PCB Designer

the Client•Longmont, CO

4d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior ECAD PCB Layout and Design Engineer, utilizing Mentor Xpedition PCB design tools, to lead the design and development of complex printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) supporting next-generation server and storage platforms, including high-density systems such as 2U24 Servers and 2U20 JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) architectures. This role requires deep expertise in Mentor Graphics tools, high-speed digital design, PCB architecture, signal integrity, power distribution, and system-level integration. The successful candidate will work closely with electrical, mechanical, thermal, firmware, manufacturing, and validation teams to deliver reliable, high-performance products that meet demanding performance, reliability, and compliance requirements. The engineer will serve as a technical leader throughout the product lifecycle from concept and architecture through schematic development, PCB implementation, validation, compliance testing, and production release.

Requirements

5–10 years of experience in complex PCB and PCBA design.
Extensive experience utilizing Mentor Xpedition tools for the design, layout, and routing of complex (up to 24 layers), high-speed printed circuit boards.
Proven experience designing boards for: Enterprise servers, Storage systems, Networking equipment, High-performance embedded platforms.
Experience interpreting vendor reference designs, compliance requirements, and chipset design guides.
Experience with modern ECAD design platforms such as: Siemens Xpedition, Cadence Allegro, Altium Designer, Equivalent enterprise-level ECAD tools.
High-Speed Design
PCIe Gen4/Gen5
SAS 12G/24G
SATA
NVMe
Ethernet 10G–400G
SERDES architectures
DDR4/DDR5
PCB Design
Mentor Graphics proficiency
Multilayer PCB design (up to 24 layers)
Controlled impedance routing
Differential pair design
Power distribution network design
Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
Design for Assembly (DFA)
Design for Test (DFT)
Strong expertise in high-speed digital design
Strong expertise in signal integrity fundamentals
Strong expertise in power integrity fundamentals
Strong expertise in PCB stack-up development
Strong expertise in EMI/EMC mitigation
Knowledge of DDR4/DDR5, PCIe, SAS, SATA, SERDES, and Ethernet technologies
Strong understanding of PCB fabrication and assembly processes
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.

Nice To Haves

Experience with 2U server, JBOD, JBOF, or storage enclosure architectures.
Familiarity with BMC, management controllers, and platform management interfaces.
Experience supporting SI/PI simulations using industry-standard tools.
Knowledge of thermal design considerations for high-density systems.
Experience working with ODMs, EMS providers, and external design partners.
Understanding of firmware-hardware interactions and platform bring-up activities.
Exposure to lifecycle management, sustaining engineering, and field failure analysis.

Responsibilities

Lead schematic capture, PCB architecture definition, component selection, and board-level design activities for server and storage products.
Design complex multilayer PCBAs supporting high-performance compute, storage, networking, and management functions.
Develop robust power distribution networks (PDN) and power sequencing solutions.
Ensure designs meet electrical, thermal, manufacturability, reliability, and cost objectives.
Design and validate high-speed interfaces including: PCI Express (Gen4/Gen5 and beyond), SAS (12G/24G), SATA, NVMe over PCIe, Ethernet interfaces (10G/25G/40G/100G/400G), DDR4 and DDR5 memory interfaces, High-speed backplane and SERDES-based interconnects.
Perform design reviews focused on: Controlled impedance implementation, Differential pair routing, Length matching, Return path continuity, Crosstalk mitigation, Via optimization and stub reduction, Power integrity and noise management.
Collaborate with chassis, mechanical, and thermal teams to ensure successful integration within dense server and storage enclosures.
Evaluate board placement, connector strategies, airflow constraints, serviceability requirements, and manufacturability.
Support architecture decisions that balance performance, reliability, cost, and mechanical constraints.
Lead cross-functional engineering reviews.
Develop and maintain PCB design guidelines, best practices, and reusable design methodologies.
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical oversight to outsourced layout resources when applicable.
Review external design deliverables to ensure adherence to product and company standards.
Partner with manufacturing, supplier quality, and NPI teams to support prototype builds and production ramp activities.
Investigate and resolve manufacturing, assembly, and field reliability issues.
Support DFM, DFA, and DFT initiatives.