Senior Hardware Design Engineer

Senior Hardware Design Engineer

Broadata Communications, Inc. (BCI) is a privately held California-based corporation. BCI is a leading and innovative company specializing in the development of market-driven products for the transmission of digital multimedia (video, audio, and data) over fiber. Our clients are world leaders in their industries, spanning entertainment, broadcast, medical, professional audio/video, house of worship, education, government, military, and transportation sectors. We are ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certified, with a strong commitment to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.

We are seeking a hands-on Senior Hardware Design Engineer to design, simulate, bring up, and validate complex mixed-signal and high-speed digital hardware for BCI multimedia, video-over-IP, fiber optic, medical, enterprise, and mission-critical products. This role focuses on schematic design, PCB layout, high-speed circuit simulation, signal integrity, power integrity, DFM/DFT review, board-level troubleshooting, and production release. Strong Altium Designer experience is required. Experience using Ansys HFSS for high-speed interconnect, via, connector, launch, transition, and channel simulation is a plus. This is a hands-on role based in Torrance, CA, and is not a remote or hybrid position. We offer a fast-paced, high impact and stimulating environment with opportunities for professional growth within BCI. Veterans welcome!

Key Responsibilities

• Own board-level hardware design from requirements review, architecture definition, component selection, schematic capture, PCB layout support, prototype bring-up, DFM/DFT review, verification, and production release.
• Create and maintain complex multi-sheet schematics in Altium Designer for video, high-speed digital, embedded processor, FPGA/CPLD, power, analog, isolation, protection, and fiber optic interface circuits.
• Own or directly support PCB layout in Altium Designer, including component placement, stack-up definition, controlled impedance, design rules, routing constraints, length matching, differential-pair tuning, return-path control, via strategy, and manufacturability review.
• Define and review high-speed layout requirements for HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C/USB 3.x, DVI, 3G/12G SDI, SFP/SFP+, 1G/10G Ethernet, PCIe, DDR2/DDR3/DDR4, LVDS, MIPI, and similar multi-Gbps interfaces.
• Perform pre-layout and post-layout high-speed circuit simulation and SI/PI analysis to reduce jitter, crosstalk, insertion loss, return loss, reflections, via stubs, impedance discontinuities, EMI risk, and power noise.
• Use Ansys HFSS or similar 3D EM tools when applicable to analyze connectors, high-speed launches, vias, back-drill structures, transitions, stubs, and other critical discontinuities. HFSS experience is a plus.
• Use simulation and layout review to guide connector selection, cable interface design, ESD/EMI protection, common-mode choke usage, reference-plane continuity, grounding, shielding, and high-speed routing strategy.
• Design and review power architecture, switching and linear power supplies, sequencing, protection circuits, thermal considerations, and power-distribution networks for reliable embedded products.
• Lead board bring-up, debug, and root-cause failure analysis for prototypes, pilot builds, sustaining engineering changes, EOL redesigns, and customer RMA issues.
• Use oscilloscopes, TDR/VNA, protocol analyzers, BERT/eye-diagram tools, logic analyzers, thermal tools, and standard lab equipment to validate high-speed, power, and embedded hardware performance.
• Support verification and validation testing, including HDMI/DP/SDI/Ethernet interface checks, EMC/ESD testing, environmental stress screening, reliability testing, and compliance-related testing for medical or mission-critical products.
• Prepare and review ECO/ECN packages, BOMs, manufacturing release packages, layout notes, simulation summaries, design review materials, test notes, and corrective-action documentation.
• Work closely with product management, mechanical, firmware, FPGA, software, test, manufacturing, vendors, and ODM partners to deliver manufacturable and reliable products.
• Lead and participate in schematic, layout, SI/PI, DFM, and design verification reviews, while mentoring junior engineers and PCB designers on high-speed layout and troubleshooting best practices.

Education & Experience

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related field. M.S. in Electrical Engineering is a plus.
• 8+ years of hands-on hardware design experience with high-speed analog/digital, embedded, video, networking, or mission-critical electronic products.
• Strong hands-on experience with Altium Designer for schematic capture and PCB layout is required. Candidates must be comfortable working with multi-sheet schematics, design rules, libraries, variants, BOMs, output jobs, and manufacturing release packages in Altium.
• Demonstrated experience designing complex multi-layer PCBs with controlled impedance, differential pairs, high-speed connectors, high-density components, power distribution, grounding, shielding, EMI/ESD protection, and manufacturability constraints.
• Practical experience with high-speed simulation, stack-up planning, signal integrity, power integrity, and root-cause analysis for multi-Gbps interfaces.
• Working knowledge of digital video and data interfaces, especially HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C/USB 3.x, SMPTE SDI, DVI, Ethernet, 10G Ethernet, SFP/SFP+, and related standards.
• Experience interfacing with microcontrollers, application processors, FPGAs/CPLDs, video scalers, video receivers/transmitters, Ethernet PHYs/switches, high-speed memory, and common communication interfaces such as I2C, SPI, UART, RS-232, RS-485, USB, SDIO, Ethernet, and PCIe.
• Strong hardware debugging skills with the ability to isolate failures to schematic, layout, component, firmware interaction, signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/ESD, or manufacturing causes.
• Experience with analog and digital video products, video transmission over copper and fiber, AV-over-IP, SDVoE, video processing, capture, display, and interface conversion is preferred.
• Hands-on Ansys HFSS experience for 3D EM extraction and analysis of high-speed channels, connectors, vias, launches, back-drill structures, stubs, and board transitions is preferred.
• Experience with other SI/PI tools such as Ansys SIwave, Keysight ADS, HyperLynx, Sigrity, or similar tools is a plus.
• Experience developing hardware for medical, military, industrial, or other high-reliability products and supporting standards such as IEC 60601, IEC 60601-1-2, ISO 13485, MIL-STD, or equivalent is a plus.

Skills & Abilities

• Solid Electrical Engineering background with the ability to read, understand, create, edit, and review multimedia PCB schematics and high-speed layouts.
• Strong understanding of FPGA/SoC/processors, memory systems, video interfaces, power subsystems including linear and switching topologies, ESD/EMI protection, and serial interfaces.
• Strong team player who can work collaboratively with a diverse team to identify root cause of complex system problems, for both internally reported failures and customer RMAs, using structured methods such as Ishikawa/fishbone analysis.
• Detail-oriented effective communicator with excellent customer-ready documentation and communication skills.
• Ability to provide completion time estimates for a given set of design, simulation, bring-up, and validation requirements.
• Ability to be hands-on with soldering, rework, assembly, board modification, and lab testing.
• Ability to work with very little supervision, prioritize between multiple tasks, meet aggressive deadlines, and work extended hours as needed.
• Highly responsible and committed to thrive in an energetic, fast-paced, evolving, high growth environment while coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Strong self-motivation and attitude for personal career growth, willingness to self-learn, and ability to work in new technology domains.

Physical Job Requirements

• The employee in the position will be required to occasionally move throughout the facilities, including climbing stairs, when necessary. Occasional bending and reaching in an office environment, including opening and