PCB Design & Validation Engineer

About the Role

Cspeed IO is a stealth startup backed by Sutter Hill Ventures and Atreides Capital, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. Our executive team has a demonstrated track record of building and scaling category-defining semiconductor and infrastructure businesses. We are developing next-generation optical semiconductor solutions for the AI infrastructure market, focused on enabling true "scale-up" architectures by replacing traditional copper interconnects with advanced fiber-optic technologies.

We are seeking a PCB Design & Validation Engineer to own the design of test/eval boards and lead validation of our high-speed optical transceivers. You will design the PCB platforms that enable development and characterization, with the opportunity to lead PCB design for the transceiver module itself.

Responsibilities

• PCB Design
  • Own schematic capture, component selection, and layout for test/eval boards, development platforms, and transceiver module PCBs
  • Design multi-layer, controlled-impedance boards with high-speed NRZ routing, mixed-signal considerations, and PDN design
  • Manage DRC, fab outputs (Gerbers, assembly drawings), vendor coordination; maintain schematic/footprint libraries
• Validation & Characterization
  • Develop and execute validation plans covering silicon, module, and system-level testing with defined pass/fail criteria
  • Characterize SerDes performance (jitter, eye diagrams, BER, equalization) and validate data pipeline throughput across PVT corners
  • Validate optical subsystems (laser/modulator power, extinction ratio, wavelength stability; mux/demux isolation, insertion loss)
  • Test MCU firmware interactions, boot sequences, EEPROM integrity, I2C compliance, and CMIS register map implementation
  • Execute host interop testing, standards compliance (IEEE 802.3, CMIS, OIF), and reliability sequences (HTOL, thermal cycling)
  • Build test setups and Python automation; create data analysis pipelines; document procedures and results

Requirements

• 5+ years in PCB design and/or hardware validation for high-speed digital/optical systems
• Proficiency with PCB design tools (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or equivalent); multi-layer boards with controlled impedance
• Hands-on high-speed serial link validation: eye diagrams, BER testing, jitter analysis, S-parameters
• Proficiency with lab instrumentation: real-time oscilloscopes, BERT, optical power meters, VNA, TDR
• Understanding of transceiver architectures and subsystems (SerDes, TIA, driver, laser, modulator)
• Python scripting for test automation; familiarity with I2C, SPI, and serial protocols
• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with NRZ optical transceiver validation and silicon characterization across PVT corners
• Familiarity with SI/PI simulation tools (HyperLynx, HFSS, ADS); flex-rigid or HDI PCB design experience
• Experience with CMIS or similar management interfaces; Ethernet compliance testing
• Knowledge of reliability testing methodologies (Telcordia, JEDEC) and FEC performance validation
• Experience in a startup or fast-paced development environment