Senior PCB Design Lead — Spaceflight, High‑Speed & EMI

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

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.