10+ years of experience in PCB component engineering or related fields.
Strong expertise in advanced PCB materials and their properties.
Extensive experience with Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles.
Deep understanding of PCB fabrication processes and reliability requirements.
Experience establishing manufacturing standards across engineering teams.
Working knowledge of PCB design tools like Cadence Allegro and Altium.
Strong technical leadership skills to influence cross-functional teams.
Responsibilities
Lead the evaluation and qualification of advanced PCB materials.
Develop and improve DFM guidelines across engineering teams.
Collaborate with design engineers to mitigate material and manufacturability risks.
Establish and enforce guidelines for material selection and fabrication capabilities.
Partner with management to align on technical requirements and processes.
Evaluate emerging PCB technologies to support complex products.
Review PCB designs for manufacturability and reliability compliance.
Benefits
Hybrid work model offering flexibility.
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge networking technology.
Engagement in high-impact projects with long product lifecycles.
Collaboration with cross-functional teams and technical leadership.
Professional development opportunities in advanced PCB technologies.
Full Job Description
PCB COMPONENT ENGINEER - SANTA CLARA, CA (HYBRID)
We're looking for a senior PCB Component Engineer with deep expertise in PCB materials and fabrication to serve as the technical authority for a leading builder of high-performance data center networking equipment. This role is a great fit for someone who knows how circuit boards are made and has written the rules that board designers follow.
This is not a PCB layout or design position. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in PCB fabrication, advanced materials, and centralized component engineering, with the technical leadership skills to develop, implement, and enforce manufacturing guidelines across complex networking hardware platforms.
What You'll Bring
10+ years of relevant experience in PCB component engineering, materials qualification, fabrication, or manufacturing engineering.
Strong expertise in advanced PCB materials, including laminate technologies, thermal properties, material selection, qualification, and long-term reliability.
Extensive experience with Design for Manufacturing (DFM), including developing, implementing, and enforcing PCB manufacturing guidelines and engineering standards.
Deep understanding of PCB fabrication processes, manufacturing tolerances, material properties, and reliability requirements.
Experience establishing PCB manufacturing standards across multiple hardware engineering teams or product platforms.
Working knowledge of PCB design and DFM tools, including Cadence Allegro, Altium, Siemens Xpedition, and/or Siemens Valor.
Experience identifying and resolving manufacturability risks early in product development, including material selection, spacing, tolerances, and thermal requirements.
Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to influence engineering managers, directors, and cross-functional teams to adopt standardized manufacturing processes.
Experience evaluating and qualifying advanced PCB materials, manufacturing capabilities, and suppliers.
Background supporting complex electronic hardware with high reliability and long product lifecycle requirements.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline preferred
Bonus Experience
Experience within enterprise networking, server, storage, or data center hardware environments.
Background with Cisco, Juniper Networks, HPE, NetApp, or similar enterprise hardware manufacturers.
Previous experience in a centralized component engineering organization supporting multiple product lines.
Knowledge of high-density interconnect (HDI), advanced multilayer PCB stack-ups, and high-speed networking hardware.
Experience conducting PCB supplier technical audits and manufacturing site qualifications.
Familiarity with PCB failure analysis, root cause investigations, and corrective action methodologies such as 8D, FMEA, or DFMEA.
Experience developing organization-wide PCB design rules, material specifications, and manufacturing standards.
IPC certification or advanced knowledge of applicable IPC standards.
What You'll Do
Lead the identification, evaluation, and qualification of advanced PCB materials for next-generation networking hardware.
Develop, implement, and continuously improve Design for Manufacturing (DFM) guidelines across multiple hardware engineering teams.
Collaborate with hardware design engineers to identify and address PCB material, thermal, reliability, and manufacturability risks early in product development.
Establish and enforce manufacturing guidelines covering material selection, spacing, temperature requirements, tolerances, and fabrication capabilities.
Partner with engineering managers and directors to communicate technical requirements, secure alignment, and drive adoption of standardized PCB processes.
Evaluate emerging PCB technologies, advanced materials, and fabrication techniques to support increasingly complex networking products.
Work with suppliers and internal engineering teams to qualify new PCB materials and manufacturing capabilities.
Review PCB designs from a manufacturability and reliability perspective, ensuring compliance with established engineering standards.
Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and manufacturing readiness initiatives to improve product quality and prevent production issues.
Serve as a technical authority on PCB materials, fabrication processes, DFM, and component engineering across multiple product platforms.
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About The Select Group
The Select Group is a full-service recruiting firm specializing in the placement of top-tier technical professionals in the Information Technology, Engineering, and Healthcare industries. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Select Group has a nationwide presence with offices in major cities across the United States. The company has a strong focus on building long-term relationships with both clients and candidates, and prides itself on its ability to provide customized staffing solutions to meet the unique needs of each client. The Select Group has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States by Inc. Magazine.
