Staff Hardware Design Engineer

General Overview

Job Title:  Staff Engineer, Hardware Design
Functional Area:  Engineering (ENG)
Career Stream:  Design Engineering Hardware (DHW)
Role:  Staff Engineer (SEN)
Job Code:  SEN-ENG-DHW
Job Band: 10
Direct/Indirect Indicator:  Indirect

Summary

The Staff Engineer, PCB Technology Expert leads and supports the design, fabrication, and assembly of advanced printed circuit boards. This role requires deep technical expertise in PCB materials, stack-up design, signal integrity, manufacturing processes, and reliability. The expert will work cross-functionally with electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and supplier teams to ensure robust, high-performance PCB solutions from concept through production.

Detailed Description

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

Technical Leadership

• Serve as the subject-matter expert for PCB technology, materials, fabrication, and assembly processes

• Define PCB design standards, best practices, and design-for-manufacturing (DFM/DFA/DFR) guidelines

• Review and approve complex PCB designs, stack-ups, and fabrication drawings

Design & Engineering

• Develop and optimize multilayer PCB stack-ups (HDI, rigid, flex, rigid-flex)

• Analyze and mitigate signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, and thermal issues

• Select appropriate materials (FR-4, high-speed laminates, polyimide, etc.)

• Support high-speed, high-power PCB designs

Manufacturing & Supplier Interface

• Collaborate with PCB fabricators and assemblers to ensure manufacturability and yield

• Resolve fabrication and assembly issues (via-in-pad, microvias, delamination, warpage, defects)

• Evaluate and qualify new PCB technologies, processes, and suppliers

• Support cost reduction, yield improvement, and process optimization initiatives

Reliability & Compliance

• Drive PCB reliability testing (thermal cycling, vibration, humidity, CAF, solder joint reliability)

• Ensure compliance with industry standards (IPC, UL, RoHS, REACH)

• Perform failure analysis and root cause investigations

Cross-Functional Support

• Mentor junior engineers and designers

• Support product development, NPI, and sustaining engineering teams

• Provide technical input during design reviews and program milestones
  
  

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

Technical Skills

• Expert knowledge of:

  • PCB materials and laminate systems

  • HDI, microvias, blind/buried vias

  • Signal & power integrity principles

  • PCB fabrication and assembly processes

• Familiarity with PCB CAD tools (Altium, Cadence Allegro etc.)

• Strong understanding of IPC standards (IPC-2221, IPC-6012, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610)

• Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-reliability electronics

• Knowledge of advanced packaging or embedded component PCBs

• Experience working directly with global PCB manufacturers

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills

• Excellent communication and documentation abilities

• Ability to influence technical decisions across teams

• Mentorship and leadership mindset

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

Experience

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in PCB design, fabrication, or advanced electronics manufacturing

• Proven experience with complex, high-layer-count or high-speed PCBs

Typical Education

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

• 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.