Senior/Principal Design Engineer (Board Design)

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Kforce's client, a growing Engineering Technology company located in Costa Mesa, CA, is seeking a Senior or Principal Hardware Design Engineer (Board Design). We are working directly with the hiring manager on this search assignment.

Summary:
This company offers a competitive compensation package including base salary, annual bonus and Stock/RSU's. The Board Design Engineer will be responsible for designing and developing circuit boards, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure design accuracy, performing design validation and verification, and troubleshooting any design-related issues. The role also involves maintaining documentation and ensuring compliance with industry standards, and will lead the development of Design Verification Test (DVT) platforms for validating high-speed transceiver technologies. This role is critical to ensuring signal integrity, performance, and compliance of next-generation wireline communication systems. (This position is 5 days onsite)

Responsibilities:
* Architect and design high-performance DVT boards for validating transceiver technologies across multiple generations and protocols (e.g., PCIe, Ethernet, PAM4)
* Collaborate with cross-functional teams including RFIC designers, system architects, packaging, and test engineers to define board-level requirements and validation strategies
* Select components, create schematics, and oversee PCB layout optimized for signal integrity, power delivery, and thermal performance
* Develop and execute test plans for electrical characterization, including jitter, eye diagram, BER, impedance, and crosstalk measurements
* Experience integrating with lab instrumentation (e.g., VNA, BERT, Oscilloscopes) is preferred
* Debug and optimize board-level performance to meet stringent specifications for high-speed links
* Document design processes, validation results, and provide feedback to silicon and system teams

REQUIREMENTS:
* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics or similar field
* 3-7+ years of experience in high-speed board design and validation
* Proficiency in PCB design tools (e.g., Cadence Allegro, Altium or similar) and simulation tools (e.g., SI/PI analysis, HFSS, ADS)
* Strong understanding of signal integrity, power integrity, and high-speed layout techniques
* Experience with lab equipment and/or RF/Digital test methodologies
* Excellent problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills

Preferred:
* Familiarity with protocol compliance testing (e.g., IEEE, USB, PCIe)
* Knowledge of thermal and mechanical constraints in board design
* Experience with test automation and data analysis tools
* Will consider candidates from various industries that are highly regulated such as Aerospace, Semiconductor, Medical Device, etc.
* Experience with Transceiver technologies or other high-speed design is a plus
* Automate test setups using scripting languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB) is a plus
* Experience with the Design of DVT boards would be a plus

The pay range is the lowest to highest compensation we reasonably in good faith believe we would pay at posting for this role. We may ultimately pay more or less than this range. Employee pay is based on factors like relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, location, performance, union contract and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.

We offer comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance, HSA, FSA, 401(k), and life, disability & ADD insurance to eligible employees. Salaried personnel receive paid time off. Hourly employees are not eligible for paid time off unless required by law. Hourly employees on a Service Contract Act project are eligible for paid sick leave.

Note: Pay is not considered compensation until it is earned, vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any compensation remains in Kforce's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified in its discretion consistent with the law.

This job is not eligible for bonuses, incentives or commissions.

Kforce is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

By clicking ?Apply Today? you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages or emails from Kforce and its affiliates, and service providers. Note that if you choose to communicate with Kforce via text messaging the frequency may vary, and message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You will always have the right to cease communicating via text by using key words such as STOP.