Sr. Digital Hardware Engineer
Location: Saskatoon, SK (Preferred) Remote — Canada
Terms: Full-Time Permanent
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
The client is a well-established, publicly traded Canadian technology company with over 35 years in operation and offices across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. They are a global leader in designing and manufacturing advanced hardware and software platforms that power the next generation of high-speed internet, broadband access networks, and video streaming infrastructure for major telecommunications providers worldwide.
Their engineering teams build the physical technology that makes faster, more reliable internet possible — from the circuit boards and chips that process data, all the way through to the software platforms that manage network performance at scale. Their products are used by some of the world's largest cable and internet providers.
They operate with an open, collaborative, and innovative culture where engineers have real technical ownership, long product lifecycles, and meaningful engineering challenges. The team is stable, experienced, and deeply invested in their craft. This is not a startup — it is an established, financially sound organization with a strong roadmap and genuine career growth opportunities.
WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS:
This position is backfilling a 40-year industry veteran who has spent 25 years with the company. The bar is high — and the opportunity is significant. The successful candidate will step into a role with real influence, real ownership, and real impact on the products that power broadband networks globally.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
This is a senior, hands-on technical leadership role focused on digital hardware board design — from early architecture all the way through to manufacturing. You will own complex circuit board designs end-to-end, working across a cross-functional engineering team that includes firmware developers, software engineers, mechanical engineers, and test specialists.
This is not a management role. There are no direct reports, no timesheets, and no performance evaluations. This is purely technical — you will be the most senior engineering voice on the hardware design side, guiding junior engineers and providing technical oversight throughout the full product lifecycle.
WHAT YOU WILL OWN:
System Architecture
- Define digital hardware architecture for complex, multi-layer networking platforms
- Select and integrate programmable chips, processors, memory systems, and high-speed interfaces
- Integrate FPGAs at the board level — clocks, power, sequencing, interfaces, and pin mapping — rather than developing RTL/logic (this is a board-integration role, not an FPGA/Verilog/VHDL development role)
- Make key component selections in collaboration with the architecture team
- Drive timing, clocking, and data-path performance decisions
Circuit Board Design
- Lead high-speed, multi-layer circuit board design from schematic to production
- Work with specialized layout technicians to guide board design execution
- Partition design work to junior engineers while maintaining full technical ownership
- Define routing constraints, impedance strategy, and signal quality budgets
Validation & Testing
- Lead hands-on prototype bring-up, verification, and measurements
- Oversee design verification testing with support from the testing team
- Debug hardware failures and root-cause performance issues
- Support manufacturing transition and provide technical input through production phases
Post-Production Support
- Available for escalated customer and manufacturing issues
- Perform component substitution analysis when parts become unavailable in the supply chain
MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:
- 8+ years of experience in high-speed digital hardware development — the more the better
- Proven ownership of architecture-level decisions on complex circuit boards
- Deep experience bringing high-speed systems from schematic to production across multiple projects
- Strong working knowledge of high-speed digital interfaces — multi-gigabit interfaces (PCIe, high-speed Ethernet, SERDES), DDR4/DDR5 memory, and programmable chip board integration
- FPGA experience at the board-integration level (clocks, power, interfaces, pin mapping) rather than RTL/logic development
- Experience with multi-layer high-speed circuit board design tools such as Altium, PADS, or equivalent
- Hands-on lab experience — prototype bring-up, measurements, testing, and debugging
- Ability to lead technically without formal management responsibilities
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident (candidates requiring work permit sponsorship may be considered, though strongly less preferred given longer timelines)
ASSETS:
- Experience with signal integrity and power integrity simulation tools (IBIS/IBIS-AMI, S-parameters, PDN analysis)
- Familiarity with supply chain part substitution analysis
- Home lab setup for remote bench work
- Soldering capability
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
- Salary: based on tenure and years of experience
- Annual performance bonus: based on company and personal performance
- Paid overtime
- Innovation incentive program — rewards for patents and intellectual property contributions
- Three benefits plan options — Bronze, Silver, Gold
- Relocation reimbursement
- Career development and learning opportunities
- Health care spending account
WORK MODEL & LOCATION:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is the strongly preferred location given direct access to the lab, manufacturing facility, and the largest portion of the engineering team. This is a hybrid role, with typically 2–3 days on-site for lab bring-up and validation work for Saskatoon-based candidates.
Strong candidates located elsewhere in Canada will also be considered, with periodic travel to Canadian lab sites required (cadence is project-driven, heaviest around prototype bring-up and design reviews). A home lab setup is considered a strong asset for remote candidates.
INTERVIEW PROCESS:
- Stage 1 — Remote technical interview with the engineering leadership team covering background, technical depth, problem-solving approach, and interpersonal skills
- Stage 2 — In-person interview in Saskatoon including a facility tour — flight covered by the company
- Final Stage — Recommendation to VP of Engineering, followed by offer details coordinated through HR
IDEAL CANDIDATE:
You are a seasoned digital hardware engineer who has spent your career going deep — not wide. You understand complex circuits at a master level, not just a familiarity level. You have seen designs through from the first conversation with an architect all the way to a product sitting on a shelf. You are comfortable leading technically without needing a title to do it, and you thrive in a collaborative environment where your expertise is genuinely valued.
