Senior/Lead PCD Design Engineer

Senior/Lead PCB Design Engineer

Company: Chara Technologies Location: Bengaluru

About Chara Technologies

Chara Technologies is a Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup that designs and manufactures rare-earth-free electric motors and controllers for EVs and industrial applications, backed by Series A investors including Arkam Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, and Kalaari Capital.

About the Role

Chara is looking for a Senior/Lead PCB Design Engineer to own the full PCB design lifecycle for its power electronics and motor controller products - from schematic capture through layout, DRC/DFM/EMC review, and final Gerber release. You'll work closely with hardware, mechanical, and manufacturing teams, as well as EMS partners, to ensure designs are robust, manufacturable, and production-ready.

What You Will Do

1. Own end-to-end PCB design: schematic capture, component selection, layout, DRC/DFM/EMC review, and Gerber release.
2. Apply power electronics layout best practices - power, grounding, thermal management, and signal integrity.
3. Drive EMI/EMC, reliability, and manufacturability considerations across designs to ensure high production yield.
4. Create and maintain PCB libraries, symbols, footprints, design standards, and documentation.
5. Work independently on PCB design activities with minimal oversight.
6. Collaborate with hardware, mechanical, system, quality, and manufacturing teams to resolve board-level issues.
7. Partner with EMS vendors to address production issues and improve PCB quality and manufacturing consistency.
8. Lead DFM/DFA/DFT reviews for manufacturability, assembly efficiency, and testability.
9. Manage ECO/ECR processes, design revisions, version control, and design archives.
10. Incorporate feedback from validation, testing, and field failures into ongoing design improvements.

What We're Looking For

1. 3-8 years of PCB design experience, ideally with exposure to power electronics for EV or related applications.
2. Proficiency in Altium Designer or equivalent PCB design tools (Cadence Allegro, Mentor Xpedition/PADS, OrCAD).
3. Working knowledge of IPC and relevant industry standards for PCB design and manufacturing.
4. Demonstrated ability to independently drive a design from schematic through release with minimal supervision.
5. Experience collaborating cross-functionally with hardware, mechanical, quality, and EMS/manufacturing teams.