PCB Layout Engineers
High-Speed PCB Layout Engineers: DDR5, SerDes, RF
Constraint-driven PCB layout for high-speed digital, mixed-signal, and RF board designs. Mid, senior, and principal engineers with design-for-fabrication, signal integrity, and EMC experience.
What they do
Constraint-Driven Layout from Schematic to Gerber Delivery
Principal PCB layout engineers at Game 7 own the board from schematic import through fab release. They do not hand off a 90% complete layout and wait for SI review to fix it. They define stackup with the fab, set impedance targets, route differential pairs correctly the first time, and work directly with signal integrity and hardware engineers to resolve layout-driven issues before prototyping.
They've built boards that came back from the first spin working. They understand that a bad layout costs three prototype spins, and they design to avoid it.
Scope of work
- High-speed PCB layout for DDR5, LPDDR5, PCIe Gen5, USB 3.x, and high-speed SerDes interfaces
- Impedance-controlled trace routing and differential pair management
- RF and microwave PCB layout with transmission line design and controlled impedance
- Multi-layer stackup definition, via strategy, and fab coordination
- Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and board-level design for test
- EMC and EMI mitigation: ground plane strategy, filter placement, shielding
- Component placement for thermal management and signal integrity
- Gerber package preparation, fab notes, and fabrication support
Tools & Technologies
The stack our PCB engineers actually ship in.
Program context
High-Speed Board Design for Every Platform Type
Semiconductor validation and bring-up boards are among the most demanding PCB programs in the industry. They carry high-speed interfaces (DDR5, PCIe Gen5, 100G+ Ethernet), dense BGA components with 0.4mm pitch, and tight power delivery requirements. Often before the silicon has been fully characterized.
Defense and aerospace PCB programs add conformal coating requirements, thermal extremes, and MIL-PRF-31032 or IPC Class 3 fabrication standards. RF boards demand controlled-impedance transmission lines, precise RF trace widths, and EMC strategy built into the layout from the start.
FAQ
Common Questions on PCB Layout Engineers Staffing
What separates a high-speed PCB layout engineer from a general-purpose board designer?+
High-speed PCB layout engineers understand the electrical behavior of their design. Not just how to route traces. They know that DDR5 at 6400 MT/s has specific fly-by topology requirements, that PCIe Gen5 traces need specific loss budgets with tight impedance tolerance, and that SerDes reference planes cannot have discontinuities. A general-purpose board designer can follow a checklist. A high-speed engineer understands why the checklist exists and knows when to deviate because the design context requires it.
Can Game 7 place PCB layout engineers for semiconductor validation boards specifically?+
Yes. Semiconductor validation boards are a specific subspecialty. They carry pre-production silicon, require test points that don't affect signal integrity, and are often built in small quantities with fast turnaround. Engineers who've built validation boards for ASIC or SoC programs understand the bring-up use case and design accordingly.
What fabrication standards do your PCB engineers design to?+
Our engineers design to IPC-2221, IPC-2581, and IPC-A-600/610 by default. For defense and aerospace programs, we have engineers with MIL-PRF-31032, IPC Class 3, and J-STD-001 experience. For RF boards, we match engineers with experience at the relevant frequency range and with the relevant substrate materials (Rogers, PTFE laminates).
How does Game 7 assess the quality of a PCB layout engineer?+
We ask about first-spin success rate on complex boards, how they handle SI constraint generation, how they coordinate with the fab on stackup decisions, and what their process is for DFM review before Gerber release. Engineers who have never had to debug a board failure tend to not know the process is wrong until it is.
Related disciplines
Cross-Links Across the Team
Board Hardware Engineers from Schematic to Bring-Up
Schematic and architecture partners whose design the layout engineer implements.
Physical Design Engineers →Floorplan, P&R, STA, and Signoff Engineers for Advanced Process Nodes
ASIC/SoC engineers whose silicon goes onto your board.
RTL Design Engineers →SystemVerilog RTL Designers with Tape-Out Experience
Silicon your board will carry and bring up.
Let's talk
Need a PCB Layout Engineer?
Tell us the program. We'll send a shortlist of 2-4 qualified engineers within days.