Senior PCB Designer
Vector Atomic
Summary
You’ll collaborate with a talented team of experienced engineers to develop PCBAs and supporting electronics for innovative R&D initiatives and commercial products. This is a unique opportunity to play a hands-on role in transforming cutting-edge quantum technologies into real-world solutions with meaningful impact.
Job description
What You’ll Do
- Collaborate with design engineers and physicists to develop custom PCBs for precision sensor systems.
- Review design requirements and develop schematics, custom footprints, component placement, and signal routing for multilayer PCBAs containing digital, analog, and power circuits.
- Apply established design rules and define PCB layer stack-ups and via strategies. Update layouts based on feedback from engineering design reviews.
- Perform BOM scrubbing, resolve DRC issues, and review designs for manufacturability.
- Prepare fabrication and assembly documentation including BOMs, Gerber/ODB++ files, drill files, and manufacturing drawings.
- Work directly with PCB fabricators and assembly vendors to address build questions and resolve parts procurement issues.
- Maintain organized design files, libraries, and documentation within our PLM system and support PCB revisions and engineering change orders (ECOs).
- Collaborate with test engineers on board bring-up, troubleshooting, and validation.
What We're Looking For
- Technical degree, relevant certification, or equivalent hands-on industry or military experience.
- 5-8 years of professional PCB layout experience including PCBA fabrication and manufacturing support.
- Strong understanding of PCB layout fundamentals including component placement, routing, planes, and vias.
- Comfortable working in a laboratory environment.
- To comply with the US export control laws, you must be U.S. citizens (born or naturalized), lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e. green card holders), and certain categories of refugees, and asylees.
Required expertise
- Understanding of grounding strategies and power routing in practical PCB design.
- Strong background in general electronics and electronic systems.
- Experience working with laboratory instrumentation and electronic test equipment.
- Proficiency with modern PCB design tools, preferably Altium Designer.
- Experience designing high-density layouts with HDI requirements and multilayer boards.
- Deep knowledge of PCB fabrication processes and manufacturing documentation.
Nice-to-have expertise
- Experience designing boards with controlled impedance, including differential pair routing and tight length matching requirements.
- Background in mixed-signal or low-noise analog circuit design environments.
- Demonstrated curiosity and motivation to expand knowledge of electronics fundamentals.
- IPC certifications related to electronics or PCB design.
- Experience designing to or updating documentation for RoHS, CE, EMI/EMC, or UL compliance.
Requirements
- Technical degree, relevant certification, or equivalent hands-on industry or military experience
- 5-8 years of professional PCB layout experience including PCBA fabrication and manufacturing support
- Strong understanding of PCB layout fundamentals including component placement, routing, planes, and vias
- Comfortable working in a laboratory environment
- U.S. citizens, lawful U.S. permanent residents, or certain categories of refugees and asylees (export control compliance)
- Understanding of grounding strategies and power routing in practical PCB design
- Strong background in general electronics and electronic systems
- Experience working with laboratory instrumentation and electronic test equipment
- Proficiency with modern PCB design tools, preferably Altium Designer
- Experience designing high-density layouts with HDI requirements and multilayer boards
- Deep knowledge of PCB fabrication processes and manufacturing documentation
Benefits
- Platinum-level family health coverage
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
- Employer 401(k) contributions
- 20 days PTO
- 11 paid holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Fully stocked kitchen
Company overview
Vector Atomic is a pioneering quantum technology company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Pleasanton, California. The company specializes in commercializing quantum technology for real-world applications, with a primary focus on GPS-free navigation, telecommunications, and computing solutions. Vector Atomic develops advanced quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems that leverage the exquisite properties of quantum systems. Their flagship products include the Evergreen-30, the world's first fully integrated commercial optical clock, and quantum inertial measurement units (IMUs) designed to provide standalone navigation capabilities without reliance on GNSS. The company has secured over $200 million in government contracts and works closely with defense agencies including the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency, and DARPA. Vector Atomic's technology delivers precise picosecond timing with 1,000x improvement in GPS accuracy, making their systems deployable and field-validated for space, submarine, and airborne applications. In 2025, the company was acquired by IonQ, bringing over 75 specialized scientists, engineers, and operators to expand IonQ's quantum technology platform.