Hardware Design Engineer

Actalent; False Pass (AK); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Senior Hardware Design Engineer to lead the electrical hardware design of next-generation optical transceiver products. You will own end-to-end board-level design, from architecture and schematic capture to layout oversight, validation, and product release.

In this role you will collaborate with RF, firmware, mechanical, PCB layout, and manufacturing teams to deliver high-performance hardware meeting tough customer requirements.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of hardware design experience in board-level electronics.
• Experience leading hardware development from architecture to release.
• Strong digital and analog design experience for high-speed systems.
• Ability to read complex datasheets and translate into robust designs.
• Experience with high-speed RF and digital interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Own board-level design quality and performance for new optical transceiver hardware programs.
• Drive board-level architecture and detailed hardware design activities for high-speed platforms.
• Develop complete electrical schematics from scratch using PADS.
• Evaluate, select, and qualify components for performance, reliability, and cost.
• Review datasheets and guide design decisions.
• Ensure signal integrity and power integrity across all designs.
• Collaborate with RF, firmware, mechanical, and manufacturing teams throughout development.
• Lead design reviews and validation activities.
• Support troubleshooting and root-cause analysis at board and system level.
• Provide technical leadership from concept to release.

Skills

Hardware design

Board-level design

High-speed digital design

Analog circuit design

Schematic capture

PCB layout collaboration

Power integrity

Signal integrity

RF fundamentals

Component selection

Tools

PADS

SPICE

CST

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Hardware Design Engineer

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Hardware Design Engineer to lead the electrical hardware design of next-generation optical transceiver products for high-performance 1.2T and 1.6T optical networking platforms. In this highly visible role, you will own complex PCB-based hardware designs end-to-end, driving the process from architecture and schematic capture through PCB layout oversight, design reviews, validation, and product release. You will work with minimal supervision while collaborating closely with RF, firmware, mechanical, PCB layout, and manufacturing teams to deliver mission-critical hardware solutions that meet demanding performance and customer requirements.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary electrical owner for new optical transceiver hardware programs, taking full responsibility for board-level design quality and performance.
• Drive board-level architecture and detailed hardware design activities for high-speed optical networking platforms.
• Develop complete electrical schematics from scratch using PADS schematic capture tools.
• Evaluate, select, and qualify critical electronic components, ensuring alignment with performance, reliability, and cost targets.
• Review and interpret complex datasheets for high-performance devices to guide design decisions.
• Design high-speed digital and analog circuits that support advanced optical transceiver functionality.
• Support RF signal path design and optimization to ensure robust high-frequency performance.
• Develop power distribution and power supply architectures, including high-performance power supply design.
• Apply and ensure proper signal integrity and power integrity practices across all board-level designs.
• Own PCB hardware development from concept through release, including architecture, design, and validation.
• Work closely with internal PCB designers during layout to ensure design intent is accurately implemented.
• Provide layout guidance and conduct detailed PCB design reviews, with particular focus on high-speed interfaces.
• Ensure proper routing of high-speed RF and digital interfaces to meet bandwidth, loss, and crosstalk requirements.
• Validate thermal, power, and signal integrity considerations in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Partner with firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, and test teams throughout the development lifecycle.
• Participate in formal design reviews and engineering evaluations, presenting design rationale and analysis results.
• Support troubleshooting and validation activities at both board and system level, including root-cause analysis.
• Provide technical expertise and leadership across the hardware development process from concept to product release.
• Perform analysis and validation of hardware designs using appropriate tools and methodologies.
• Support simulation and modeling activities, including SPICE and CST simulations, to predict and optimize performance.
• Troubleshoot board-level and system-level issues and drive corrective actions to closure.
• Ensure products meet customer specifications, performance requirements, and reliability targets.
• Contribute to design verification and simulation strategies for high-speed RF and digital hardware.

Essential Skills

• At least 5 years of hardware design experience in board-level electronics development.
• Proven experience leading board-level hardware development efforts from architecture through release.
• Strong digital circuit design experience, including high-speed digital design.
• Strong analog circuit design experience for complex board-level systems.
• Demonstrated ability to develop schematics from scratch using professional EDA tools such as PADS.
• Experience selecting and evaluating electronic components for high-performance applications.
• Experience working closely with PCB layout teams and conducting thorough design reviews.
• Experience with high-performance power supply design and power distribution architectures.
• Ability to read and interpret complex component datasheets and translate them into robust design implementations.
• Knowledge of high-speed digital design principles and practices.
• Understanding of RF fundamentals relevant to high-speed communication systems.
• Strong grasp of signal integrity concepts and their application in PCB design.
• Strong grasp of power integrity concepts for reliable high-speed hardware.
• Experience with board-level architecture development for complex electronic systems.
• Industry experience in telecommunications hardware, optical networking, fiber optics, optica