About this role
Req ID: 132138
Region: Americas
Country: USA
State/Province: California
City: San Jose
General Overview
Job Title: Staff Engineer, Hardware Design
Functional Area: Engineering (ENG)
Career Stream: Design Engineering Hardware (DHW)
Role: Staff Engineer (SEN)
Job Code: SEN-ENG-DHW
Job Band: 10
Direct/Indirect Indicator: Indirect
Summary
The Staff Engineer, PCB Technology Expert leads and supports the design, fabrication, and assembly of advanced printed circuit boards. This role requires deep technical expertise in PCB materials, stack-up design, signal integrity, manufacturing processes, and reliability. The expert will work cross-functionally with electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and supplier teams to ensure robust, high-performance PCB solutions from concept through production.
Detailed Description
Performs tasks such as, but not limited to, the following:
Technical Leadership
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Serve as the subject-matter expert for PCB technology, materials, fabrication, and assembly processes
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Define PCB design standards, best practices, and design-for-manufacturing (DFM/DFA/DFR) guidelines
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Review and approve complex PCB designs, stack-ups, and fabrication drawings
Design & Engineering
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Develop and optimize multilayer PCB stack-ups (HDI, rigid, flex, rigid-flex)
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Analyze and mitigate signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, and thermal issues
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Select appropriate materials (FR-4, high-speed laminates, polyimide, etc.)
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Support high-speed, high-power PCB designs
Manufacturing & Supplier Interface
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Collaborate with PCB fabricators and assemblers to ensure manufacturability and yield
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Resolve fabrication and assembly issues (via-in-pad, microvias, delamination, warpage, defects)
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Evaluate and qualify new PCB technologies, processes, and suppliers
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Support cost reduction, yield improvement, and process optimization initiatives
Reliability & Compliance
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Drive PCB reliability testing (thermal cycling, vibration, humidity, CAF, solder joint reliability)
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Ensure compliance with industry standards (IPC, UL, RoHS, REACH)
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Perform failure analysis and root cause investigations
Cross-Functional Support
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Mentor junior engineers and designers
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Support product development, NPI, and sustaining engineering teams
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Provide technical input during design reviews and program milestones
Knowledge/Skills/Competencies
Technical Skills
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Expert knowledge of:
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PCB materials and laminate systems
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HDI, microvias, blind/buried vias
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Signal & power integrity principles
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PCB fabrication and assembly processes
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Familiarity with PCB CAD tools (Altium, Cadence Allegro etc.)
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Strong understanding of IPC standards (IPC-2221, IPC-6012, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610)
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Preferred Qualifications
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Experience with high-reliability electronics
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Knowledge of advanced packaging or embedded component PCBs
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Experience working directly with global PCB manufacturers
Soft Skills
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Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
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Excellent communication and documentation abilities
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Ability to influence technical decisions across teams
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Mentorship and leadership mindset
Physical Demands
- Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
- Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data.
- Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
- Occasional travel may be required.
Typical Experience
Experience
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8+ years of hands-on experience in PCB design, fabrication, or advanced electronics manufacturing
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Proven experience with complex, high-layer-count or high-speed PCBs
Typical Education
Education
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Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
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Master’s degree preferred
Notes
This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.
Celestica is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.
This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Celestica is an E-Verify employer.
COMPANY OVERVIEW:
Celestica (NYSE, TSX: CLS) enables the world’s best brands. Through our recognized customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in Aerospace and Defense, Communications, Enterprise, HealthTech, Industrial, Capital Equipment and Energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development – from drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services for products from advanced medical devices, to highly engineered aviation systems, to next-generation hardware platform solutions for the Cloud. Headquartered in Toronto, with talented teams spanning 40+ locations in 13 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.
Celestica would like to thank all applicants, however, only qualified applicants will be contacted.
Celestica does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies or fee based recruitment services.
Other facts
About Celestica International LP
Celestica enables the world's best brands. Through our unrivaled customer-centric approach, we partner with leading companies in aerospace and defense, communications, enterprise, healthtech, industrial, capital equipment, and smart energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. A leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development - from the drawing board to full-scale production and after-market services. With talented teams across North America, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.
We operate in more than 40 locations globally. Consult our website for detailed location information. https://www.celestica.com/about-us/locations
What you'll do
- The Staff Engineer acts as the subject-matter expert for PCB technology, defining design standards, reviewing complex designs, and developing optimized multilayer PCB stack-ups. This role involves collaborating with manufacturing teams to resolve fabrication issues and driving PCB reliability testing and compliance.
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