Circuit Design Engineer

Must Have

• 5 Years with Bachelors in Science; 3 Years with Masters; 1 Year with PhD
• Excellent organizational and problem solving skills with a demonstrated ability to adapt effectively to changing requirements
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders across organizations and programs, including electrical design, mechanical design, manufacturing, test, and/or signal integrity
• Experience generating artwork and PCB/CCA documentation for procurement and assembly houses
• Experience with the layout of PCBs and circuit card assemblies, including placement and routing of high speed digital, RF, and/or mixed signal circuits
• Familiarity with IPC industry standards for PCB design and fabrication and current understanding of high reliability criteria
• Minimum 5 years of experience performing engineering/layout of printed circuit boards using PADS
• Willingness and ability to work on site full time at the Cincinnati, OH location
• Working knowledge of PCB fabrication and assembly processes, including common manufacturability and yield considerations

We are seeking a Principal PCB Layout Designer using PADS based out of Cincinnati, OH. As a Principal PCB Layout Design Engineer at Northrop Grumman, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to support the design and delivery of highreliability circuit card assemblies for aerospace, defense, and space flight applications. You will collaborate across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and signal integrity disciplines to transform complex electrical architectures and schematics into robust, productionready printed circuit board solutions. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, and teamoriented, with a focus on shared responsibility, continuous learning, and a culture of innovation and technical excellence.

For this role, responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Execute the placement and routing of complex, highdensity, multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs), including highspeed digital, RF, mixedsignal, and power circuits
• Interpret electrical schematics, constraints, and mechanical boundaries to develop optimized PCB layouts that meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements
• Generate and maintain complete PCB and circuit card assembly (CCA) fabrication and assembly documentation packages, including artwork, drawings, fabrication notes, and data outputs for procurement and assembly partners
• Apply current IPC and highreliability industry standards, as well as applicable military and aerospace criteria, in the design and verification of printed wiring boards and circuit card assemblies
• Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and signal integrity engineers to address layoutrelated design challenges involving signal integrity, power integrity, thermal management, and packaging
• Support and perform Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) reviews using automated and manual checks to improve yield, test coverage, and product robustness
• Work with fabrication and assembly suppliers to understand manufacturing capabilities and constraints and incorporate them into PCB designs
• Support PCB library management practices, ensuring correct use of symbols, footprints, and parameter data in accordance with internal workflows
• Independently own PCB layout tasks from concept through fabrication data release in support of program cost, schedule, and technical requirements
• Lead advanced PCB layout efforts using technologies such as HighDensity Interconnect (HDI), microvias, viainpad, backdrilling, and specialized substrate materials; provide technical guidance, peer reviews, and mentoring to other layout designers

Basic Qualifications:

• 5 Years with Bachelors in Science; 3 Years with Masters; 1 Year with PhD
• Willingness and ability to work onsite fulltime at the Cincinnati, OH location
• Minimum 5 years of experience performing engineering/layout of printed circuit boards using PADS
• Experience with the layout of PCBs and circuit card assemblies, including placement and routing of highspeed digital, RF, and/or mixedsignal circuits
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders across organizations and programs, including electrical design, mechanical design, manufacturing, test, and/or signal integrity
• Working knowledge of PCB fabrication and assembly processes, including common manufacturability and yield considerations
• Familiarity with IPC industry standards for PCB design and fabrication and current understanding of highreliability criteria
• Experience generating artwork and PCB/CCA documentation for procurement and assembly houses
• Excellent organizational and problemsolving skills with a demonstrated ability to adapt effectively to changing requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience on defense or space flight programs with stringent reliability, documentation, and traceability requirements
• Demonstrated experience in the layout of advanced, highdensity, multilayer printed circuit boards combining RF, highspeed digital, and highpower circuit sections
• Knowledge of PCB process workflows and library management, including creation and governance of symbols, footprints, and reusable layout elements
• Ability to translate complex mechanical boundaries and electrical constraints into optimized physical PCB layouts across multiple boards or modules
• Knowledge of highreliability military and aerospace hardware criteria (e.g., MILPRF31032, MILSTD883, IPC Class 3/3A), or comparable experience demonstrating equivalent rigor