Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer — Circuit Design & Low-Noise/High-Speed PCB

Job Title

Staff/Principal Electrical Engineer — Circuit Design & Low-Noise/High-Speed PCB

Role Summary

Lead the electrical architecture for optical transceiver modules, owning mixed-signal, power, and high-speed PCB design from schematic through production. Direct a PCB layout engineer and work cross-functionally with photonics, firmware, test, NPI, and supply chain teams to deliver production-ready hardware.

Experience Level

Senior level (Staff / Principal). Placement depends on demonstrated scope and technical ownership.

Experience guidance provided by employer: BS: 10–15 years; MS: 8–12 years; PhD: 5–9 years.

Responsibilities

Accountable for end-to-end electrical design, PCB direction, and cross-functional delivery for transceiver and validation/control boards.

• Define and own electrical architecture for control and validation boards supporting PICs and transceiver modules.
• Create detailed schematics and review EE team deliverables using tools such as OrCAD, PADS, or Altium.
• Architect low-noise analog circuits, noise budgeting, grounding, and shielding for sensitive control loops.
• Design PDNs and power delivery for high-current, high-thermal-load systems; optimize power efficiency and EMI filtering.
• Design high-speed digital interfaces with impedance-controlled routing and signal-integrity practices; guide layout for SI and thermal management.
• Select and qualify components, develop second-source strategies, and manage long-lead/EOL risks with vendors.
• Direct PCB layout engineer across placement, routing, DFM, and manufacturing data release; enforce DFT/DFA/DFR practices.
• Own electrical design through prototype, DV, PV, and production readiness; collaborate on test procedure development and issue resolution.
• Maintain documentation and design governance (schematics, BOMs, assembly drawings, PLM part release).

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and demonstrated experience owning mixed-signal and high-speed PCB projects; leadership in cross-functional delivery.

• Proven track record owning electrical architecture for complex mixed-signal boards and transceiver or validation/control applications.
• Extensive mixed-signal design: low-noise analog, PDN design, power-efficiency optimization, thermal management, and EMI mitigation.
• Experience with power supply topologies (buck, boost, LDO) and EMI filtering strategies.
• Integration experience with MCU, SoC, ASIC, and FPGA platforms at board level.
• SPICE simulation proficiency for analog and power validation.
• Strong high-speed digital design skills: impedance control, high-speed serial interfaces, and signal-integrity analysis.
• Proficiency in schematic and PCB tools (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD, PADS) and familiarity with PCB fabrication processes and DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR practices.
• Experience with PLM tools (Arena) for design release and part-number management.
• Vendor engagement experience: component evaluation, qualification, and supply-chain coordination.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills to convey technical tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Nice-to-have: firmware experience and hands-on PCB layout experience.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or a related field. Employer provided experience bands tied to degree: BS: 10–15 years, MS: 8–12 years, PhD: 5–9 years.

About the Company

Company: Xscape Photonics

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Developer of integrated photonics solutions and instrumentation, specializing in photonic circuits, control systems, and test methodologies for optical communication and sensing applications. Works on device integration, control algorithms, and validation of photonic hardware and firmware.