Principal PCB Designer - Livermore, CA, United States
$46 - $61 USD hourly
Originally posted 3 September 2026 by the employer.
This role supports advanced semiconductor test and measurement solutions.
About the role
This role provides advanced technical expertise in the design, layout, and development of complex printed circuit boards (PCBs) and package substrates. It focuses on high-speed, RF, analog, mixed-signal, and multilayer PCB technologies.
What you'll do
- Perform complex PCB and package substrate layout and routing studies for cost reduction, optimization, and manufacturability.
- Design and route highly complex, high-speed, multilayer PCBs and package substrates, including trace length matching, impedance-controlled routing, grounding, shielding, and design verification.
- Apply advanced electrical design concepts including high-speed signal design, RF routing, transmission line theory, signal integrity, and power distribution network optimization.
- Define, develop, and maintain PCB design standards, libraries, and layout guidelines.
- Lead complex PCB design efforts from concept through release, ensuring quality, schedule, and performance.
- Serve as a technical resource and mentor for less experienced designers and engineers.
What you'll need
- Extensive experience designing complex multilayer PCBs and package substrates in a product development environment.
- Proven experience leading large or technically complex PCB design projects.
- Expert proficiency with Cadence PCB Design tools, Cadence Allegro Package Design, Allegro PCB Designer, and Constraint Manager.
- Strong understanding of transmission line theory, controlled impedance routing, skew control, crosstalk mitigation, signal integrity, and power integrity principles.
- Advanced knowledge of PCB and package substrate manufacturing processes and design for manufacturability (DFM) principles.
- Strong understanding of netlisting, schematic interpretation, routing rule development, design constraints, and verification methodologies.
- Proficiency with AutoCAD and other engineering documentation tools.
Nice to have
- Experience working with fabrication houses and external suppliers to improve product manufacturability and production yield.
This role has been open 42 days — below the 50-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
964
|
Median days open
50 d
|
Median salary
$155k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | FormFactor | All employers we track in this specialty (964 roles · 103 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 9 | 964 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 16 | 6135 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 42 d | 50 d (−8 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $155k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 71 open roles · median 33 d
- KLA Corporation · 65 open roles · median 42 d
- Teradyne · 55 open roles · median 27 d
- NVIDIA · 52 open roles · median 67 d
- Applied Materials · 49 open roles · median 63 d
- AMD · 45 open roles · median 44 d
How we counted: 964 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 103 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 15 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.