Board Design Engineer

GuideTech; Lenexa (KS); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

GuideTech in Lenexa, KS, is seeking a Board Designer to design and develop advanced embedded hardware for avionics and autonomous aerospace systems. You will lead complex PCBAs from concept through production, collaborating with hardware, FPGA, software, and manufacturing teams to ensure robust, manufacturable designs.

You will create schematics, define constraints, support layout and testing, and drive designs toward production readiness while applying DFM/DFT practices and coordinating with

Qualifications

• Design and develop multilayer PCBAs for UAV/aerospace platforms.
• Create schematics, define constraints, and support layout and reviews.
• Design embedded hardware with performance, reliability, and testability in mind.

Responsibilities

• Hardware design and development for advanced UAV, aerospace, and AI platforms.
• Lead designs from concept to production with cross-functional teams.
• Support board bring-up, testing, and production transition with DFx practices.

Skills

Hardware design

PCB design

FPGA integration

DFM/DFT

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Schematic capture

PCB layout tools

Lab instrumentation

Job description

Location

Lenexa, KS (onsite with hybrid flexibility). Relocation assistance available.

As a Board Designer, you'll design and develop advanced embedded hardware that powers next-generation avionics and autonomous aerospace systems. You'll play a key role in delivering complex electronic designs from concept through production while collaborating closely with hardware, FPGA, embedded software, and manufacturing teams.

GuideTech is a subsidiary of Palladyne AI (NASDAQ: PDYN), a U.S.-based defense and industrial technology company that delivers embodied AI-powered collaborative autonomy solutions, advanced avionics, precision-manufactured components, UAVs, and advanced aerospace design services.

At GuideTech, you'll contribute to technologies that support a diverse range of aerospace and defense platforms, including unmanned aircraft, launch vehicles, spacecraft, missiles, and other autonomous systems. You'll have the opportunity to work on our next generation of embedded hardware, including electronic speed controllers (ESCs), gimbal controllers, UAV power distribution boards, and advanced AI/computer vision platforms. As the role evolves, you'll lead new board designs from concept through manufacturing, helping bring innovative products into production.

You'll thrive in this role if you enjoy solving complex hardware challenges, collaborating across engineering disciplines, and seeing your designs progress from initial concept to deployed hardware.

What You'll Do

• Hardware Design
• Design and develop complex multilayer PCBAs/CCAs for advanced UAV, aerospace, and AI platforms.
• Create schematics, define design constraints, support PCB layout, participate in design reviews, and prepare designs for release.
• Design embedded hardware systems with a focus on performance, reliability, manufacturability, and testability.
• Work with FPGA-based systems, including hardware integration, timing constraints, debugging, and system validation.
• Support board bring-up, debugging, and signal analysis using lab instrumentation and simulation tools.
• Collaborate closely with hardware, FPGA, and embedded software engineers to develop reliable real-time systems.
• Lead hardware development efforts from concept through production for new board designs.
• Support the transition from prototype to production, including fabrication and assembly documentation, impedance requirements, and production test planning.
• Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Test (DFT) best practices throughout development.
• Partner with PCB fabrication vendors and contract manufacturers to improve manufacturability, quality, and production readiness.
• Develop and support production test methodologies, fixtures, and functional testing.
• Perform failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and yield improvement activities.
• Manage engineering change notices (ECNs), product revisions, and hardware lifecycle documentation.

What Makes Someone Successful Here

• You communicate effectively across engineering disciplines and enjoy collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• You take ownership of your work and follow projects through from concept to production.
• You balance technical detail with practical engineering judgment.
• You enjoy solving complex hardware challenges and continuously improving designs.
• You adapt well to evolving priorities while maintaining a high standard of quality.
• You value integrity, accountability, and open communication.
• You are motivated by building technology that supports meaningful aerospace and defense missions.