Senior PCB Designer

Vector Atomic•Pleasanton, CA

1d•$130,000 - $155,000

About The Position

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, is seeking a Senior PCB Designer to develop PCBAs and supporting electronics for R&D initiatives and commercial products. The role collaborates with design engineers, physicists, and test engineers to create custom PCBs for precision sensor systems and help turn quantum technologies into practical solutions. The designer reviews requirements; develops schematics, footprints, component placement, and routing for multilayer boards with digital, analog, and power circuits; applies design rules and defines stack-ups and via strategies; and updates layouts based on engineering reviews. The role also addresses BOM and design-rule issues, evaluates manufacturability, prepares fabrication and assembly documentation, coordinates with fabricators and assembly vendors, maintains design records in the PLM system, supports revisions and engineering change orders, and assists with board bring-up, troubleshooting, and validation. Candidates must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements. The position is based in a hands-on environment and includes competitive compensation and benefits. The stated base salary range is $130,000–$155,000 per year; total compensation may also include bonus, equity, and benefits.

Requirements

Technical degree, relevant certification, or equivalent hands-on industry or military experience.
5–8 years of professional PCB layout experience, including PCBA fabrication and manufacturing support.
Strong understanding of PCB layout fundamentals, including component placement, routing, planes, and vias.
Comfort working in a laboratory environment.
Must meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident, or qualifying refugee or asylee.
Understanding of grounding strategies and power routing in practical PCB design.
Strong background in general electronics and electronic systems.
Experience working with laboratory instrumentation and electronic test equipment.
Proficiency with modern PCB design tools; Altium Designer is preferred.
Experience designing high-density layouts with HDI requirements and multilayer boards.
Deep knowledge of PCB fabrication processes and manufacturing documentation.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing boards with controlled impedance, including differential-pair routing and tight length-matching requirements.
Background in mixed-signal or low-noise analog circuit design environments.
Curiosity and motivation to expand knowledge of electronics fundamentals.
IPC certifications related to electronics or PCB design.
Experience designing to or updating documentation for RoHS, CE, EMI/EMC, or UL compliance.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with design engineers and physicists to develop custom PCBs for precision sensor systems.
Review design requirements and develop schematics, custom footprints, component placement, and signal routing for multilayer PCBAs containing digital, analog, and power circuits.
Apply established design rules and define PCB layer stack-ups and via strategies; update layouts based on engineering design-review feedback.
Perform BOM scrubbing, resolve DRC issues, and review designs for manufacturability.
Prepare fabrication and assembly documentation, including BOMs, Gerber/ODB++ files, drill files, and manufacturing drawings.
Work directly with PCB fabricators and assembly vendors to address build questions and resolve parts-procurement issues.
Maintain organized design files, libraries, and documentation within the PLM system and support PCB revisions and engineering change orders (ECOs).
Collaborate with test engineers on board bring-up, troubleshooting, and validation.