engineered aviation systems, to next-generation hardware platform solutions for the Cloud. Headquartered in Toronto, with talented teams spanning 40+ locations in 13 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.

 

Celestica would like to thank all applicants, however, only qualified applicants will be contacted.
Celestica does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies or fee based recruitment services.

This location is a US ITAR facility and these positions will involve the release of export controlled goods either directly to employees or through the employee's movement within the facility. As such, Celestica will require necessary information from all applicants upon an applicant's acceptance of employment to determine if any export control exemptions or licenses must be filed.


Nearest Major Market: San Jose
Nearest Secondary Market: Palo Alto
Job Segment: Facilities, Computer Science, Cloud, Aerospace Engineering, Design Engineer, Operations, Technology, Engineering

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