PCB Designer

northwoodspace • Los Angeles, CA

6h • $100,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Northwood is looking for a PCB Designer to help drive the physical layout and development of our next-generation digital compute and power electronics. These complex boards ensure that our antennas can meet high-rate processing needs no matter where they are deployed around the world. As a PCB Designer at Northwood, you won’t just be routing traces; you will partner closely with our Electrical, RF, and Antenna engineers from concept to production, providing layout expertise to deliver hardware known for its reliability, scalability, and cost.

Requirements

• 3–5+ years of professional experience in complex, high-density PCB layout (or a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering/related field with 2+ years of experience).
• Proficient in high-speed layout techniques (impedance control, differential pairs, length matching, and crosstalk mitigation).
• Experience with advanced packaging technologies, including fine-pitch BGAs, high-pin-density components, and microvias (HDI).
• Knowledge of PCB materials, dielectric properties, and developing multi-layer board stackups.
• Familiarity with layout considerations for EMI/EMC mitigation and robust power delivery networks (PDN).

Nice To Haves

• 5+ years of experience designing high-speed, mixed-signal PCBs for FPGA, processor, or high-performance networking systems.
• Deep expertise in routing high-speed interfaces such as multi-gigabit SerDes, DDR memory, JESD204B/C, and 10/100G Ethernet.
• Advanced proficiency in industry-standard ECAD tools (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or Siemens Xpedition).
• Strong understanding of IPC standards (e.g., IPC-2221, IPC-7351) and commercial manufacturing tolerances.
• Experience with ECAD/MCAD co-design and integration workflows (e.g., SolidWorks, STEP files) for tight mechanical constraints.
• Experience with scripting or automation (e.g., Python, Skill, or Altium scripts) to optimize layout workflows.
• Excellent communication skills and a proven ability to make sound layout tradeoffs in a fast-paced, collaborative hardware environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the physical layout of complex, high-density, and high-layer-count PCBs featuring high-speed digital, RF, mixed-signal, and power distribution systems.
• Determine optimum layer stackups, perform component placement, routing feasibility studies, and manage strict high-speed constraint rules.
• Perform ECAD library creation, management, and maintenance for a wide array of active, passive, and high-pin-count components.
• Collaborate across hardware and production teams to ensure strict adherence to Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) guidelines.
• Generate and release comprehensive documentation packages for fabrication and assembly (Gerbers, ODB++, IPC-2581, drill charts, fabrication drawings).
• Work closely with external PCB fabrication and assembly vendors to resolve technical queries (EQs) and continuously improve internal design rules.
• Utilize and evaluate advanced PCB design tools, maintaining internal design standards and automation scripts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree