Senior PCB Designer

Vector Atomic, Inc.; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Platinum-level family health coverage

Health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts

Employer 401(k) contributions

20 days of paid time off

10 paid holidays

Paid parental leave

Fully stocked kitchen

Job summary

A quantum technology company in Pleasanton is seeking a PCB Layout Engineer to collaborate with engineers and physicists in developing custom PCBs for precision sensor systems. The ideal candidate will have 5-8 years of PCB layout experience, a strong understanding of PCB fundamentals, and proficiency with modern design tools like Altium Designer. This position offers a salary range of $130,000 - $155,000 annually, alongside comprehensive benefits including health coverage and paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of professional PCB layout experience including PCBA fabrication and manufacturing support.
• Strong understanding of PCB layout fundamentals including component placement, routing, planes, and vias.
• Comfortable working in a laboratory environment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design engineers and physicists to develop custom PCB for precision sensor systems.
• Review design requirements and develop schematics, custom footprints, component placement, and signal routing.
• Prepare fabrication and assembly documentation including BOMs, Gerber files, and manufacturing drawings.

Skills

PCB layout fundamentals

General electronics

Laboratory instrumentation

Altium Designer

Education

Technical degree or relevant certification

Tools

PCB design tools

Job description

Vector Atomic, an IonQ company, is building quantum technology to transform navigation, timing, geophysical exploration, and telecommunications. Our team of engineers, scientists, software developers, and operations professionals works together to solve complex challenges and turn bold ideas into real‑world solutions. We value collaboration, curiosity, and diverse perspectives, and we give every team member the opportunity to make an immediate impact while growing their skills. If you’re excited to work on breakthrough technology in a fast‑paced, hands‑on environment, we’d love to hear from you.

You’ll collaborate with a talented team of experienced engineers to develop PCBAs and supporting electronics for innovative R&D initiatives and commercial products. This is a unique opportunity to play a hands‑on role in transforming cutting‑edge quantum technologies into real‑world solutions with meaningful impact.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with design engineers and physicists to develop custom PCB for precision sensor systems.
• Review design requirements and develop schematics, custom footprints, component placement, and signal routing for multilayer PCBAs containing digital, analog, and power circuits.
• Apply established design rules and define PCB layer stack‑ups and via strategies. Update layouts based on feedback from engineering design reviews.
• Perform BOM scrubbing, resolve DRC issues, and review designs for manufacturability.
• Prepare fabrication and assembly documentation including BOMs, Gerber/ODB++ files, drill files, and manufacturing drawings.
• Work directly with PCB fabricators and assembly vendors to address build questions and resolve parts procurement issues.
• Maintain organized design files, libraries, and documentation within our PLM system and support PCB revisions and engineering change orders (ECOs).
• Collaborate with test engineers on board bring‑up, troubleshooting, and validation.

What We’re Looking For

• Technical degree, relevant certification, or equivalent hands‑on industry or military experience.
• 5-8 years of professional PCB layout experience including PCBA fabrication and manufacturing support.
• Strong understanding of PCB layout fundamentals including component placement, routing, planes, and vias.
• Comfortable working in a laboratory environment.
• To comply with the US export control laws, you must be U.S. citizens (born or naturalized), lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e. green card holders), and certain categories of refugees, and asylees.

Required expertise

• Understanding of grounding strategies and power routing in practical PCB design.
• Strong background in general electronics and electronic systems.
• Experience working with laboratory instrumentation and electronic test equipment.
• Proficiency with modern PCB design tools, preferably Altium Designer.
• Experience designing high-density layouts with HDI requirements and multilayer boards.
• Deep knowledge of PCB fabrication processes and manufacturing documentation.

Nice‑to‑have expertise

• Experience designing boards with controlled impedance, including differential pair routing and tight length matching requirements.
• Background in mixed‑signal or low‑noise analog circuit design environments.
• Demonstrated curiosity and motivation to expand knowledge of electronics fundamentals.
• IPC certifications related to electronics or PCB design.
• Experience designing to or updating documentation for RoHS, CE, EMI/EMC, or UL compliance.

Vector Atomic values teamwork, open and honest discourse, and work‑life balance. We offer competitive compensation and benefits including:

• Platinum‑level family health coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employer 401(k) contributions
• 20 days of paid time off / 10 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Fully stocked kitchen

Pay Range

The approximate base salary range for this position is $130,000 - $155,000 per year. The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity and benefits. Please note that it is less common for candidates to be hired at the top of this range, as final compensation is determined by factors such as job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Vector Atomic is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other classification protected by law.