Senior High‑Speed PCB Design Engineer (Freelance) – Edge Computing / Road‑Safety Systems

Location: Fully Remote (EU‑based preferred)
Contract Length: 12–24 months
Industry: Road Safety • Construction‑Site Imaging • Edge‑AI Hardware

Project Overview

Our client develops intelligent road‑safety and construction‑site monitoring systems using edge‑AI imaging to detect loose objects, debris, and hazardous conditions. Their next‑generation platform uses high‑speed sensors and embedded compute to trigger instant on‑site alarms that improve worker safety.

You will join the core hardware R&D team building the company’s new edge‑computing device, integrating NVIDIA Jetson modules, high‑speed imaging components, PCIe Gen4 interfaces, and multi‑layer PCB designs.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead design of 8‑layer, 10‑layer and 12+‑layer high‑speed PCBs for advanced embedded edge‑AI devices.
• Develop and optimise schematics for NVIDIA Jetson carrier boards, imaging modules, and high‑bandwidth sensor interfaces.
• Implement and validate PCIe Gen4, USB 3.2, MIPI CSI, and other high‑speed differential interfaces.
• Perform signal‑integrity analysis, impedance control, length matching, and EMI/EMC mitigation.
• Own full hardware lifecycle from concept → layout → prototype → production.
• Debug and characterise high‑speed interfaces, including:
  • PCIe link training issues
  • USB 3.2 signal integrity failures
  • Noise, jitter, and crosstalk problems
  • Power integrity / decoupling issues
  • Sensor and imaging‑pipeline interface faults
• Use advanced test equipment to evaluate and debug hardware:
  • High‑bandwidth oscilloscopes (≥1 GHz)
  • Differential probes
  • Protocol analyzers (PCIe/USB)
  • Logic analyzers
  • High‑speed TDR / VNA tools (bonus)
• Work closely with software, imaging, and AI teams to ensure real‑time processing performance.
• Ensure designs are robust for outdoor industrial environments (thermal, vibration, moisture, dirt ingress).
• Contribute to DFM/DFT processes and work with manufacturing partners.

Required Skills & Experience

• Expert‑level high‑speed PCB design (8L/10L/12L+).
• Strong experience with:
  • PCIe Gen4 routing & compliance
  • USB 3.2 high‑speed differential signalling
  • NVIDIA Jetson modules (Orin/Xavier or similar)
• Proven ability to debug high‑speed digital hardware and interfaces using professional test equipment.
• Strong understanding of power integrity, EMI/EMC, stack‑ups, and controlled‑impedance routing.
• Proficiency with EDA tools (Altium, Cadence Allegro, Mentor/Xpedition, etc.)
• Experience designing ruggedised electronics for industrial or outdoor use.

Nice to Have

• Experience with imaging systems, machine vision, sensor fusion or camera‑based systems.
• Familiarity with edge AI hardware, GPU accelerators, or real‑time vision pipelines.
• Background in industrial safety, automotive, robotics or similar regulated domains.
• Exposure to Rust, C/C++ or embedded Linux for hardware‑software co‑design.
• Experience with environmental reliability testing.