Principal PCB Designer

Viasat; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 214,000; Full time

Job summary

Viasat is seeking a Principal PCB Designer to provide senior technical leadership for complex PCB layouts across space infrastructure programs. You will oversee design quality, guidance on SI/PI, EMI/EMC, and will lead cross-functional reviews from concept through fabrication.

The role is site-based with 60%+ office work, collaborating with hardware, manufacturing, and test teams to deliver high-reliability boards for flight and ground systems.

Qualifications

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology or equivalent.
• 10+ years of professional PCB layout experience with ownership of highly complex designs.
• Expert understanding of SI/PI, EMI/EMC, high-speed digital, RF, and power electronics layout.
• 5+ years using Mentor Xpedition and CES; experience leading a technical team.
• Schematic capture experience and ability to lead technical reviews.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior level PCB design leadership across multiple programs and product lines.
• Schedule and prioritize work for direct reports and assign tasks.
• Produce PCB layouts using Mentor Graphics Xpedition (CES).
• Lead PCB layout for complex multilayer, high-speed, RF, and power-dense boards.
• Define placement, routing, constraints, and layer stackups with minimal direction.
• Own layout execution from architecture trade studies through fabrication release.
• Advise on signal/power integrity, EMI/EMC risk mitigation, and tradeoffs.
• Escalate complex layout issues and lead corrective actions.
• Lead reviews and improve PCB design standards and workflows.
• Mentor junior and senior designers; collaborate with fabrication/assembly partners.

Skills

PCB leadership

Mentor Xpedition

Schematic capture

Signal integrity

Power integrity

Team leadership

RF layout

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology

Associate degree or higher in Electronics

Tools

Mentor Xpedition/CES

Job description

About Us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we’re on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We’re looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

About Us

One team. Global challenges. Infinite opportunities. At Viasat, we’re on a mission to deliver connections with the capacity to change the world. For more than 35 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the globe communicate. We’re looking for people who think big, act fearlessly, and create an inclusive environment that drives positive impact to join our team.

What You'll Do

We are seeking an experienced Principal PCB Designer to provide senior level technical leadership and execution for complex printed circuit board designs across the Space Infrastructure organization. This role serves as a technical authority for PCB layout, design quality, and execution strategy, while also acting as a team lead to improve consistency, speed, and overall design excellence.

The Principal PCB Designer also supports critical development efforts including flight hardware, ground systems, and test equipment boards. This role provides supplemental layout capacity on high risk or resource constrained programs. Daily tasks will involve utilizing Mentor Graphics Xpedition layout tools, including CES, to complete your designs. Your design work will follow IPC standards, as well as company and contract manufacturer DFx guidelines.

This is a site-based role, employees work 3+ days (60%+) per week from a Viasat office or work location within a standard five‑day workweek.

The day-to-day

• Provide senior level PCB design leadership across multiple programs and product lines
• Scheduling and prioritizing work for direct reports and making task assignments
• Produce PCB layouts utilizing Mentor Graphics Xpedition.
• Lead PCB layout for the most complex and critical designs, including multilayer, high speed, mixed signal, RF, and power dense boards
• Define component placement strategies, routing architecture, constraint sets, and layer stackups with minimal direction
• Own PCB layout execution from early architectural trade studies through fabrication and assembly release
• Provide expert input on signal integrity, power integrity, EMI and EMC risk mitigation, and layout tradeoffs
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex layout challenges, design issues, yield concerns, and corrective actions
• Lead and participate in schematic, placement, routing, and release design reviews across programs
• Define, maintain, and improve PCB design standards, constraints, and workflows
• Improve design quality, consistency, and execution speed across the PCB team
• Provide architecture level feedback to electrical, RF, mechanical, manufacturing, thermal, and test engineers
• Work directly with fabrication and assembly partners to address advanced technology, manufacturability, and yield
• Mentor junior and senior PCB designers through hands on guidance, reviews, and technical coaching
• Support prototype build, debug, and iteration efforts in collaboration with hardware and test teams
• Drive low-cost approaches and practices in PCB design

What You'll Need

• Associate Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology electrical engineering or equivalent professional experience
• 10 or more years of professional PCB layout experience with ownership of highly complex designs
• Expert understanding of signal integrity, power integrity, EMI and EMC, high speed digital, RF, and power electronics layout
• 5+ years of direct experience using Mentor Xpedition and CES.
• Management experience leading a technical team.
• Schematic capture experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical reviews and influencing cross functional engineering teams
• Strong experience producing and reviewing complete fabrication and assembly release packages
• Ability to operate independently as a technical authority and define solutions to complex problems
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated examples of reducing cost, complexity, or improving manufacturability of PCBs.
• US Citizenship required
• Ability to travel up to 10%

What Will Help You On The Job

• Experience serving as the most senior PCB technical resource on a team or program
• Background in space, aerospace, defense, automotive, or other high reliability hardware environments
• Bachelor’s degree in any engineering discipline.
• Familiarity with constraint driven design, automation, scripting, or CAD tool customization
• Demonstrated ability to raise design quality, execution efficiency, and organizational best practices
• Multi-layer Flex and Rigid-flex circuits.
• Complex Multi-layer PWB utilizing high-speed materials, featuring microstrip, strip line, and differential routing, controlled impedance, mix of low-noise RF/analog circuitry.
• Digital designs with various pin counts and fine-pitch BGAs, RF transmission lines, matched lengths, and delay control lengths.
• Experience with JTAG, RGMI, DSP, DDR, LVDS, SERDES, and Ethernet design.
• RF layout development with partitioning of circuits utilizing shields, specific mounting, and grounding requirements. All design criteria defined by engineering specifications.
• Knowledgeable with hierarchical schematics and layout reuse schemes is a plus.

Salary range

$135,000.00 - $213,500.00 / annually. For specific work locations within San Jose, the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range for this role is $168,000.00- $252,000.00/ annually

At Viasat, we consider many factors when it comes to compensation, including the scope of the position as well as your background and experience. Base pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Additional cash or stock incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Learn more about Viasat’s comprehensive benefit offerings that are focused on your holistic health and wellness at https://careers.viasat.com/benefits.

EEO Statement

Viasat is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic. If you would like to request an accommodation on the basis of disability for completing this on-line application, please click here.