PCB Layout Engineer for Defense Electronics

Kraken Kinetics; Pinehurst (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO policy

Comprehensive medical coverage

Vision & dental (company-paid)

Disability coverage (company-paid)

401(k) retirement plan

Company-paid life insurance

Great teammates and snacks

Job summary

Kraken Kinetics is seeking a PCB Layout Designer to support development and release of PCBs for advanced defense products at our Pinehurst, NC site.

You will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, firmware engineers and manufacturing partners to turn circuit designs into manufacturable, testable assemblies and mature ECAD practices. The role is hands-on, fast-paced, and suited for a proactive designer.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional PCB layout or ECAD design experience.
• Experience with Altium Designer or similar tools.
• Experience laying out multi-layer printed circuit boards.
• Strong understanding of PCB fabrication, assembly processes, component footprints, and manufacturing documentation.
• Ability to interpret schematics and work closely with electrical engineers to implement design intent.
• Understanding of PCB design principles, including component placement, routing strategy, grounding, power distribution, and layer stack-up development.
• Understanding of signal integrity concepts including EMI/EMC considerations, coupling and crosstalk mitigation, impedance control, shielding, and isolation.
• Working knowledge of applicable IPC standards and guidelines, and the workmanship requirements associated with IPC Class 1, 2, and 3 electronic assemblies.
• Experience creating fabrication and assembly output packages.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple board designs or revisions concurrently.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional engineering environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform PCB layout for digital, analog, mixed-signal, power, and safety-critical electronics.
• Collaborate with electrical engineers to understand schematics, design intent, routing constraints, and critical circuit requirements.
• Work with mechanical engineers to define board outlines, connector placement, keep-in / keep-out zones, mounting features, and packaging constraints.
• Create and maintain PCB footprints, symbols, component libraries, and ECAD documentation.
• Support design-for-manufacturing (DFM), design-for-test (DFT), and design-for-assembly (DFA) reviews.
• Generate fabrication and assembly outputs, including Gerbers, ODB++, pick-and-place files, drawings, stackup notes, and assembly documentation.
• Interface with PCB fabrication and assembly vendors to resolve manufacturing questions and improve board quality.
• Participate in PCB design reviews and contribute to layout standards, checklist development, and release practices.
• Support ECOs, revision updates, and configuration-controlled release packages.
• Help improve Kraken's ECAD workflows, library discipline, and documentation practices as the team scales.

Skills

PCB layout experience

Altium Designer

Multi-layer PCB design

PCB fabrication knowledge

Schematic interpretation

DFM/DFT/DFA

ECAD standards

Documentation

Layout reviews

Tools

Altium Designer

Job description

Kraken Kinetics is seeking a PCB Layout Designer to support development and release of PCBs for advanced defense products at our Pinehurst, NC site.

You will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, firmware engineers and manufacturing partners to turn circuit designs into manufacturable, testable assemblies and mature ECAD practices. The role is hands-on, fast-paced, and suited for a proactive designer.