PCB Component Engineer

Arista Networks•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced PCB Component Engineer to spearhead our printed circuit board design, layout, and manufacturing readiness strategies. In this role, you will act as the ultimate technical authority and gatekeeper between our hardware layout teams and manufacturing partners. You will own the entire PCB lifecycle from schematic capture and advanced stack-up architecture through high-yield mass production, ensuring unparalleled signal integrity, reliability, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM). Arista Component Engineers work closely with Design Engineers, Supply Chain Management, and New Product Introduction Engineers to identify new components, drive an alternate sourcing strategy, and successfully launch products and sustain them in production. Component Engineers are responsible for ensuring components meet quality, reliability, and assurance of supply requirements for use in Arista products. Component Engineers report to the Component Engineering Manager.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
8+ years of direct, hands-on experience in PCB design, layout, and fabrication management.
Mastery of advanced ECAD suites, specifically Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or Siemens Xpedition, along with automated validation tools like Valor NPI.
Comprehensive understanding of PCB fabrication processes (e.g., plating, etching, lamination, drilling aspect ratios) and raw material properties (laminates, resins, copper foils).
Working knowledge of IPC standards (IPC-2221, IPC-6012, IPC-7351) and quality frameworks (DOE, DFMEA).

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree (M.S.) in Electrical Engineering or Materials Science.
Formally certified as an IPC Certified Interconnect Designer (CID or CID+).
Prior experience managing layout teams in high-volume consumer electronics or high-reliability (aerospace/automotive) environments.

Responsibilities

Partner with Arista development engineers, commodity teams, and suppliers to create innovative PCB solutions
Assess and qualify PCB suppliers
Contribute to the development of PCB commodity strategy
Participate in the supplier selection process
Take part in technical and process audits of suppliers as needed
Lead PCB failure analysis and drive containment, corrective actions, and risk assessment
Work closely with manufacturing and engineering teams to resolve complex technical issues
Collaborate with cross-functional teams across the organization
Effectively communicate complex technical concepts and solutions
Lead and mentor a team of PCB layout designers, establishing standardized design methodologies, library management practices, and component footprint guidelines.
Drive architectural decisions for complex, multi-layer, high-density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards incorporating microvias, blind/buried vias, and advanced material stack-ups.
Enforce strict Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Testing (DFT) guidelines to maximize production yield and eliminate vendor Engineering Questions (EQs).
Collaborate closely with hardware and SI/PI engineers to implement constraint-driven routing for high-speed digital interfaces (e.g., PCIe, DDR4/DDR5, USB4) and RF circuits.
Technical point of contact for external fabrication and assembly partners. Map and align internal design constraints to tier-1 vendor capabilities.
Lead failure analysis investigations (8D, FMEA) for PCB fabrication or assembly defects, implementing robust corrective actions.
Optimizing component spacing, orientation, fiducial placement, and thermal relief pads to prevent defects like tombstoning.
Integrating test points, boundary scan paths, and fixture access areas without compromising signal integrity.
High proficiency in automated validation tools like Valor NPI, Altium DFM Check, or Allegro Constraint Manager.
Aligning design constraints to the explicit capabilities of specific tier-1 and tier-2 fabrication facilities.
Evaluating and approving fabricator Engineering Questions (EQs) regarding material substitutions or copper etching adjustments.