Senior RF Test & PCB Design Engineer

Duration: 12+ months contract

Location: San Jose, CA (Onsite, 5 days/week)

Description:

• PCB Development: Lead the schematic entry, component selection, and layout routing optimization for complex RF evaluation boards using Cadence Allegro.
• Simulation & Analysis: Perform Signal Integrity (SI) and Power Integrity (PI) simulations. Utilize Ansys HFSS for EM modeling and impedance matching to ensure optimal RF performance.
• Hardware Bring-up: Own the board bring-up process, including debugging hardware issues and validating performance against design specifications.
• RF Characterization: Utilize lab equipment (VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers, Signal Generators) to perform various RF measurements and verify simulation-to-measurement correlations. Implement Machine Learning (ML) techniques to analyze large datasets and identify performance trends or anomalies.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with RFIC Design and System Engineering teams to define board requirements and provide feedback on chip-level performance.
• Documentation & Data Analysis: Maintain detailed design documentations and test reports for internal and external stakeholders. Collect, review and analyze test data.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Education: BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field.
• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in RF PCB design and hardware development.
• Tools: Expert-level proficiency in Cadence Allegro/OrCAD and Ansys HFSS (or equivalent EM simulation tools).
• RF Fundamentals: Strong knowledge of RF theory, including S-parameters, transmission line theory, matching networks, and de-embedding techniques.
• Lab Expertise: Extensive experience with RF test equipment (VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers, Oscilloscopes) and high-speed probing techniques.
• Materials Knowledge: Deep understanding of PCB stack-ups, dielectric materials (e.g., Rogers, Megtron), and manufacturing constraints for high-frequency PCB designs.

Desirable Skills (Nice to Have)

• Automation: Proficiency in Python or C# for developing automated test suites to increase characterization throughput.
• Data Science for RF: Experience applying AI/ML models for predictive maintenance of test setups or for signal classification.
• Wafer-Level Testing: Experience with manual or semi-automated RF probe stations for on-wafer die characterization.