Digital Design Engineer

Job Title: Digital Design Engineer

Job Description

The Digital Design Engineer will design a small, microcontroller-based control board of moderate complexity and own the full hardware design lifecycle from concept through release to production. The role focuses on schematic capture, component selection, low-power switch-mode power supply design, point-of-load power supply design, and close collaboration with the PCB layout team. This position supports advanced tactical radio products used in secure communications and signals intelligence applications.

Responsibilities

• Design microcontroller-based control boards of moderate complexity, focusing on robust and reliable digital hardware solutions.
• Perform schematic capture and create complete, accurate schematics for digital and power circuitry using professional electronic design tools.
• Select appropriate electronic components to meet performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability requirements.
• Design low-power switch-mode power supplies (approximately 5-10 watts) with 12-48 volt input and 3.3/5 volt outputs.
• Develop point-of-load power supply solutions, including low drop-out (LDO) regulators, to support various digital loads on the board.
• Create digital hardware designs incorporating STM32 or PSoC5 microcontrollers, focusing on hardware-only design aspects.
• Design small FPGA-based hardware solutions (such as Lattice devices), ensuring proper integration with microcontrollers and supporting circuitry.
• Implement RS-422 hardware interfaces and gigabit Ethernet hardware interfaces using appropriate adapter chips.
• Interface closely with the PCB layout team, providing guidance on component placement, routing constraints, power distribution, and signal integrity.
• Lead board bring-up activities, including initial power-on, hardware debugging, and validation of digital and power subsystems.
• Drive the design through to release for production, including documentation, design reviews, and support for manufacturing introduction.
• Collaborate with a team of digital hardware engineers to support secure communications and SIGINT radio product lines.
• Contribute examples and documentation of prior microcontroller-based designs to support design reviews and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure designs meet the requirements of a heavy engineering design and manufacturing environment, including reliability and producibility considerations.

Essential Skills

• 10+ years of digital hardware design experience, including FPGA-based hardware design.
• Strong proficiency in schematic capture and digital circuit design.
• Hands-on experience with microcontroller-based hardware design, particularly STM32 or PSoC5 (hardware design only).
• Experience designing small FPGA-based hardware solutions (for example, using Lattice devices), without requiring VHDL or Verilog development.
• Proven capability in switch-mode power supply design in the 5-10 watt range, with 12-48 volt inputs and 3.3/5 volt outputs.
• Experience designing point-of-load power supplies, including low drop-out (LDO) regulators.
• RS-422 hardware interface design experience.
• Gigabit Ethernet hardware interface design experience using simple adapter chips.
• Proficiency with Altium for schematic capture and PCB-related design tasks.
• Mid-level overall experience (approximately 10-15 years) with demonstrated examples of simple microcontroller-based hardware designs.
• Solid understanding of digital electronics, hardware design, and digital circuits in a product development context.
• Experience in electrical engineering or closely related discipline, with strong practical design skills.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working on secure communications and SIGINT (signals intelligence) radio hardware is beneficial.
• Familiarity with low-speed serial interfaces, including stereo RS ports and related digital interfaces.
• Experience collaborating with PCB layout engineers in a tightly integrated design and manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to designing products for mission-critical or safety-critical applications is an advantage.
• Ability to document designs clearly and participate effectively in design reviews.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a methodical approach to debugging and board bring-up.
• Comfort working on multiple projects or design iterations in a dynamic engineering environment.

Work Environment

This role operates in a heavy engineering design and manufacturing environment where products are designed and manufactured entirely in-house. The position is fully onsite and involves working closely with a team of approximately seven digital hardware engineers. The group focuses on digital hardware design for secure communications and SIGINT radio product lines, supporting advanced tactical radio systems used in demanding field applications. The environment emphasizes hands-on hardware design, collaboration with manufacturing and layout teams, and direct involvement in the full product lifecycle from design through production.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Germantown, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $72.00 - $96.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 14, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.