Senior PCB Systems Engineer

Chaos, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k with company match

FSA available

HSA available

Life insurance

Relocation assistance

Annual bonuses

Job summary

CHAOS Industries seeks a skilled PCB Systems Engineer to lead architectural definition, schematic capture, and hardware integration of next‑generation electronic systems. You will translate complex requirements into robust circuit designs, own BOMs, and drive bring‑up in the lab with test equipment.

The role requires 5+ years of hardware experience, expertise in EDA tools, and strong power/ signal integrity knowledge. Hybrid eligible with onsite collaboration across product teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of hardware development experience focused on board-level circuit design and schematic capture.
• Advanced proficiency in one or more schematic capture tools (KiCAD, Altium, Cadence Allegro, Mentor Graphics/Siemens Xpedition).
• Deep understanding of digital design principles and protocols (SPI, I2C, Ethernet/SGMII, PCI-E).
• Experience with DFx (DFM/ DFA/ DFT) methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead electrical design of complex PCBs with high-speed interfaces and robust PDNs.
• Own schematic capture using industry-standard EDA tools and ensure design-rule compliance.
• Architect BOMs selecting components considering performance, power, cost, and supply-chain issues.
• Perform SPICE simulations and power/ signal integrity analyses to validate circuits.
• Collaborate with Layout Engineers to provide placement constraints and stack-up requirements.
• Lead bring-up and validation activities in lab using oscillosopes and RF test equipment.

Skills

Circuit design

Schematic capture

Power integrity

Signal integrity

HDI routing guidance

Lab bring-up and validation

System-level SPICE simulations

Python/MATLAB scripting

Digital design principles

Isolation and low-noise design

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

KiCAD

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro

Mentor Graphics/Siemens Xpedition

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .

We are seeking a highly skilled and analytical PCB Systems Engineer to lead the architectural definition, schematic design, and hardware integration of our next-generation electronic systems. In this role, you will bridge the gap between high-level system architecture and physical hardware reality. You will be responsible for translating complex system requirements into robust, reliable, and manufacturable circuit designs, taking ownership from initial concept through schematic capture, component selection, and initial board bring-up.

Responsibilities:

• Circuit Design & Architecture: Lead the electrical design of complex PCBs, including high-speed digital interfaces, precision analog circuits, and robust power distribution networks (PDNs).
• Schematic Capture: Own the schematic generation process using industry-standard EDA tools (e.g., KiCAD, Altium Designer, Cadence OrCAD/Allegro), ensuring rigorous adherence to design rules, signal integrity guidelines, and corporate standards.
• Component Selection & Lifecycle: Architect the Bill of Materials (BOM) by selecting critical components based on performance, power efficiency, cost, thermal constraints, and long-term supply chain viability.
• System Integration & Simulation: Perform SPICE simulations, power integrity modeling, and signal integrity analyses to validate circuit behavior prior to layout execution.
• Collaborative Layout Guidance: Partner closely with PCB Layout Engineers to provide detailed placement constraints, routing budgets, impedance profiles and stack-up requirements for high-density interconnect (HDI) and high-speed designs.
• Bring-up & Validation: Lead the hands‑on lab testing, debugging, and initial bring‑up of prototype assemblies using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and RF test equipment.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• Experience: 5+ years of proven experience in hardware development, specifically focused on board‑level circuit design and schematic capture.
• EDA Proficiency: Advanced, expert-level proficiency in at least one major schematic capture tool (e.g.,KiCAD , Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, Mentor Graphics/Siemens Xpedition).
• Deep understanding of digital design principles and protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, Ethernet/SGMII, PCI-E).
• Strong foundational knowledge in power electronics, including the design of switching regulators (buck/boost), linear regulators (LDOs), and filtering circuits.
• Experience designing for mixed‑signal environments, ensuring proper isolation and low‑noise performance for sensitive analog circuits.
• DFx Knowledge: Strong familiarity with Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Testing (DFT) methodologies.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience with FPGA hardware integration, level‑shifting, and high‑pin‑count BGA fan‑out strategy.
• Basic scripting capability (Python, MATLAB) to automate design checks and Built‑in self‑test.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $120,000 - $170,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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As set forth in CHAOS Industries’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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