Job Description & Details
This is a heavy-duty layout and circuit design role dealing with high-reliability hardware in Cincinnati. You'll be bridging the gap between raw electrical architectures and manufacturable, high-density printed circuit boards that actually work in the real world. If you like solving complex multi-layer routing puzzles involving RF and high-speed digital without blowing thermal budgets, this one's worth a look.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
Expect to spend your days knee-deep in placement and routing for complex, high-density, multi-layer PCBs, handling everything from high-speed digital to mixed-signal and power circuits. You will actively collaborate with mechanical, manufacturing, and signal integrity teams to figure out why a trace is causing cross-talk or how to fit a dense layout into tight mechanical constraints. A huge part of the gig involves running DFM, DFA, and DFT checks to ensure your design actually survives production, while managing complete fabrication and assembly documentation packages from concept to release.
The Core Tech Stack
You need extensive, hands-on mastery of Xpedition software, as it's the backbone of their layout workflow. Deep familiarity with advanced PCB features like High-Density Interconnect (HDI), microvias, via-in-pad, and backdrilling is non-negotiable. You'll also need a solid grasp of industry standards for high-reliability boards, plus an intuitive understanding of how trace geometries impact signal integrity, power integrity, and thermal management.
Interview Expectations
Expect them to grill you on how you handle signal integrity challenges when routing high-speed digital and RF circuits on the same dense multi-layer board. The hiring manager wants to hear about your specific mitigation strategies for cross-talk and impedance control, rather than textbook definitions. They will also likely present a scenario involving a failed DFM review where a dense layout causes fabrication bottlenecks, looking to see how you balance electrical performance constraints with real-world manufacturing limits.
Application Advice
Skip the generic template and make sure your resume screams Xpedition proficiency right at the top. You'll need to explicitly highlight your experience with high-density, multi-layer board designs, high-speed digital, and RF circuits to pass the initial keyword screening. Make sure to emphasize your track record with design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and your ability to generate complete fabrication documentation packages without hand-holding.