Component Engineer

Job Summary

Official Job Title: Senior Component Engineer

Role Focus: Component Engineering (AOS/EOL & AML) and Altium CAD Librarian

The Component Engineer is an experienced, independent contributor who owns the health of the electrical component base used across Industrial Scientifics product portfolio. This role leads the response to allocation, obsolescence, and supply (AOS) issues and end-of-life (EOL) notifications by identifying and qualifying alternate components and completing the work to update Approved Manufacturer Lists (AML). Just as importantly, this person understands our designs well enough to recognize when a simple AML add is not simple, when a proposed substitute differs in form, fit, function, electrical performance, or agency-certification impact, and when a component change may drive a design change. In those cases, the Component Engineer brings the Electrical Engineers in early with a clear technical assessment and proposed path forward. The role also serves as the Altium CAD Librarian and Windchill part data owner, ensuring that engineers and designers have accurate, released, ready-to-use symbols, footprints, models, and part records to complete schematic and layout work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

This position sits at the intersection of electrical engineering, supply chain, and design infrastructure. The Component Engineer will work closely with Electrical Engineers, Designers, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Compliance/Agency Certification, and external suppliers and design partners to keep products buildable, compliant, and ready for both new product development and sustaining engineering.

Component Engineering - AOS, EOL, and AML Management

• Monitor, triage, and drive resolution of allocation, obsolescence, and supply (AOS) issues and manufacturer end-of-life (EOL), last-time-buy, and product change notifications (PCNs) for electrical and electronic components.
• Research, identify, and evaluate alternate and second-source components using manufacturer data, distributor databases, and lifecycle tools; complete the documentation and engineering change work required to update the AML.
• Perform technical comparisons of proposed alternates against the current approved part, including electrical parameters, tolerances, temperature ratings, package and land pattern, pinout, mechanical fit, and reliability data.
• Review the schematic and PCB context in which a component is used to determine whether a substitution is a drop-in AML addition or whether it carries design, performance, firmware, or layout impact.
• Recognize when a component change may affect agency approvals and hazardous-location certifications (UL, CSA, ATEX, IECEx, MSHA, etc.), intrinsic-safety parameters, or critical-component lists, and escalate appropriately.
• Engage Electrical Engineers when a component change may require a design change, presenting a clear technical assessment, risk summary, and recommended options to support an engineering decision.
• Author and process engineering change requests/orders for component and AML changes, and support verification or qualification activities as needed.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Manufacturing to assess inventory, last-time-buy quantities, and transition timing for affected components and assemblies.
• Proactively assess component lifecycle and supply risk across active products and new designs, and recommend preferred parts to reduce future obsolescence exposure.
• Maintain compliance data for components, including RoHS, REACH, and conflict minerals information, in coordination with Compliance and Quality.

Altium CAD Librarian

• Own the Altium component libraries, creating, reviewing, releasing, and maintaining schematic symbols, PCB footprints, 3D models, simulation models, and component parameters.
• Ensure footprints follow IPC land-pattern standards and internal design rules, and are suitable for Industrial Scientifics PCB fabrication and assembly processes.
• Administer and maintain the Altium environment, including managed libraries, templates, design rules, output job files, user settings, permissions, and configuration standards.
• Provide everything engineers and designers need to complete schematic capture and PCB layout work, including timely creation of new parts to support project schedules.
• Provide first-line Altium support to engineers and designers, troubleshooting library, project setup, and data consistency issues.
• Define, document, and continuously improve library standards, naming conventions, review checklists, and release workflows.

Windchill Part Data Management

• Create and maintain electrical part records in Windchill, including manufacturer, manufacturer part number, AML/AVL associations, lifecycle status, compliance attributes, and supporting documentation.
• Maintain alignment between Altium, Windchill, ERP, and BOMs; support BOM validation, part number cleanup, and duplicate part reduction.
• Follow, enforce, and help mature corporate engineering change and part release processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience in component engineering, electrical design, ECAD library management, or a closely related role supporting electronic hardware products
• Solid working knowledge of electronic components, including passives, discretes, ICs, power devices, connectors, batteries, sensors, and electromechanical parts
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, PCB layouts, datasheets, and component drawings well enough to judge the design impact of a component change
• Hands-on experience creating schematic symbols and PCB footprints in Altium Designer
• Experience managing component obsolescence, EOL notifications, alternate part qualification, and AML/AVL updates
• Experience with PLM systems and engineering change processes; Windchill preferred
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail
• Self-starter with the ability to work as part of a team while also meeting individual responsibilities

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience
• Experience administering Altium 365, Concord Pro, or another managed ECAD library environment
• Familiarity with IPC-7351 land-pattern standards and PCB fabrication and assembly processes (DFM/DFA)

Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.