Senior PCB Designer for Spaceborne RF & SAR

Kapta Space

Washington (District of Columbia)

On-site

USD 120,000 - 180,000

Full time

6 days ago

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Job summary

Kapta Space in Seattle is seeking a Senior PCB Designer to own the architecture, execution, and QA of high-reliability PCBs for our MESA radar hardware used in spaceborne SAR systems. The role focuses on high-speed, mixed-signal, RF and power boards, working with a small engineering team to meet aerospace standards, with opportunities to lead DFM/DFAs and collaborate with vendors.

Candidates should have a strong Altium background, EMI/EMC knowledge, impedance control, and experience with space

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Associate degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or equivalent.
Significant professional PCB layout experience.
Experience as principal-level contributor with multi-disciplinary engineering teams.
Expert proficiency in Altium Designer and constraint-driven design.
Understanding of impedance control, differential pair routing, grounding, thermal management, and EMI/EMC mitigation.
Significant experience with DFM/DFA/DFT and collaboration with PCB fabrication/assembly vendors.
Familiarity with aerospace or defense hardware design requirements (shock, vibration, radiation, reliability).
Experience leading Altium toolchain integration, library management, and automation/scripting.
Excellent communication skills for senior leadership interactions and supplier collaboration.
Eligible to work on ITAR-export-controlled projects.

Responsibilities

PCB layout design for high-speed digital, mixed-signal, RF front-end, and power boards supporting spaceborne radar payloads and phased-array modules.
Define and maintain board-level architecture, layer stack-ups, and routing strategies for signal integrity and EMI/EMC compliance.
Detailed component placement and routing for multi-layer designs including high-density BGAs, SERDES, DDR, FPGA, and high-frequency RF interconnects.
Full lifecycle design ownership—from schematic collaboration to fabrication, assembly, and bring-up support.
Integrate board design within mechanical, RF, thermal, and system constraints for manufacturability and serviceability.
Coordinate with RE for standardized PCB layout, ECAD constraint management, and library oversight.
Participate in formal design reviews and ensure documentation meets aerospace/defense standards.
Coordinate with Contract Design Services to align deliverables with internal standards.
Support PCB fabrication/assembly vendors with DFM/DFT inquiries and stack-up/material specs.
Contribute to supply-chain readiness and material qualification for high-reliability boards.