Roles / PCB Layout Engineer

PCB Layout Engineer

HW-003v1

Board, System & Hardware EngineeringImplementationIC2–IC6Individual contributor

Also known as: PCB Designer; Printed Circuit Board Layout Designer; PCB Layout Engineer (Physical Design)

See this role on the FPGA lifecycle or on the Medical lifecycle or on the Industrial lifecycle or on the System lifecycle or on the SoC lifecycle

Summary

Converts the schematic and constraint set into manufacturable board artwork that meets impedance, timing, power, thermal, EMC and mechanical requirements on the first fabrication attempt.

A day in the life

Work in progressNo day-in-the-life description has been written for this role yet. If you do this work, we would welcome yours. Suggest a source or a correction

Responsibilities

Project

Work done for a product or program.

Define the layer stackup with the fabricator including dielectric materials, copper weights, impedance targets and via structures.
Place components to satisfy mechanical envelope, connector positions, thermal spreading, power-stage loop area and test access requirements.
Route high-speed differential pairs, memory byte lanes and clock nets to the constraint manager rules for impedance, skew, spacing and reference continuity.
Design the power distribution copper including plane shapes, shape-based pours, via stitching arrays and current-carrying geometry per IPC-2152.
Run design rule checks, constraint audits, manufacturability and assembly checks and resolve every violation or documented waiver before release.
Coordinate the mechanical interface with ECAD-MCAD collaboration, verifying keep-outs, heights, mounting holes and enclosure clearance in 3D.
Generate fabrication and assembly output including IPC-2581 or ODB++, Gerber, drill, netlist, paste and drawing packages.
Iterate with signal and power integrity engineers on via transitions, stub length, back-drilling, breakout regions and decoupling placement.
Optimise designs for panel utilisation, HDI usage, via count and layer count to hit cost and lead-time targets.

Function

Work that keeps the discipline running: methods, tools, suppliers and people.

Maintain layout design rules, templates and reuse blocks so successive platform revisions converge faster.

Major tasks

Project

Produce and hand over the role's key deliverables
- Released PCB artwork database and layer stackup specification
- Fabrication and assembly output package (IPC-2581/ODB++, drill, drawings)
- Constraint audit and DRC clean report with waiver log
- 3D ECAD-MCAD collaboration model and clearance check report
- Panelisation and DFM feedback record from the fabricator
Implement the layoutGeneral
- Floorplan and plan the power grid
- Place, build the clock tree and route
- Run extraction and analysis
Close sign-offGeneral
- Close timing at every corner
- Clear DRC and LVS
- Complete the sign-off checklist

Function

Maintain the flowGeneral
- Update scripts and flow settings
- Qualify new tool versions
Share knowledgeGeneral
- Document fixes for recurring issues
- Train newer engineers on the flow

Works with

Board design engineers
signal and power integrity engineers
mechanical designers
PCB fabricators and assemblers
component engineering
manufacturing test engineers

Typical backgrounds

Diploma or BS in Electronics Engineering or PCB design training; 3–15 years of multilayer layout including high-speed and high-density designs.

Demand signal

0 open listings right now
0 Talent Wafer employer inquiries

Counts live listings tagged to this role, and employer interest in candidates from Talent Wafer runs for this role (all runs to date). Hub activity only, not the wider market.

Comp tier (within semis)

2 / 5

Remote feasibility

High

Semis core vs. portable

Highly portable

Geographic hotspots

Bangalore, Hyderabad, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taipei, Penang, San Jose, Austin, Munich, Nuremberg, Krakow

Certifications / standards training

IPC CID and CID+; IPC-6012 and IPC-A-600 familiarity; Cadence or Siemens layout tool certification

Transfers to (industries)

Electronics manufacturing services, automotive Tier-1s, telecom and networking OEMs, medical device makers, defence primes, consumer ODMs

Risk if vacant

Schematics cannot become physical hardware, and the boards that do get built arrive with impedance, manufacturability and mechanical defects that force extra spins.

PCB Layout Engineer

Summary

A day in the life

Responsibilities

Project

Function

Major tasks

Project

Function

Works with

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