Contract Pcb Designer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: PCB Designer

Job Description

This role focuses on the design, layout, and documentation of complex rigid, flex, and rigid-flex printed circuit boards that support advanced analog, digital, RF, and high-speed communication systems. You will lead PCB layout activities, create manufacturing documentation, and collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to deliver robust, production-ready designs for demanding military and aerospace applications.

Responsibilities

• Layout and route rigid, flex, and rigid-flex PCBs that incorporate analog, digital, RF, and high-speed circuits and components.
• Modify electronic circuit schematics and lead PCB design and layout activities from concept through release.
• Create complete documentation packages to manufacture printed wiring assemblies and printed circuit assemblies.
• Work with external vendors to design and validate stackups for HDI (High-Density Interconnect) designs.
• Implement and maintain design rules within ECAD tools to ensure manufacturability and compliance with standards.
• Create, maintain, and administer PCB component libraries, including symbols, footprints, and parameters.
• Develop new library components as required to support new designs and technologies.
• Provide technical guidance, support, and mentoring to less experienced PCB designers to build team capability.
• Interface with fabrication and assembly partners to identify, resolve, and document PCB issues arising from board fabrication and manufacturing.
• Participate in continuous improvement activities to enhance design processes, quality, and productivity.
• Contribute to team building and maintain effective, collaborative working relationships with all team members.
• Complete assigned PCB design tasks with high quality and within schedule, working with minimal supervision.
• Communicate design status, risks, issues, and improvement ideas clearly and effectively to management and stakeholders.

Essential Skills

• ASEE or equivalent work experience in a related engineering discipline.
• 12+ years of electrical PCB layout design experience, including high-speed digital communication buses.
• Strong proficiency with Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer and related Cadence/Allegro tools for PCB design and schematic capture.
• Hands-on experience with high-speed design techniques, including routing and constraint management up to 25 GHz.
• Recent, demonstrated experience with rigid-flex PCB layout.
• Recent experience laying out DDR3 or DDR4 interfaces.
• Firm understanding of IPC standards for rigid and rigid-flex PCBs, including IPC-6011, IPC-6012 Class 3, IPC-6013 Class 3, IPC-2221, IPC-7351, and IPC-SM-840D Class 3.
• Ability to start and complete complex PCB designs based on direction from electrical and mechanical designers.
• Proficiency in designing both RF and digital layouts within a single design environment.
• Experience with HDI via structures and advanced stackup design.
• CAD library administration experience, including symbol creation, footprint generation, and component parameter management.
• Ability to analyze PCB designs to ensure they meet technical and performance requirements.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Excel, Word, and Visio.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with Altium Designer for PCB design and schematic capture.
• Experience with Mentor Graphics Expedition or similar enterprise-level PCB design tools.
• Familiarity with risk-reducing PCB design techniques for EMC/EMI to meet military and aerospace standards.
• Experience with Department of Defense standards and practices, including MIL-STD and ANSI standards.
• Ability to think creatively and develop innovative PCB design concepts for challenging requirements.
• Experience in designing electronics for tactical or mission-critical applications is beneficial.
• Experience working in environments that support military and law enforcement technologies is a plus.

Work Environment

This position operates in a heavy engineering design and manufacturing environment where products are designed and built in-house from concept through production. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and test engineering, while using advanced ECAD tools such as Cadence OrCAD/Allegro and Altium Designer. The environment emphasizes precision, reliability, and adherence to rigorous military and aerospace standards, with a strong focus on high-speed, RF, and HDI PCB technologies. The role involves working on state-of-the-art tactical radio and related systems that support mission-critical applications, offering the opportunity to contribute to technology that directly supports military and law enforcement operations.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Germantown, MD.

The pay range for this position is $52.00 - $67.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Germantown,MD.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 13, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.