Hardware Design Engineer

About the Role

Supermicro is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Entry-Level Power DC-DC Hardware Engineer to join our server hardware engineering team. This role involves assisting in the design, schematic capture, layout review, and lab validation of DC-DC power delivery circuits for server platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Schematic Capture & Circuit Design: Design and capture schematics for server motherboard DC-DC power delivery circuits, point-of-load (POL) regulators, auxiliary power rails, and power management logic.
• Component Sizing & Selection: Assist in active and passive component selection (MOSFETs, inductors, buck controllers, capacitors) and calculate power loss, ripple, and thermal margins.
• Layout Review & Power Integrity: Work with PCB layout engineers to review board placement, routing, and high-current trace geometry to ensure low parasitic inductance, optimal ground return paths, and reliable power distribution.
• Bench Bring-Up & Lab Testing: Perform hands-on bring-up, signal verification, and functional characterization of server power rails using oscilloscopes, DC electronic loads, programmable power supplies, and digital multimeters.
• Performance Characterization: Execute standard power validation measurements, including power efficiency profiling, voltage ripple/noise, step-load transient response, power-up sequencing, and timing verification.
• Cross-Functional Debug & Support: Assist in reproducing, isolating, and solving board- and system-level hardware defects alongside thermal, signal integrity, firmware, and validation teams.
• Documentation & Data Analysis: Create and maintain power design documentation, bill of materials (BOMs), test procedures, validation reports, and issue-tracking logs.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Education: Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, Power Electronics, or a closely related field.
• Technical Proficiencies:
• Solid understanding of switch-mode power supply (SMPS) topologies, including synchronous buck converters, boost circuits, and POL power stages.
• Hands-on proficiency with schematic capture and EDA design tools (e.g., Cadence Allegro Design Entry HDL / OrCAD Capture, Altium Designer).
• Practical laboratory test and measurement skills using digital oscilloscopes, current probes, power meters, and electronic loads.
• Familiarity with power management interfaces and buses (e.g., I2C, PMBus, GPIO-based power sequencing).
• Basic knowledge of server power architectures, voltage regulator modules (VRMs), and power protection circuitry (OVP, OCP, UVP).
• Communication & Collaboration: Self-motivated team player with strong analytical problem-solving skills, structured documentation habits, and effective verbal/written technical communication.