Sr. Hardware Engineer-North Carolina

Job Summary

Responsible for electrical hardware design of printed circuit board assemblies intended for harsh environments in Layer 2 and Layer 3 Industrial Ethernet Switches. Perform hardware verification on new products and provide lifecycle support from inception to end of life, addressing field issues not managed by field support personnel. Contribute to manufacturing process input so the product can be manufactured with low overhead. Analyze and interpret new product requirements to ensure design projects meet commercial objectives.

Location

Cary, NC 27513

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the hardware design of Layer 2 and Layer 3 access and distribution switches qualified for power utilities, oil and gas, industrial automation and process control, railway trackside installations, roadway transportation (traffic control), digital video surveillance, and outdoor deployments.
• Develop DIN rail and rack mount solutions with natural convection (no fans) to operate from -40 C to 75 C outside ambient conditions.
• Design to achieve high levels of electromagnetic immunity (10 Vrms conducted, 10 V/m radiated) and withstand lightning surge up to 4 kV.
• Design interfaces including: DC input and power entry for 24 Vdc, 48 Vdc, and 110 Vdc systems; 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet; PoE up to IEEE 802.3bt (95 W per port); fiber uplinks supporting 100 Base-FX, 1000 Base-X, 10GBase-SR, 10GBase-LR, 10GBase-ER, and 10GBase-CX4.
• Engage in digital circuit board level design and low voltage power supply design, including power entry considerations and PoE design.
• Design embedded CPU and/or System on a Chip (SoC) configurations with DDR3/DDR4 SDRAM and Flash memory.
• Leverage Ethernet switches and PHY ICs in the design.
• Document with functional specifications, detailed specifications, manufacturing test plans, and designer test plans/results for all developed products.
• Interpret product requirement documents and translate them into concrete design requirements.
• Research and select new components to satisfy design needs.
• Perform power and thermal calculations and collaborate with Mechanical Design to optimize component placement for thermal performance.
• Provide guidance to PCB layout designers for bare PCB implementation and EMC-specific considerations to meet EMI requirements.
• Coordinate with PCB suppliers to define PCB stack-up that meets all design requirements.
• Consider manufacturing limitations to achieve Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Test (DFT), and Product Structure Checklist (PSC) goals.
• Conduct hardware bring up and designer testing on new designs.
• Address issues identified during product compliance activities and perform system-level hardware testing across the product's operational range.
• Conduct EMC testing in the lab and support formal EMC compliance activities.
• Stay engaged with suppliers and resources to acquire new knowledge relevant to responsibilities and share learnings with the team.
• Provide weekly status reports to management on project progress and issues.
• Review other hardware team members' designs constructively.
• Troubleshoot field and factory issues that exceed first level support capabilities.

Experience, Skills & Abilities

• 6+ years of analog and digital design experience.
• 6+ years of experience with 24 Vdc to 110 Vdc power and low voltage power design.
• Proven experience with 24 Vdc to 110 Vdc power entry design and low voltage power supply design.
• EMC design and testing for compliance.
• Embedded CPU, microprocessor, or SoC design experience.
• Networking design experience including 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps Ethernet copper and optical, switching, PHYs, etc.
• Experience designing industrial temperature products.
• Programmable logic experience is a plus.
• Proficient with schematic entry and PCB layout techniques for high speed design and EMI compliance.
• Experience designing products to meet Class A and Class B EMI requirements and harsh outdoor environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot issues and identify solutions.
• Knowledge of industrial temperature design principles.
• Ability to mentor junior engineers.
• Typically reports to a manager or department head.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and maintain professional demeanor under pressure.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and ownership of responsibilities; positive interpersonal skills.
• Open to feedback and able to apply it to improve performance.
• Effective time management, prioritization, and ability to meet deadlines amid shifting priorities and interruptions.
• Commitment to regular, predictable attendance and flexible hours as needed to reach goals.

Education / Training

BSEE/BSCE