PCB Designer II

Company Overview
Second Order Effects (SOE) is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in electrical, electromechanical, and embedded systems. Founded in 2016, SOE has grown from a 3-person operation to a team of over 40 members across offices in El Segundo, California and Redmond, Washington. Over the last nine years, we have completed over 250 projects and serviced over 100 different customers. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. The only thing we won’t build are weapons. 

Second Order Effects practices a “first principles approach” to technical problems. We break down complex challenges to their most fundamental components. This enables us to find solutions across industries, use cases, and engineering functions. 

As an engineering consulting firm, we focus on solving the right problems and building teams to take them on. Going beyond just resolving tough issues, we want to answer impactful questions. 

How do we do this? We empower others, build the right thing, lead with curiosity, and own the outcome. Learn more at soeffects.com!

Team Overview:
PCB Design at SOE is a growing discipline, built on the same pioneering spirit that launched our earliest innovations. From tightly routed RF front-ends to power-dense, mixed-signal architectures, our layouts are integral to the success of systems with demanding mechanical, thermal, and EMI constraints. Many of our designs carry space flight heritage, supporting aerospace missions where reliability is non-negotiable.

Joining the Electrical Engineering team as a PCB Designer means working in a collaborative, fast-moving environment where precision and ownership matter. We thrive on solving complex interdisciplinary challenges and supporting each other’s technical and professional growth. We're excited to have you onboard.

Job Overview:
As a PCB Designer II, you will take ownership over the creation of high-performance circuit board layouts and work closely with interdisciplinary project teams to achieve the project goals and meet desired specifications. You will be responsible for not only producing high-quality layouts but also for anticipating risks, evaluating trade-offs, and driving design decisions that balance technical rigor, schedule, and business needs. Ideally, you are an enthusiastic problem solver who can learn, invent and execute creative solutions to drive forward difficult projects.

What You Will Do:

• Own the design of PCB layouts from concept through manufacturing handoff for a variety of applications, including power electronics, RF, mixed-signal, and high-speed digital designs
• Ensure manufacturing readiness of boards by applying Design for Manufacturing (DFM) best practices, performing design rule checks (DRCs), and interfacing directly with PCB fabrication and assembly vendors to resolve issues  
• Produce consistently high-quality layouts and footprints aligned with IPC standards and SOE best practices 
• Identify opportunities to improve PCB design processes, libraries, and documentation, and share lessons learned to elevate team effectiveness and design quality 
• Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, and SI/PI engineers to optimize layouts for thermal, EMI, and mechanical integration 
• Inspect incoming PCBAs, working with engineering to understand and address any footprint- or layout-related issues, and synthesizing takeaways to feed back into our process and improve future designs

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor's Degree (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, related field) 
• Hands-on professional experience with professional ECAD tools, such as Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence, PADS, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to translate requirements into manufacturable PCB layouts 
• Understanding of PCB specifications and properties: stackup & materials, trace/space, via sizing, impedance, transmission lines, trace capacity & sizing, propagation delay, etc.
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills
• Basic computer skills, proficient with common word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools
• Comfort working across multiple projects, adapting to changing requirements, and making informed decisions with incomplete information

What Would Be Useful:

• Expertise with Altium Designer or KiCad
• Experience with library configuration management (e.g., Altium Vault, database libraries, or PLM systems)
• Experience with either high-density, high-layer-count or large-format PCB designs, preferably for aerospace, automotive, and/or medical applications
• Experience with HDI stackups: blind & buried vias, via-in-pad, escape routing of dense BGAs
• Familiarity with IPC and JEDEC standards
• Experience with Git and/or SVN for revision control

Benefits

• Compensation range of $118,860-$148,580 + equity incentive plan
• Flexible work hours and work from home policy 
• 100% employer-paid health insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) for employees + 50% dependent coverage
• Unlimited paid time off policy, 11x paid company holidays, 12x paid sick days
• 401(k) retirement account and employer matching (Safe Harbor 4%)
• Generous paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance available if 50+ miles away from the office
• Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ports
• Catered lunches, snacks, and accessible kitchen

Additional Requirements

• Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in El Segundo, California, USA
• Applicant must be eligible to work on export controlled projects
• Job Type: Full-time (Salary)

Export Control Requirements: 

• To conform with U.S. Government export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply!
Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.