Principle Manufacturing PCB DFX Engineer Verified today

About the Role

You will own the end-to-end hardware design integration of TeraWave modules to power architecture, embedded management controllers, and high-speed PCB layout. As a foundational element of TeraWave operations, hardware must be architected for performance, manufacturability, testability, reliability, and serviceability at constellation scale. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has designed and shipped complex electronic products in fast-moving environments.

Hardware Design, Integration & Test

• Lead multi-layer PCB design for switch line cards: stackup definition, impedance-controlled routing, thermal management, and DFM
• Manage CCA BOM procurement, vendor coordination, and assembly oversight

Design for Excellence (DFX)

• Drive Design for Excellence principles (DFM, DFT, DFA, DFR, DFS) across the full switching subsystem lifecycle to ensure hardware scales from prototype through volume production for TeraWave operations
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Optimize PCB stackups, component footprints, and assembly processes to maximize yield and minimize cost at constellation-scale production volumes
• Design for Test (DFT): Architect built-in test structures, boundary scan (JTAG), test points, and automated test coverage to enable efficient factory acceptance and in-field diagnostics
• Design for Assembly (DFA): Simplify component placement, connector selection, and mechanical integration to reduce assembly time and error rates
• Design for Reliability (DFR): Apply derating, worst-case circuit analysis, FMEA, and reliability prediction to ensure long-duration operation in the orbital environment
• Design for Serviceability/Supply Chain (DFS): Coordinate with supply chain and manufacturing partners to drive component standardization, second-sourcing strategies, and obsolescence mitigation
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to define acceptance criteria, drive yield optimization, and support production ramp for sustained TeraWave operations

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of experience in hardware design, power electronics, or embedded systems in a product development environment
• Experience designing multi-layer PCBs with high-speed digital interfaces and mixed-signal power distribution; proficiency in Altium, Cadence, or equivalent
• Hands-on experience designing and integrating high-speed Ethernet switch hardware, including network processors (NPUs), SerDes interfaces, and optical or copper PHY technologies
• Demonstrated application of DFX principles (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR) in bringing hardware from design into volume production
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering
• 15+ years of relevant experience
• Experience with radiation effects on electronics (SEE, TID, displacement damage) and mitigation techniques
• Experience designing electronics for space, aviation, or other high-reliability thermal-vacuum environments
• Experience with FPGA or ASIC integration in board management or data-path contexts
• Background in production hardware including comprehensive DFX practices (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR), supply chain coordination, and yield optimization at scale
• Hands-on environmental qualification testing (TVAC, vibration, EMI/EMC)

Compensation & Location

Base pay range for CA applicants: $183,193.00 - $256,469.85. Other site ranges may differ. Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates. Travel up to 50%.

Requirements

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Standard background check required.