Hire a PCB Designer who lays out boards that build first time.
Get from schematic to fab-ready files without the respins. A pre-vetted designer handles capture, layout and manufacturing outputs in your EDA tools.
- Altium Designer
- KiCad
- Cadence Allegro
- OrCAD
- Siemens PADS
- Autodesk Eagle
Overview
What does a PCB Designer do?
A board respin is one of the most expensive words in hardware. A footprint drawn from the wrong datasheet revision, a switching regulator routed too close to a sensitive input, or a connector that clashes with the enclosure can cost weeks and another round of fabrication. Most of those mistakes are layout and library problems, not circuit design problems.
A PCB designer specializes in getting that part right. They capture schematics, build and check component libraries, plan stack-ups, place and route boards with attention to power, signal integrity and EMC, and run design rule checks before anything goes out. Then they produce the Gerbers, drill files, BOM and assembly drawings your manufacturer needs.
AssistHubPro matches you with a designer who has taken boards through fabrication and assembly, in the EDA tools your team uses. Your electrical engineers keep owning the circuit. Your designer turns it into a board that builds, fits and passes.
- Schematic capture
- Component libraries
- Stack-up and placement
- Routing and power distribution
- High-speed and impedance control
Skills and stack
From schematic to fab files, laid out properly.
The day-to-day work your designer owns, in the tools your team already uses.
- Schematic captureTurns reference designs, block diagrams or marked-up sketches into clean, annotated schematics.
- Component librariesBuilds symbols, footprints and 3D models from datasheets, checked against your library standards.
- Stack-up and placementPlans layer stack-ups with your fabricator and places parts for routing, thermals and mechanical fit.
- Routing and power distributionRoutes signals and power planes with care for return paths, decoupling and current capacity.
- High-speed and impedance controlHandles controlled-impedance traces, differential pairs and length matching for USB, Ethernet or DDR.
- DRC and design reviewsRuns electrical and design rule checks and prepares review packs your engineers can sign off quickly.
- Manufacturing outputsGenerates Gerbers or ODB++, drill files, pick-and-place, BOM and assembly drawings for your manufacturer.
- Mechanical collaborationExchanges STEP models with your mechanical team so boards, connectors and enclosures fit together.
Tools they already know
- Altium Designer
- KiCad
- Cadence Allegro
- OrCAD
- Siemens PADS
- Autodesk Eagle
- Octopart
Your designer works in your EDA licenses and project repositories with only the access the job needs. You own every file and account, and access is removed the day a placement ends.
Human vs AI
Why a PCB Designer beats AI on its own.
AI tools are quick at first drafts. A dedicated designer turns them into finished work you can trust, inside your business.
| Topic | AI aloneAI tools on their own | Your designerYour PCB Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Knows your business | ||
| Knows your business | Starts from zero each timeStarts from a blank prompt every time you ask. | Remembers your clients and preferencesLearns your clients, preferences and way of working, and remembers them. |
| Judgment calls | ||
| Judgment calls | Can be confidently wrongFollows patterns and can sound certain when it is wrong. | Checks facts and asks before actingSpots the exception, checks the facts and asks you before acting. |
| Follow-through | ||
| Follow-through | Waits for the next promptAnswers when asked, then waits for the next prompt. | Owns each task until it is doneOwns the task from start to finish and follows up until it is done. |
| Relationships | ||
| Relationships | Can't build trustCan't build trust with the people you work with. | Part of your team to clientsTalks to your clients, vendors and team like part of your company. |
| Works in your tools | ||
| Works in your tools | Output needs copying overNeeds someone to copy its output into your systems. | Works inside your accountsWorks inside your accounts, with access you control. |
| Accountability | ||
| Accountability | Nobody stands behind itNobody stands behind the result. | Reports to you, with a free rematchYour designer reports to you, backed by an Account Manager and a free rematch. |
The best of both. Your designer can use AI tools to draft, research and summarize faster, then checks every result before it reaches you or your clients.
How hiring works
From first call to first commit.
Every designer is checked before you meet them, so your interviews are only with strong candidates.
Step 1
Free consultation
30 minutes on your your boards, EDA tools and timeline.
Step 2
Matched shortlist
Pre-vetted designers who fit your stack, hours and budget.
Step 3
Vetted for you
Portfolio walk-through · Layout task · Design-for-manufacture knowledge · Signal and power integrity
Step 4
Start working
A kick-off call sets up access and routines, and work starts.
Cost
What a PCB Designer could cost you.
No pricing grid to squeeze into. We scope the role, hours and experience with you, then quote exactly that.
- Part-timeA few focused hours a day.
- Full-timeOne designer, dedicated to you.
- TeamSeveral roles, managed together.
Example yearly cost, full-time
$95,000 salary + 30% benefits and overhead
$30/hr × 40 hrs × 52 weeks
Illustrative figures only. Your quote depends on experience and hours. Try the savings calculator.
Projects
Bigger projects you can hand over.
Once your boards are building cleanly, your designer can take on denser and more demanding work.
Rigid-flex and HDI boards
Designs boards with microvias, fine-pitch BGAs or flex sections for compact products.
EMC-aware redesign
Reworks layouts that failed or nearly failed emissions testing, with your test lab's findings in hand.
Design-for-test
Adds test points, programming headers and fixture-friendly features so production testing is simple.
Library and template standards
Builds shared libraries, design rules and templates so every new board starts from a proven base.
- Pre-vettedInterview and skills test first.
- Account ManagerOne named person, always.
- Free rematchNo questions asked.
- Your designs, your IPSchematics, layouts, libraries and manufacturing files created for you belong to your company.
FAQ
Hiring a PCB Designer: your questions.
What does a PCB designer do that our electrical engineer doesn't?
Your electrical engineer designs the circuit. A PCB designer specializes in turning it into a manufacturable board: libraries, stack-up, placement, routing, rule checks and fabrication outputs. It frees your engineer to focus on the design itself.
Which EDA tools do they use?
Common tools include Altium Designer, KiCad, Cadence Allegro and OrCAD, and Siemens PADS. We match you with someone fluent in the tool and version your team already uses.
How do they work with our engineers and manufacturer?
They work from your schematics or requirements, share review packs with your engineers, exchange 3D models with your mechanical team, and answer your fabricator's questions on the outputs.
Can they work in our time zone?
Yes. Your designer works the hours you agree, with overlap for design reviews and supplier calls.
How quickly can they start?
Most clients meet pre-vetted candidates within days of the free consultation. Onboarding covers EDA licenses, library standards and the first board.
How is our hardware IP protected?
Your designer works under an NDA with access only to the projects they need. You own every design file, and access is removed when the placement ends.
Can we add design capacity for a busy product cycle?
Yes. Tell your Account Manager to add hours or another designer, or add a firmware developer or test engineer to the team.
What if the designer isn't the right fit?
Tell your Account Manager and we'll match you with a different designer free of charge, no questions asked.
Hire a PCB Designer with AssistHubPro.
A free 30-minute consultation and a real reply within 24 hours. No obligation.
- 1We reply within 24 hoursA real person reads every request and replies with a clear next step.
- 2Free 30-minute consultationWe scope the role, the hours and the tools you use.
- 3Meet your matchesInterview pre-vetted designers and choose who joins.
- Pre-vetted
- Free rematch
- Account Manager