PCB Layout Engineer

Department: Platform

Location: San Jose

Compensation: $150K – $350K • Plus Significant Equity

Employment Type: FullTime

About Etched

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

Job Summary

We’re seeking a skilled PCB Layout Engineer to join our dynamic team and contribute to our high-performance data center products. As a PCB Layout Engineer at Etched, you will play a crucial role in designing and optimizing printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Cadence Allegro PCB design tools. Your primary focus will be on high-speed signaling, including 100G applications, power distribution, large BGA ball-map breakouts and complex HDI PCB stack-ups for high-performance data center products. Your expertise will ensure that our products meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and optimization of high-speed PCB layouts using Cadence Allegro, tailored for 100G signaling. Implement strategies for impedance matching, trace routing, and crosstalk mitigation, resulting in robust designs that meet the stringent performance demands of modern data centers.

• Develop and implement power distribution networks for cutting-edge data center hardware. Design power planes, decoupling strategies, and thermal management solutions to support high-performance systems, ensuring reliability and efficiency under heavy operational loads.

• Manage the design of complex High-Density Interconnect (HDI) PCB stack-ups for multi-layer boards. Integrate blind/buried vias and microvias to meet the advanced technological requirements of data center systems, enhancing signal integrity and achieving compact form factors.

• Collaborate with electrical and mechanical engineering teams to integrate PCB designs within the overall system architecture. Provide key input during design reviews to optimize performance, ensure manufacturability, and align with system-level objectives in a data center environment.

You maybe a good fit if you

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees or certifications are a plus.

• Are equipped with 10 years of experience in PCB layout design with a focus on high-speed signaling, power distribution, and HDI stack-ups, ideally for high-performance data center products.

• Demonstrate proficiency in Cadence Allegro PCB design tools

• Command in-depth knowledge of high-speed digital design principles, including signal integrity and impedance control.

• Have Experience with complex HDI PCB design and manufacturing processes.

• Understand power distribution network design and thermal management techniques, particularly for data center applications.

• Are excellent at problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage

  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits

• Housing subsidy of $2,500 per month for those living within walking distance of the office

• Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

• Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more

• Daily lunch + dinner in our office

• Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification

 How we’re different:

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.