Overview As Electrical PCB Layout Engineer, you will own the PCB layout process in Altium from schematic handoff to fabrication release, shaping boards for high-speed and mixed-signal electronics in a production hardware context. You collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to ensure manufacturability and performance under strict constraints. The role offers impact across Zipline's global autonomous delivery system, helping deliver reliable, safe, and scalable hardware. This is a hands-on position that values practical problem solving and clean, robust designs.
Responsibilities- Create PCB layouts in Altium for mixed-signal, high-speed, power, and embedded electronics
- Interpret schematic intent and manage critical nets, placement priorities, and routing constraints
- Coordinate with mechanical engineers on board outlines, thermal requirements, and enclosure constraints
- Define and apply layout rules for impedance, differential pairs, length matching, and power distribution
- Ensure signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, thermal behavior, manufacturability, testability, and serviceability in layouts
- Collaborate on stack-up, material selection, and fabrication constraints
- Run DRCs, resolve issues, and finalize release for fabrication and assembly
- Produce fabrication/assembly outputs (Gerbers/ODB , drill files, drawings, PnP files, notes)
- Support design reviews across electrical, mechanical, firmware, manufacturing, supply-chain, and quality teams
- Coordinate with PCB fabricators/contract manufacturers to address DFM, DFA, tolerance, and yield issues
- Maintain design data, revision history, and release packages for prototypes and production handoff
- Improve layout standards, templates, checklists, and repeatable release workflows
Key requirements- Design PCB layouts for production hardware using Altium Designer
- Strong knowledge of placement, routing, stack-ups, vias, controlled impedance, differential pairs, length tuning, grounding, shielding, and return paths
- Experience with high-speed and low-speed board design across digital, analog, power, sensors, and embedded-control circuits
- Ability to read schematics, datasheets, mechanical drawings, fabrication notes, and assembly requirements
- Familiarity with PCB fabrication/assembly processes (DFM, DFA, DFT, solder-mask, paste design, drill constraints, copper balance, panelization)
- Knowledge of IPC design/acceptability standards (IPC-2221, IPC-7351, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610)
- Experience collaborating with ECAD/MCAD workflows and 3D models for enclosure constraints
- Ability to communicate layout tradeoffs clearly to engineers, vendors, and manufacturers
- Attention to detail with judgment on cosmetic vs manufacturability vs electrical risk
- Ability to work independently in a remote environment and maintain visibility of status and risks
- Clear communicator
- Strong attention to detail
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Altium Designer
- PCB placement and routing
- Controlled impedance and differential pairs
