Sr. Electrical Design Engineer

FormFactor Inc.; Livermore (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

FormFactor, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Electrical Design Engineer to lead electrical design and development of advanced wafer probe cards based on customer specifications, DFT requirements, and manufacturing constraints.

The role collaborates with Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing Engineering, and global design teams to meet schedules and performance objectives while ensuring manufacturability and reliability of designs.

Qualifications

• Strong foundation in electrical engineering with circuit design and PCB layout understanding.
• Ability to translate customer requirements into practical electrical designs.
• Experience with schematic/netlist-driven design processes and verification.
• Familiarity with signal integrity concepts and transmission lines.

Responsibilities

• Design advanced wafer probe cards based on customer specs, rules, DFT, and product requirements.
• Develop electrical circuits and probe card solutions meeting test and application needs.
• Prepare netlists and design data for PCBs and components.
• Perform PCB design activities including placement, routing, TLA, verification, and basic SI considerations.
• Generate and verify netlist-based design files for electrical circuits and probe cards.
• Apply knowledge of electrical design rules to craft custom solutions and prevent defects.
• Plan and schedule design activities; monitor progress and ensure on-time completion.
• Balance quality, manufacturability, schedule, and cost in engineering solutions.
• Collaborate with customers and cross-functional teams to deliver feasible designs.

Skills

Electrical engineering principles

PCB design

Schematic/netlist design

Signal integrity

Design for test (DFT)

CAD tools

Tools

CAD tools

Job description

Forming Our Future together

FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle — from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test. Semiconductor companies rely upon FormFactor’s products and services to accelerate profitability by optimizing device performance and advancing yield knowledge. The company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Rooted in our core values — Focus on the Customer, Ownership & Accountability, Respectfully & Effectively Communicate, and Motivate & Develop People — we foster an environment where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated.

Everyone can make an impact here. Whether it's improving products, supporting customers, or positively influencing peers and the community, the contributions of our people matter.

Shift

The regular hours for this position are day shift.

Job Description

The Sr. Electrical Design Engineer is responsible for the electrical design and development of advanced wafer probe card solutions based on customer specifications, product requirements, manufacturing capabilities, and established design-for-test (DFT) and design rules. This role applies electrical engineering principles and CAD tools to develop high-quality, manufacturable designs while supporting customer requirements, design schedules, and product performance objectives.

The engineer works collaboratively with customers and cross-functional teams, including Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing Engineering, and global design organizations, to evaluate requirements, develop technical solutions, and support designs from feasibility through completion.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical Design & Development

• Design advanced wafer probe cards based on customer specifications, internal manufacturing design rules, DFT requirements, and product specifications.
• Develop electrical circuits and probe card solutions that meet customer test and application requirements.
• Prepare probe card netlists and design data for probe heads, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and associated electrical components.
• Perform PCB design activities including parts placement, routing, transmission line analysis (TLA), design verification, and basic signal integrity considerations.
• Generate and verify netlist-based design files for electrical circuits and probe card designs.
• Apply knowledge of electrical circuits, product specifications, applications, and manufacturing design rules to develop custom probe card solutions.
• Apply logical and systematic design practices to identify and prevent potential design defects.

Project & Design Execution

• Plan and schedule assigned design activities to support customer and business requirements.
• Monitor design progress and manage assigned work to support on-time completion.
• Balance design quality, manufacturability, schedule, and cost requirements when developing engineering solutions.
• Complete assigned design activities in support of departmental and organizational goals.

Customer & Cross-Functional Support

• Work directly with customers to understand probe card requirements and develop electrical solutions that meet customer test needs.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and other internal stakeholders to provide timely feasibility analyses in response to customer requests.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to understand manufacturing capabilities, constraints, and design requirements.
• Work with globally distributed engineering and design teams on product designs, feasibility analyses, knowledge sharing, and training activities.
• Communicate technical information and design considerations effectively with both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.

Design Process & Continuous Improvement

• Define, document, and improve electrical design processes, methods, and best practices.
• Provide feedback to internal CAD and design-tool development teams regarding tool functionality and usability.
• Support verification and evaluation of new or updated internal design tools.
• Identify opportunities to improve design quality, efficiency, consistency, and manufacturability.
• Maintain appropriate engineering documentation in accordance with established design processes and requirements.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Working knowledge of electrical engineering principles, circuits, PCB design, and electronic components.
• Ability to interpret technical specifications and translate customer requirements into practical electrical designs.
• Understanding of schematic/netlist-driven design processes and design verification.
• Familiarity with PCB layout concepts, including component placement, routing, and transmission line considerations.
• General knowledge of signal integrity concepts and their