Technical Manager, Layout

Job Title:  Technical Manager, Layout 

Position Type: Permanent Full-Time 

Department/Group:  Layout 

Reports to:  Director, Research & Development 

Location:  Ottawa (hybrid – in office required)  

Position Overview/Mandate:  

The Technical Manager, Layout is primarily responsible for managing a diverse team of PCB layout designers to ensure the delivery of high-quality, complex high-speed layout solutions to meet our customer requirements. The role is also hands-on in the design and delivery of PCB layout designs. 

Responsibilities:  

• Manage a team of PCB layout designers to deliver complex, multi-layer, high speed PCBs using Cadence Allegro PCB Design, Mentor Expedition/PADS or Altium. 

• Recruit and retain top-notch team of layout designers to ensure high quality designs in providing solutions for our customers. 

• Collaborate with Resource Management to identify and assign PCB designers for new projects based on customer and project requirements. 

• Perform PCB layout design, including setting up design constraints, component placement, routing, and impedance/length matching for optimization of high-speed/RF designs in close collaboration with electrical, mechanical, and signal integrity designers. 

• Provide project support, manage project escalations, and deliver post-project technical support to customers. 

• Work closely with PCB fabricators to resolve technical issues and ensure compliance with DFA and DFM practices and lead DFM reviews, until closure to ensure the design is ready for high volume manufacturing. 

• Stay current on industry PCB design practices and implement new techniques and technologies to grow the PCB design team capabilities, optimize PCB cost, accelerate delivery time, and improve design quality. 

• Manage and participate in PCB design and footprint reviews to ensure adherence to Fidus quality standards. 

• Manage footprint libraries and PCB CAD licenses. 

• Provide pre-sales technical support to the business and sales teams on project scope, schedule, effort estimates, and deliverables. 

• Establish training plans and mentoring junior/intermediate PCB designers to grow the capabilities of the PCB design team aligned with company objectives. 

Education and Qualifications Required:  

• College diploma in electrical engineering, or equivalent. 

• Minimum five (5) years of experience managing or leading PCB layout designers to ensure quality and on-time delivery. 

• Minimum ten (10) years of experience designing highly complex, high-speed, digital and analog boards for various industries and products with a proven track record for delivering high-quality designs. 

• Proven experience applying advanced electrical constraint sets using the Allegro Constraint Manager, or equivalent 

• Experience with PCB design tools including Cadence Allegro PCB Design, Mentor Expedition/PADS or Altium. 

• Experience with a variety of material substrates, PCB stack-ups, via and drill techniques, and other PCB technologies. 

• Solid understanding of the fundamentals of high-speed circuit card design and routing. 

• Excellent organizational and communication skills with the ability to interact professionally with customers. 

• Detail driven and have a good understanding of how to produce zero-defect layouts. 

• Experience at hardware development and testing will be considered an asset. 

• IPC certification will be considered an asset. 

 Fidus is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.