Senior Electrical Engineer Needed for Product Redesign

Electrical Engineer Needed for Product Redesign We are looking for an experienced embedded hardware / electrical engineer to support the redesign of a compact electronic hardware product involving USB connectivity, wireless module integration, embedded MCU design, power design, schematic capture, design review, debugging, and DFM. This is an active client project, and we need someone who can step in quickly, review existing design work, help close technical gaps, and provide senior-level hardware engineering support. This may begin as a backup / design-review role, but could expand into direct ownership of schematic design, component selection, debugging, bring-up support, and manufacturer-facing engineering work. ## Project Context The project involves a next-generation redesign of an existing compact electronic device. The redesign includes a faster embedded processor, improved USB performance, wireless connectivity, better RF reliability, improved manufacturing readiness, and cost reduction. The work involves embedded hardware design for a production-bound electronic device with USB, wireless, power, memory, LEDs, buttons, debug interfaces, and enclosure/PCB mechanical constraints. ## Primary Responsibilities We need help with some or all of the following: * Review existing hardware architecture, schematics, requirements, and design decisions. * Own or support schematic design and schematic cleanup. * Perform detailed design reviews for correctness, manufacturability, signal integrity, power integrity, and risk. * Validate part selections and recommend alternate components where appropriate. * Review MCU, wireless module, USB hub, flash memory, power, RF, LED, button, JTAG/SWD, UART, SDIO, SPI, and support circuitry. * Support schematic work, including symbols, netlists, BOM, design rules, and layout handoff documentation. * Help define PCB stackup, controlled-impedance requirements, routing constraints, and layout notes for PCB layout engineers. * Collaborate with PCB layout engineers on placement, routing constraints, impedance control, USB routing, RF layout, power routing, grounding, and DFM. * Review PCB layout for USB, RF, wireless module placement, antenna placement, power, grounding, decoupling, ESD, testability, and manufacturability. * Support debugging and board bring-up after prototype fabrication. * Help diagnose hardware issues using schematics, datasheets, measurements, layout review, and systematic debugging. * Support RF / wireless coexistence analysis, including antenna placement, RF interference, shielding, filtering, layout separation, and coexistence risks. * Support DFM / DFC review, BOM cost reduction, component availability review, and contract-manufacturer handoff. * Create clear technical notes, design-review comments, risk lists, and action items. ## Technical Areas Involved The ideal candidate has strong experience with several of the following: * Embedded hardware design * Circuit design * Schematic capture * Design reviews * Hardware debugging * Board bring-up * Consumer electronics or compact embedded electronics * USB 2.0 design * USB-C and USB-A ports * USB hub ICs * MCU-based embedded systems * ARM Cortex-M or similar embedded processor platforms * Wi-Fi / Bluetooth module integration * SDIO, UART, SPI, I2C, GPIO * JTAG / SWD debug interfaces * External flash memory * Secure embedded hardware design considerations * Power supply design * Power sequencing * Switching regulators and LDOs * Decoupling and power integrity * RF layout review * Antenna placement and antenna keepout * RF coexistence * EMI / EMC mitigation * ESD protection * Controlled-impedance routing constraints * PCB stackup planning * DFM / DFA / DFC * BOM review and cost reduction * Contract manufacturer support ## CAD / Tool Experience Required or strongly preferred: * Cadence OrCAD Capture or similar schematic capture experience * Ability to review or generate schematics, symbols, netlists, BOMs, and design rules * Ability to collaborate with PCB layout engineers using Cadence Allegro, Mentor/PADS, Altium, KiCad, or similar tools * Comfort reviewing PCB layout files, Gerbers, fabrication drawings, assembly drawings, and manufacturer outputs Flexibility across ECAD environments is valuable because the role may require reviewing files, coordinating with layout engineers, and producing clean handoff documentation. ## Specific Hardware Blocks Experience with any of the following is highly relevant: * Embedded MCU / processor design * Wireless module integration * USB hub or multi-port USB architecture * USB-C upstream ports * Multiple downstream USB-A ports * USB host/device architecture * External SPI / QSPI flash * RGB LEDs and LED driver/PWM circuitry * Tactile buttons or user-interface hardware * JTAG / SWD / UART debug access * RF shielding, antenna keepout, RF filters, and coexistence layout * Mechanically reinforced connectors * Test points and production test considerations ## Deliverables May Include Depending on fit and availability, deliverables may include: * Schematic review report * Component selection review * Alternate part recommendations * Updated schematic pages * Schematic capture updates * Netlist / BOM review * Design rules and layout constraints * Recommended PCB stackup notes * Layout review comments * RF / EMI / coexistence risk review * Power integrity / decoupling review * Bring-up and debugging plan * Prototype issue diagnosis * DFM / CM handoff notes * Clear weekly status updates and action-item tracking ## Required Working Style This project needs someone who is technically strong, reliable, and communicative. Please only apply if you can: * Respond reliably within agreed communication windows. * Proactively flag risks, blockers, and unanswered questions. * Attend scheduled design-review calls when needed. * Provide clear written status updates. * Work from incomplete information and identify what must be clarified. * Explain tradeoffs clearly without overcomplicating the process. * Document design decisions and open issues. * Collaborate professionally with firmware, layout, mechanical, RF, and manufacturing stakeholders. ## Ideal Candidate The ideal person is a senior embedded hardware engineer who has shipped real products, not just created prototype boards. You should be comfortable reading datasheets, reviewing schematics, challenging part selections, debugging boards, and working with layout and manufacturing teams to get a design ready for production. You do not need to personally perform every PCB layout task, but you must be able to define layout constraints, review layout quality, and guide the PCB designer on USB, RF, power, grounding, and DFM concerns. ## Nice to Have * Experience with consumer electronics, embedded wireless products, USB adapters, or compact high-volume hardware. * Experience with RF pre-compliance, EMI/EMC troubleshooting, or lab-based RF debugging. * Experience designing products where firmware protection, secure boot, encrypted storage, or manufacturing security matters. * Experience supporting production transfer to a contract manufacturer. * Experience reducing BOM cost without compromising reliability. ## Engagement We are open to hourly or milestone-based work. Initial engagement will likely begin with a design review and technical handoff, then expand if there is a strong fit. Please include: 1. Examples of relevant embedded hardware projects. 2. Your experience with OrCAD Capture or similar schematic tools. 3. Your experience with USB 2.0 or other high-speed digital design. 4. Your experience with Wi-Fi / Bluetooth module integration or RF coexistence. 5. Your experience with board bring-up and debugging. 6. Your availability this week and typical response time. 7. Whether you prefer to own schematic design, review existing work, support debugging, or provide full hardware lead support.