Principal/Sr. Principal PCB Producibility Engineer

Relocation assistance may be available. This position requires an Active DoD Secret Clearance and U.S. Citizenship. Travel is required, approximately 10% of the time.

About the Role

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage, and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. The Hardware Engineering organization is dedicated to consistently providing high-quality product designs in support of multiple product areas.

The Design Data and Product Integrity Engineering (DDPIE) organization provides engineering support services for all programs at the Rolling Meadows campus, including Design Layout Technology, Configuration Management, Data Management, Drafting, Standards and Components, Product Follow, and Product Integrity Engineering.

We are seeking an experienced Principal/Sr. Principal Design Engineer to join our Design Layout Technology team. This role uses expert knowledge in Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication to generate and maintain design rules, perform design for manufacturing checks, and generate PCB notes for fabrication. The position is full-time and on-site at our Rolling Meadows, IL location.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support for the design of complex RF, Digital, Mixed Signal, and Power PCBs through all design phases.
• Advise on material selection, define stack-up, perform impedance calculations, and generate/maintain Design-for-Fabrication/Design-for-Manufacturing (DFF/DFM) specific routing rules, including fabrication drawing notes.
• Conduct DFF/DFM reviews to ensure PCB designs are producible and meet yield, cost, and schedule targets.
• Utilize computer-aided design tools such as Cadence Allegro, Siemens Expedition, Polar SpeedStack, and Valor NPI to generate required electronic data file outputs for fabrication and manufacturing.
• Review PCB documentation for fabrication concerns, including PCB drawings, parts lists, and electronic data.
• Read and understand all elements of Northrop Grumman technical data/drawing/specification packages and translate for suppliers and team members.
• Support internal design teams and PCB fabricators in addressing technical questions, reviewing revision notices, and investigating PCB issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—design teams, Global Supply Chain, PCB Category Management team, and PCB Fabricators—to support PCB sourcing strategy and supplier readiness reviews.
• Engage with Program, Engineering, and Factory Cells to aid in resolving supplier-related manufacturing issues.
• Assist with PCB layouts from component placement to routing, creating multi-layer board designs that meet signal integrity, power distribution, and EMC requirements.
• Build strong working relationships with internal and external PCB fabricators and designers to understand capabilities, industry standards, and technology trends.

Requirements

Principal PCB Producibility Engineer

• Bachelor’s Degree with 5 years of experience, master’s degree with 3 years of experience, or Ph.D. with 1 year of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields. An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• PCB Producibility, PCB design, or fabrication experience in a high-volume or high-complexity environment (digital, mixed signal, or RF).
• Experience with automated DFM review tools (Valor NPI, Genesis, CAM350, and Polar).
• Working knowledge of IPC 2221, IPC 6012 & 13, IPC 7351, and GD&T for PCB design.
• Ability to obtain/maintain an Active DoD Secret Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.

Senior Principal PCB Producibility Engineer

• Bachelor’s Degree with 8 years of experience, master’s degree with 6 years of experience, or Ph.D. with 4 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields. An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• PCB Producibility, PCB design, or fabrication experience in a high-volume or high-complexity environment (digital, mixed signal, or RF).
• Experience with automated DFM review tools (Valor NPI, Genesis, CAM350, and Polar).
• Working knowledge of IPC 2221, IPC 6012 & 13, IPC 7351, and GD&T for PCB design.
• Ability to obtain/maintain an Active DoD Secret Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• A current/active DoD Secret clearance.
• Expert working knowledge of PCB design, IPC Standards, PCB fabrication processes, and equipment.
• Familiarity with blind/buried vias, sequential lamination, and rigid-flex processes.
• Expertise in PCB fabrication tools such as Valor NPI, Genesis200, CAM350, and Polar.
• Experience in developing design tools and scripts (Python, C/C++, Valor NPI).
• Expert knowledge of Circuit Card Assembly manufacturing.
• Expert working knowledge of the Cadence Allegro and/or Siemens Xpedition software suite.
• Experience with complex RF/microwave PCB design or high-speed digital design (≥5 Gbps).
• Experience with advanced PCB Technology such as High-Density Interconnect (HDI) and/or Ultra HDI material and processing.
• Experience working directly with advanced high-complexity PCB fabricators.
• Willingness to travel to PCB Fabricators and Material Suppliers for technical collaboration.
• Familiarity with 3-D mechanical integration tools (SolidWorks, NX, Enovia).
• Flexibility and willingness to deal with diverse requirements and complex trade-offs, often outside of or beyond industry standards.
• Familiarity with Root Cause Correction Action (RCCA) methodology.
• Demonstrated success working in collaborative, fast-paced development teams.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment with cross-functional teams and support multiple projects simultaneously.
• Expert written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting technical concepts to cross-functional teams.

Pay

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $123,400.00 - $185,000.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers, such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills, and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business