Principal/Sr. Principal PCB Producibility Engineer
About The Position
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. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission! Northrop Grumman offers challenging career opportunities in Hardware Engineering within the Mission Systems Sector that play a key role in the mission to protect our military personnel. 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. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking an experienced Principal/Sr. Principal Design Engineer to join its Design Layout Technology team. The Principal/Sr. Principal Design Engineer uses their expert knowledge in Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication to generate and maintain design rules, perform design for manufacturing checks, generate PCB notes for fabrication. Calculates layer stack-up based on industry standards, supplier capabilities, and engineering requirements. Utilizes computer-aided design graphic tools such as Cadence Allegro and Valor NPI to generate the required electronic data file outputs for fabrication and manufacturing and runs design for manufacturing checks. Uses their excellent communication skills to be the team's main interface with CCA and PCB suppliers. Understands technical theories of electrical and mechanical behavior of PCBs to influence layout decisions (i.e. impedance matching, differential pairs, strains and stresses, orientation of components, etc.)
Requirements
- 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.
- The ability to obtain/maintain an Active DoD Secret Clearance.
- US Citizenship is required.
Nice To Haves
- 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.
- Expert 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 dynamic environment with cross-functional teams and support multiple projects simultaneously.
- Expert written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting technical concepts to cross functional teams.
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, generate and 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, schedule targets.
- Utilizes computer-aided design graphic tools such as Cadence Allegro, Siemens Expedition, Polar SpeedStack and Valor NPI to generate the required electronic data file outputs for fabrication and manufacturing.
- Review PCB documentation for fabrication concerns, including PCB drawings, parts lists, and electronic data.
- Effectively read and understand all elements of the 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 any PCB issues.
- Collaborate with cross functional team—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, create multi-layer board designs that meet signal integrity, power distribution, and EMC requirements.
- Build strong working relationships with internal and external PCB fabricators and PCB designers to understand capabilities, industry standards, and technology trends.
Benefits
- Relocation assistance may be available
- health insurance coverage
- life and disability insurance
- savings plan
- Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
- overtime
- shift differential
- a discretionary bonus
- Annual bonuses
- Long Term Incentives (for VP or Director positions)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
