Senior Hardware Design Engineer at Fairchild Imaging in San Jose, CA

Fairchild Imaging, headquartered in San Jose, California is a specialty image sensor design and manufacturing company with deep experience in developing leading edge performance CMOS image sensors. Our portfolio of image sensors can be found in many high-performance imaging applications like space exploration, medical x-ray, sciences, quantum computing, machine vision, low light, and 360 situational awareness.

Senior Hardware Design Engineer – High-Speed Electronics

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Hardware Design Engineer to lead the design and development of advanced PCB-based electronic systems featuring high-speed digital interfaces, complex multilayer boards, and demanding signal and power integrity requirements.

The role requires deep expertise in high-speed digital hardware design, PCB architecture, signal integrity, power delivery, and system-level optimization. Experience with USB-C interoperability and robust high-bandwidth data interfaces is particularly valuable.

In addition to hands-on engineering, this role may include responsibility for mentoring engineers, driving technical direction across projects, and contributing to team growth and engineering excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership and Team Development

• Provide technical leadership across hardware development programs.
• Mentor junior and mid-level hardware engineers in schematic design, PCB layout, debugging, and engineering best practices.
• Lead hardware design reviews, architecture discussions, and cross-functional technical decision-making.
• Establish and promote engineering standards for high-speed PCB design, signal integrity, documentation, and validation.
• Support project planning, task prioritization, resource estimation, and execution tracking.
• May directly manage a small team of hardware engineers, including goal setting, performance feedback, career development, coaching, hiring, and onboarding.

High-Speed Hardware Architecture and Design

• Architect, design, and validate complex multilayer PCBs for high-performance electronic systems.

• Define board-level architectures, component selection, schematics, layout constraints, and interconnect strategies.

• Design and validate high-speed interfaces, including:

• • USB-C and USB high-speed data interfaces
    • LVDS and other high-speed serial interfaces
    • High-speed differential links and memory interfaces

• Collaborate with firmware, software, systems, and other engineering teams to ensure robust system integration.

• Optimize board architecture, power delivery, grounding, clocking, and layout to meet performance, reliability, and noise requirements.

• Evaluate and mitigate hardware design impacts on system performance, including timing errors, electrical noise, EMI/EMC coupling, and power integrity artifacts.

USB-C Interoperability and System Integration

• Design and debug robust USB-C implementations, including:

• • Connector orientation and configuration support
    • Enumeration and connection reliability
    • Sustained high-bandwidth data streaming
    • Cable, host, and hub interoperability
    • Power sequencing and interface robustness

• Diagnose intermittent hardware and interface failures through systematic testing, measurement, and root-cause analysis.

• Analyze and resolve signal integrity and power integrity challenges across USB-C and other high-speed interfaces.

• Work with firmware and software teams to distinguish hardware, firmware, and system-level failure modes.

Signal Integrity and Hardware Excellence

• Serve as a technical authority in high-speed and high-density PCB design.

• Apply and guide best practices for:

• • Signal integrity analysis and validation
    • Impedance control and stackup design
    • Differential-pair routing and skew management
    • Return-path continuity and via transitions
    • Crosstalk and insertion-loss mitigation
    • Power integrity and low-noise supply design

• Drive schematic reviews, layout reviews, design-for-test considerations, and hardware validation plans.

• Lead prototype bring-up, lab debugging, failure analysis, and design iteration.

• Document design decisions, test results, and corrective actions to support reliable product development and production readiness.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of hardware design experience, including complex multilayer PCB design.
• Proven expertise designing high-speed digital systems and high-density PCBs.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, mentoring, or team lead experience.
• Strong working knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, and high-speed layout constraints.
• Practical experience with high-speed interfaces such as USB-C, USB, LVDS, or other high-speed serial and differential interfaces.
• Experience with schematic capture and PCB layout tools such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or equivalent.
• Hands-on lab debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and related instrumentation.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex hardware issues, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions.
• Strong technical communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Fairchild Imaging provides our employees with a range in benefits offerings that includes:

• 9/80 Schedule - You get every other Friday off!
• Medical, Dental and Vision coverage with multiple plan offerings
• Health Savings Account with an employer contribution annually
• 401(k) retirement plans with Employer matching
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Generous Paid Time Off policy

The compensation salary range for this role is $180,000 to $200,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, education, certifications, and knowledge.

Fairchild Imaging is an equal opportunity employer. We foster a culture where everyone has an opportunity to succeed regardless of their race, color, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, social or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, union membership, and political affiliation, or any other legally protected group.