PCB Layout Design Engineer

Job Title – PCB Layout Design Engineer – Power Electronics

Location – Leanwatts HQ, Hyderabad, India

About us

At Leanwatts, we develop innovative power electronic solutions for electric mobility and energy applications through continuous research, engineering, and manufacturing. Our “Designed and Made in India” approach drives us to build reliable, high-performance products for the future of transportation and energy.

What is this role about?

We are looking for a PCB Layout Engineer with a minimum of 5 years of hands-on PCB layout experience and strong experience in power electronics boards. You will work closely with hardware engineers to convert their approved schematics and design requirements into complete, manufacturable PCB layouts for Leanwatts’ products.

This is a dedicated PCB layout role covering placement, routing, layout verification, manufacturing outputs, and layout revisions. Hardware engineers own circuit design, component selection, and schematics; you will own PCB layout execution against agreed electrical, mechanical, thermal, and manufacturing constraints, resolving design questions with the responsible engineers.

What you will do at Leanwatts

• Schematic Handover & Layout Planning:

  Review approved schematics, netlists, component data, and layout requirements with hardware engineers. Clarify critical current paths, sensitive signals, isolation boundaries, and placement constraints before starting, and maintain schematic-to-PCB consistency through approved changes.

• Board Definition & Placement:

  Define the PCB outline, layer stack-up, copper requirements, and design rules with hardware engineers, mechanical engineers, and PCB suppliers. Place components to meet electrical performance, connector locations, enclosure fit, cooling, assembly, and service-access needs.

• Power Stage Layout & Routing:

  Lay out power boards for applications such as AC-DC and DC-DC converters, chargers, inverters, and motor controllers. Manage high-current copper paths, current-return paths, switching-loop area, decoupling placement, and via arrangements against agreed current and thermal requirements.

• Gate Drive, Sensing & Noise Control:

  Route gate-drive and return paths, Kelvin connections where required, current/voltage sensing, feedback, and control signals. Apply agreed grounding and return-path strategies and separate sensitive circuits from noisy switching nodes in consultation with hardware engineers.

• Isolation & Thermal Layout:

  Implement specified creepage, clearance, isolation barriers, keep-outs, slots, copper spreading, and thermal vias. Coordinate heatsink interfaces and component spacing with hardware and mechanical engineers, and flag conflicts for review before release.

• Footprints & PCB Libraries:

  Create and verify PCB footprints against component datasheets, package drawings, and assembly requirements. Check pin mapping, pad dimensions, polarity, courtyards, and 3D models where used, and maintain controlled library revisions.

• Layout Reviews & Verification:

  Conduct placement and routing reviews with hardware engineers and resolve review comments. Run design-rule and connectivity checks, inspect copper pours and isolation boundaries, and address fabrication, assembly, and test-access requirements before sign-off.

• Manufacturing Outputs & Release:

  Prepare checked Gerber or ODB++ files as required, drill files, stack-up and fabrication notes, assembly drawings, stencil/paste data, and pick-and-place files. Coordinate BOM consistency with hardware engineers and release the approved PCB source and manufacturing package under revision control.

• Supplier Support & Layout Revisions:

  Resolve layout-related fabrication and assembly queries with PCB suppliers and manufacturing teams. Incorporate approved engineering changes and feedback from prototype testing, EMI/EMC evaluation, thermal checks, and production into controlled layout revisions, keeping release records and schedules current.



Must have requirements****1. Education & Required Experience

• Education:

  B.E., or B.Tech in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant PCB layout experience may also be considered.

• Experience:

  Minimum 5 years of hands-on PCB layout experience, including substantial direct experience with power electronics boards. Candidates must be able to independently take a schematic handover through placement, routing, review, and manufacturing release.

• Relevant Work:

  Demonstrated experience completing power-board layouts that have been fabricated and assembled, with the ability to explain layout decisions, constraints, review findings, and revisions from previous projects.

2. Power Board Layout Expertise

• Power Routing:

  Strong practical understanding of high-current routing, copper distribution, via usage, switching loops, decoupling, gate-drive routing, Kelvin sensing, and return-current paths. Ability to recognise layout risks and discuss trade-offs with hardware engineers.

• Isolation, Noise & Thermal Constraints:

  Experience implementing high-voltage spacing, isolation boundaries, sensitive-signal routing, grounding strategies, and thermal layout requirements defined with the engineering team.

3. PCB CAD Tools & Schematic Collaboration

You should be able to work efficiently from hardware engineers’ schematics and agreed constraints, maintain design consistency, and take ownership of the PCB layout workflow.

• PCB CAD Proficiency:

  Strong working proficiency in a professional PCB CAD tool such as Altium Designer, KiCad, or OrCAD/Allegro, including multilayer layout, rule configuration, library management, and manufacturing-output generation. Ability to work in Leanwatts’ selected toolchain.

• Engineering Coordination:

  Ability to read schematics and component datasheets, identify critical nets and placement requirements, communicate layout constraints clearly, and obtain approval for changes affecting the circuit or schematic.

4. Manufacturability & Release Discipline

• Fabrication & Assembly:

  Working knowledge of PCB fabrication capabilities, stack-ups, copper weights, drill and via constraints, solder-mask and paste requirements, component spacing, and design for manufacturing and assembly.

• Verification & Documentation:

  Experience with design-rule checks, netlist/connectivity verification, footprint validation, layout checklists, mechanical fit checks, and complete fabrication and assembly documentation.

• Delivery & Change Control:

  Ability to estimate layout effort, communicate progress and risks, close review comments, and maintain organised PCB source files, libraries, release packages, and revision histories.

5. Preferred Advantages

• Relevant Products & Technologies:

  Layout experience with EV chargers, SMPS, inverters, motor drives, isolated converters, or high-power multilayer boards. Exposure to SiC/GaN layouts, heavy-copper boards, or other specialised power PCB technologies is an advantage.

• Feedback-Driven Improvements:

  Experience working with hardware, mechanical, PCB fabrication, and assembly teams to resolve layout-related EMI/EMC, thermal, manufacturability, or production issues through subsequent board revisions.