[Hiring] Hardware Designer @Fidus Systems

Role Description

The Hardware Designer plays a key role in architecting and delivering complex, high-performance electronic systems for Fidus clients. You will work closely with customers and cross-functional teams (FPGA, software, SI/PI) to define system and board-level architectures, design high-speed circuits, and support full product development from concept through bring-up and validation.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys tackling challenging, high-speed designs (DDR, PCIe, SerDes), working across the full hardware lifecycle, and collaborating in multidisciplinary environments. You take pride in delivering robust, production-ready designs and mentoring others while maintaining a high standard of engineering quality and documentation.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Develop the system and board level architectural design, collaborating with software and FPGA programmers to analyze requirements.
• Provide schematic design and component selection for high-speed circuits, SerDes to 32Gbps, control circuits, power supply sequencing, inter-board connectors, and memory busses.
• Conduct design simulations using LTSpice and prove circuits using prototype bench tests.
• Work with the Signal Integrity team to ensure a detailed analysis of critical nets.
• Participate in design reviews (Signal Integrity, PCB Layout, FPGA coding, Software) to ensure Fidus quality standards are met.
• Perform parts library creation and schematic capture, including embedded layout constraints, using OrCAD Capture CIS.
• Develop comprehensive test plans and test procedures.
• Lab bring-up and in-depth verification of hardware prototypes.
• Actively collaborate with the team to address hardware & software integration issues.
• Lead regulatory certification testing.
• Generate technical and user documentation.
• Provide pre-project technical support to the business and sales teams on project scope, schedule, effort estimates, and deliverables, and post-project technical support to customers.
• Act as a mentor and sounding board to junior and intermediate electronic designers.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of direct electronics design experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, or equivalent.
• Ability to lead a design technically and as a mentor.
• Strong fundamental knowledge of high-speed circuit and multi-layer PCB design.
• In-depth understanding of all aspects of the hardware product development cycle including requirements, architecture, schematic capture, PCB layout, signal integrity, verification, and manufacturing.
• Background in FPGA designs, including 32Gbps diff pairs, power/thermal design.
• Experience with high-speed devices and protocols including DDR4, PCIe Gen4, MIPI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C, HDMI, SerDes and JESD204B.
• Experience with development tools such as Cadence CIS/Orcad/Cadence Allegro.
• Experience using optical test sets, signal analyzers, and GHz+ oscilloscopes for analysis of eye diagrams, phase noise, and overall signal quality.
• Hands-on debugging experience involving scopes, VNAs, signal generators, electronic loads.
• Familiarity with ESD, EMI, and RF design considerations.
• Ability to use Verilog, RTL, or HLS an asset.
• Embraces AI as part of a modern engineering toolkit.

Requirements

• Location and travel: Position is based in Canada. Travel may be required domestically and internationally to support customer engagements and project delivery.
• This position may require access to export-controlled information. Candidates will be required to complete background checks and security screening under Canada's Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and may also be required to obtain a security clearance under the Contract Security Program (CSP) administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC, formerly PWGSC).
• This role is an evergreen position.

Benefits

• Annual base salary ranges from $95,000 to $145,000, considering variations in knowledge, skills, experience, and market conditions.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Matching RRSP contributions.
• Annual profit-sharing bonus, along with other supplementary benefits.