PCB Design Engineer

Actalent · Tualatin, OR · Yesterday

On-siteEngineering$62.5–$72.92/hrContract

About the role

This Sr. PCB Design Engineer role focuses on end-to-end development of highly complex, high-speed printed circuit board designs, from initial concept and schematic creation through manufacturing release. You will work in a dynamic, collaborative, multi-site engineering environment, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to deliver cutting-edge PCB solutions that meet demanding performance, quality, and manufacturability requirements.

This is a Contract position based out of Tualatin, OR, with a fully onsite work environment.

Responsibilities

Create schematics based on customer-defined and system-level specifications, ensuring electrical performance and manufacturability requirements are met.
Develop accurate component logical symbols and PCB footprints for new and existing parts, suitable for assembly and test houses.
Set up and maintain electrical, physical, and DFM design rules within Constraint Manager to support complex, multi-layer board designs.
Perform routing assessments and project feasibility studies to evaluate design complexity, risk, and schedule impact.
Define assembly specifications and create detailed documentation to support manufacturing and test activities.
Create complete assembly and test packages for manufacturing, including fabrication files, drawings, and supporting documentation.
Execute full PCB design activities from data entry and schematic capture through layout, verification, and fabrication file generation.
Generate cost estimates to support marketing quotations and guide product and customer decision-making.
Attend product development meetings and critical kickoff meetings for initial product launches to align design activities with program objectives.
Define and set up CAD packages and design environments for off-shore design centers to ensure consistency and quality across sites.
Use Teamcenter to generate and manage part numbers, bills of materials (BOMs), and engineering change notices (ECNs) throughout the design lifecycle.
Perform thorough QA inspections on final design data to ensure completeness, accuracy, and adherence to quality standards.
Work closely with simulation engineers to meet signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) requirements for high-speed designs.
Collaborate with design-for-test (DFT) engineers to resolve test access issues and ensure robust test coverage.
Partner with design-for-assembly (DFA) engineers to identify and resolve assembly issues prior to or during build.
Coordinate with design-for-manufacturing (DFM) engineers to identify and resolve PCB fabrication process concerns and optimize yield.
Create interface board CAD templates for customer use to streamline future design activities and integration.
Own layout quality, schedules, and deliverables, taking technical responsibility for complex PCB designs with minimal supervision.
Establish layout standards and promote best practices within the PCB design team to improve consistency and efficiency.
Address technical questions from PCB fabrication shops related to plating processes, stack-ups, and fabrication details.
Handle the full design lifecycle from receiving schematics to manufacturing release, ensuring all design, documentation, and data outputs are complete.
Occasionally travel for training, off-site meetings, or product validation activities as needed.
Perform other related PCB design and documentation duties as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or equivalent technical degree.
Minimum of 7 years of experience in PCB layout and automated test systems.
Extensive hands-on experience with Cadence Allegro PCB Editor (including version 17.2) for complex board layout.
Strong proficiency in constraint management within Allegro for highly complex, multi-layer boards (e.g., up to 40-layer designs).
Demonstrated experience with high-speed PCB design at 1 Gbps and above, with exposure to designs approaching 40 Gbps.
Expertise in controlled impedance routing, including creation of controlled impedance stack-ups.
Strong experience with differential pair routing, equal length routing, and length matching to meet timing and signal integrity constraints.
Ability to understand and apply electrical properties of circuits, including critical nets, high current paths, impedance control requirements, and pin delays.
Ability to read and comprehend complex schematics, understand circuit function, update properties, and create simple schematics from pin lists.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat for documentation, communication, and reporting.
Experience with AutoCAD for mechanical and PCB-related drawings.
Proficiency with Cadence PCB design tools and familiarity with OrCAD or other schematic capture tools.
Experience using ODB++ and related verification and review tools (e.g., ViewMate, Valor) for pre-fabrication checks.
Comfort working as a career CAD/layout specialist, taking PCB schematics through layout to manufacturing documentation.
Ability to create PCB footprints for new parts that meet assembly house requirements and industry standards.
Understanding of PCB manufacturing processes, including plating, stack-up considerations, and fabrication file preparation.
Experience generating BOMs and preparing fabrication and assembly files, including Gerber and ODB++ outputs.
Ability to take technical ownership of layout quality, schedules, and deliverables, working independently on complex designs with minimal supervision.

Additional Qualifications

Experience with Teamcenter or similar PLM systems for managing part numbers, BOMs, and ECNs.
Experience working closely with SI/PI, DFT, DFA, and DFM engineering teams in a collaborative environment.
Experience performing routing assessments and feasibility studies for complex, multi-layer, high-speed boards.
Strong attention to detail and quality mindset, particularly in QA inspections of final design data.
Ability to define layout standards, promote best practices, and contribute to continuous improvement within a PCB design team.
Experience supporting off-shore design centers, including CAD environment setup and template creation.
Strong communication skills for interacting with cross-functional teams, manufacturing partners, and PCB fabrication shops.
Interest in designing at the cutting edge of PCB technology, including very high-speed and highly complex boards.
Ability to travel occasionally for training, off-site meetings, or product validation when required.

Work Environment

This role is based on-site five days per week in a collaborative engineering facility located in Tualatin. You will work in a dynamic, multi-site development environment that emphasizes close interaction with cross-functional teams, including simulation, test, assembly, and manufacturing engineering. The work involves extensive use of Cadence Allegro, OrCAD, AutoCAD, Teamcenter, and pre-fabrication verification tools such as ViewMate and Valor, as well as standard office productivity software. The environment focuses on designing some of the most advanced and complex high-speed boards in the industry, offering exposure to cutting-edge technology and challenging design problems. Typical work is performed in an office and lab setting, with standard business hours and occasional travel for training, off-site meetings, or product validation.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $62.50 - $72.92/hr.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)