Principal Hardware Engineer, SSD

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure hardware builds meet all firmware, system, performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements.
• Participate in system architecture definition, build reviews, requirements development, and product planning activities for SSD solutions.
• Conduct signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) analysis, simulation, validation, and characterization tasks.
• Document, communicate, and present build results and recommendations to collaborators.
• Evaluate and analyze build proposals, perform engineering tradeoff studies, and recommend efficient build solutions.
• Build hardware for high-volume manufacturing, incorporating Design for Excellence (DFx), cost optimization, reliability, and quality considerations.
• Own SSD hardware development activities throughout the complete product lifecycle, including schematic capture, simulations, worst-case analysis, component derating, validation, and production support.
• Define PCB stack-up specifications, signal transmission methods, component arrangement approaches, routing limitations, and board-level signal integrity/power integrity considerations.
• Work closely with firmware, validation, manufacturing, reliability, and customer support teams during development, qualification, and RMA investigations.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineers at early career stages and peers.
• Leverage AI-based tools and automation technologies to accelerate build, validation, debug, and engineering workflows.

Qualifications

• Self-motivated, diligent, and meticulous with a strong desire to solve complex technical challenges.
• Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills.
• Strong understanding of transmission line theory and high-speed signal propagation fundamentals.
• Solid knowledge of time-domain and frequency-domain analysis techniques.
• Extensive experience with high-speed PCB build, routing reviews, power distribution networks, and EMI/ESD mitigation techniques.
• Experience crafting solutions for signal integrity and power integrity in high-performance systems.
• Analog circuit build and simulation experience using SPICE or equivalent modeling tools.
• Familiarity with automated test methodologies and test automation frameworks is preferred.
• Hands-on SI laboratory experience measuring high-bandwidth signals (20-35 GHz range).
• Experience using PCIe compliance equipment and validation methodologies.
• Proficiency with schematic capture tools, PCB layout constraints, and board-level build verification.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and contribute to technical development within the team.