Staff Electrical Sustaining Engineer

Paycom - ATS; Scotts Valley (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Paycom - ATS is seeking a Staff Electrical Sustaining Engineer in Scotts Valley, CA to lead post-launch hardware lifecycle activities. You will own sustaining projects, guide ECO/ECN processes, and mentor engineers while collaborating across Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to improve reliability and manufacturability.

The role emphasizes complex failure analysis, component obsolescence mitigation, and regulatory updates while maintaining cost and performance targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) or equivalent.
• 8+ years of hands-on electrical hardware engineering experience including sustaining lifecycle work.
• Experience with PCB design and schematic capture using the listed tools.
• Strong knowledge of analog & digital design, power management, and MC interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN).
• Experience with ECO/ECN and engineering change-control processes.
• Proficiency with lab equipment and diagnostic tools.
• Excellent communication and mentorship abilities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead for electrical hardware post-release lifecycle, including NPI handoff to end-of-life.
• Design, modify, test, and validate PCBAs addressing EOL components and reliability improvements.
• Lead ECO/ECN activities with validation strategies and documentation packages.
• Mentor engineers and cross-functional teams on electrical design and sustaining engineering.
• Coordinate with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and S/W/Systems teams on issues and improvements.
• Support regulatory/compliance updates (UL, CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH) as needed.

Skills

Sustaining engineering

PCB design

Analog & power design

MCU interfaces (I2C SPI UART CAN)

EMC/EMI troubleshooting

Lab equipment proficiency

8D / RCA / FMEA

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)

Tools

Altium Designer

Cadence OrCAD/Allegro

KiCad

PADS

Arena/PLM systems

Job description

# Staff Electrical Sustaining EngineerScotts Valley, CA 95066## OverviewSalary Range$160,000.00 - $185,000.00 Salary## Description**Staff Electrical Sustaining Engineer****Department:** Electrical Engineering / Product Sustaining **Reports To:** Engineering Manager – Hardware Engineering **Location:** On-site**Position Summary**We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled **Staff Electrical Sustaining Engineer** to provide technical leadership and ownership of mature electrical hardware products throughout their post-launch lifecycle. In this role, you will serve as a subject matter expert and technical lead for complex sustaining engineering initiatives, including component obsolescence mitigation, value engineering, product reliability improvements, root-cause failure analysis, and regulatory compliance updates.You will work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Firmware/Systems Engineering, and other cross-functional teams to solve complex technical challenges and ensure electrical designs maintain high standards of quality, reliability, performance, cost effectiveness, and manufacturability. The Staff Engineer will also provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers and help establish best practices for sustaining and lifecycle engineering.**Key Responsibilities****Product Lifecycle Support & Technical Leadership*** Serve as a technical lead and subject matter expert for electrical hardware throughout the post-release product lifecycle, from NPI handoff through end-of-life.* Lead complex sustaining engineering initiatives involving product reliability, component obsolescence, cost reduction, manufacturability, and product performance.* Design, modify, test, and validate printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) to address end-of-life (EOL) components, cost-reduction initiatives, performance issues, and reliability enhancements.* Lead engineering change activities (ECO/ECN), including component selection, schematic updates, PCB layout changes, technical risk assessments, validation strategies, and complete documentation packages.* Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers and cross-functional teams on electrical design and sustaining engineering issues.* Identify opportunities for long-term product and process improvements and drive solutions across multiple products or platforms.**Failure Analysis & Root Cause Determination*** Lead complex electrical root-cause investigations using methodologies such as 8D and 5-Why for field returns, factory yield issues, supplier quality issues, and systemic product failures.* Develop structured troubleshooting and failure-analysis strategies for complex analog, digital, power, and microcontroller-based circuitry.* Utilize advanced bench test equipment, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and other diagnostic tools.* Collaborate with Quality Engineering, Manufacturing, and other stakeholders to develop and implement permanent corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).* Analyze recurring failure trends and drive design or process improvements to prevent recurrence.**Component Engineering & Supply Chain Support*** Provide technical leadership in managing component obsolescence, supply-chain risks, and lifecycle issues across electrical product platforms.* Monitor bills of materials (BOMs) for component obsolescence, single-source vulnerabilities, lead-time risks, and cost-reduction opportunities.* Identify, evaluate, test, and qualify alternate components and redesign solutions to maintain manufacturing continuity.* Assess technical risks associated with component substitutions and determine appropriate validation requirements.* Partner with Supply Chain, suppliers, and contract manufacturers (CMs) to resolve complex component and manufacturing issues.* Support strategic component selection and standardization efforts across products where appropriate.**Design Verification & Compliance*** Define and execute design verification strategies for electrical hardware modifications, including functional, performance, reliability, and environmental testing.* Lead or support environmental testing, including temperature, humidity, vibration, and other applicable qualification testing.* Provide technical leadership for EMC/EMI troubleshooting and mitigation.* Support ongoing regulatory and agency compliance, including UL, CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH, and applicable EMC/EMI standards.* Assess the technical and regulatory impact of design changes and ensure appropriate verification and documentation are completed.**Cross-Functional Leadership & Mentorship*** Serve as a technical resource for Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Customer Support teams.* Drive resolution of complex, cross-functional technical issues from investigation through implementation.* Mentor engineers and technicians in troubleshooting, failure analysis, design practices, and sustaining engineering processes.* Contribute to engineering standards, design guidelines, lessons learned, and best-known methods.* Communicate technical risks, recommendations, and tradeoffs clearly to engineering leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.## Qualifications**Qualifications & Skills****Required*** **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) or equivalent technical degree.* **Experience:** **8+ years** of hands-on electrical hardware engineering experience, with significant experience in sustaining engineering, lifecycle engineering, board-level design, or related hardware development.* **Technical Leadership:** Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex engineering investigations, design changes, and cross-functional technical initiatives.* **CAD Proficiency:** Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout software such as Altium Designer, Cadence OrCAD/Allegro, KiCad, or PADS.* **Circuit Design Knowledge:** Strong knowledge of analog circuit design, digital logic, power management including DC-DC converters and LDOs, and microcontroller/microprocessor interfaces including I2C, SPI, UART, and CAN.* **Lab Skills:** Expert proficiency with electrical laboratory and diagnostic equipment, including oscilloscopes, signal generators, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and soldering/rework tools.* **Problem-Solving:** Demonstrated expertise in failure-analysis methodologies such as 8D, RCA, FMEA, and engineering change-control processes including ECO/ECN.* Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.* Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and influence technical decisions across cross-functional teams.**Preferred*** Experience working in regulated or highly controlled industries such as semiconductor equipment, medical devices, aerospace, automotive, or industrial automation.* Advanced experience with EMC/EMI troubleshooting, mitigation techniques, and compliance testing.* Experience managing BOMs and engineering changes within Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems such as Arena, Agile, or Windchill.* Understanding of embedded firmware fundamentals (C/C++) for hardware testing, troubleshooting, and diagnostic script execution.* Experience working directly with suppliers and contract manufacturers on complex technical and lifecycle issues.* Experience establishing engineering standards, best practices, or technical processes across products or engineering teams.