Job Description Summary

As a Lead Digital Design Engineer, you will own the design of advanced embedded avionics hardware for aerospace programs, delivering to DO 254 requirements for both New Product Introduction and Product Refresh projects. You will define schematics and realize based on requirements and architectures for complex processor and FPGA-based systems and play a key role in technical input for bids and proposals.

In this role, you will both lead and do: partnering with other lead engineers on detailed circuit design, integration, verification, and documentation of high performance avionics boards. You will mentor less experienced engineers, set technical direction, and ensure rigor across the full design lifecycle.

You will work within established processes but with significant autonomy to make technical decisions, introduce innovative solutions to complex problems, and drive actions that protect safety, quality, schedule, and cost. This role offers the opportunity to directly influence the next generation of GE Aerospace avionics products while advancing your own technical and leadership growth.

Job Description

Responsibilities

• Understand and decompose complex avionics system requirements, covering both digital and analog interfaces.
• Contribute technical content to bids and proposals, informing architecture, scope, and risk.
• Monitor and apply new technologies in embedded systems, processors, FPGAs, and electronic components.
• Design processor- and FPGA-based assemblies, including schematic definition, part selection, placement guidance, layout constraints, PWB stack-up definition, and layout review/approval.
• Lead board bring-up, HW/SW integration, and verification to demonstrate performance and compliance.
• Diagnose and resolve complex hardware issues spanning processors, FPGAs, memories, and supporting components.
• Apply DFM, maintainability, and testability principles to ensure robust, producible designs.
• Participate in architectural trade studies and proposal work to guide technical choices and strategy.
• Act as a primary technical interface to internal customers, providing clear recommendations and status.
• Mentor junior engineers through coaching, design reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary design teams (hardware, layout, FPGA, systems, manufacturing, test) to deliver integrated solutions.
• Identify and implement improvements to tools, methods, and design processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
• Strong experience in board-level digital hardware design: schematic design, implementation, integration, validation and verification.
• Demonstrated expertise in high-speed digital interface design.
• Hands-on experience with Board-Level Timing Analysis, Worst Case Analysis, Stress/Derate, and Signal/Power Integrity.
• Proven ability to analyze and solve complex technical problems using structured, critical thinking & Problem Solving.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including creation of clear technical documentation.
• Experience mentoring or technically guiding junior engineers.

Desired Characteristics

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and 7+ years of experience in digital hardware design.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and architect complex digital hardware systems.
• Deep understanding of the end-to-end board design flow from concept/schematic through layout, integration, validation and verification.
• Experience directing or performing layout of complex PWBs.
• Experience designing with high‑speed components such as GHz‑class microprocessors, FPGAs, CPLDs, DDR3/DDR4, flash, Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe or others.
• Comfortable with large pin-count devices (1000+ pins, pitches of 0.8 mm or smaller).
• Familiar with HDI technologies (microvias, buried/blind vias, back drilling) for IPC Class 3 hardware.
• Experience with 5+ Gbps serial links (for example 10GBASE‑KR, PCIe Gen3, fiber‑optic links).
• Knowledge of avionics and industrial communication protocols (CAN, MIL‑STD‑1553, ARINC 429, ARINC 664, TSN).
• Prior experience in Military, Aerospace, or Avionics environments.
• Proficient with Mentor Graphics Expedition Enterprise and HyperLynx PI/SI.
• Familiar with tools such as OrCAD PSPICE or LTSpice, Mathcad, Microsoft Office, and Visio.
• Strong technical communication and documentation capabilities

Additional Information