Full-Time

PCB Layout Designer/Librarian

Posted on 3/9/2026

Heron Power

Heron Power

51-200 employees

Develops solid-state transformers for grid modernization

Compensation Overview

$120k - $170k/yr

Santa Cruz, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Electrical Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Altium
Agile
Requirements
  • 5+ years of experience in PCB layout and/or library development for complex, multi-layer, high-volume product designs.
  • Extensive experience using Altium Designer, including constraint setup, net classes, high-voltage design rules, variants, and design rooms; proficient with Altium CoDesigner, Altium Server, and 3D visualization tools.
  • Strong understanding of high-speed design principles, signal integrity, power integrity, and thermal management.
  • Experience with high-power supply designs, including wide copper pours, thermal relief, and high-voltage/high-current routing.
  • Familiarity with IPC standards, including IPC-7351 and IPC-2221.
  • Knowledge of Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) practices.
Responsibilities
  • Possess deep expertise in PCB layout methodologies for power electronics, mixed-signal systems, high-speed digital, RF, and energy applications.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing test engineers to implement layout strategies that meet signal integrity, power delivery, thermal, and mechanical requirements.
  • Execute complex, high-density PCB layouts using industry-standard tools (e.g., Altium Designer), including multi-layer, high-current, and mixed-signal designs.
  • Perform constraint-driven routing for high-speed, RF, and high-voltage/high-current power paths—incorporating controlled impedance, wide copper pours, isolation strategies, and optimized polygon fills.
  • Adapt quickly to evolving product features and design requirements throughout the development cycle.
  • Design for manufacturability and reliability, including thermal reliefs, heatsinking, copper balancing, and via stitching in power PCB designs.
  • Layout PCBs using advanced package types such as BGAs and fine-pitch components, with HDI technologies including VIPPO, microvias, and blind/buried vias, while applying effective breakout and fanout strategies.
  • Generate complete manufacturing documentation, including Gerbers, ODB++, IPC-2581, fabrication and assembly drawings, and detailed layer stack-up information.
  • Create and maintain accurate schematic symbols and PCB footprints in compliance with IPC standards (e.g., IPC-7351).
  • Manage and version-control the centralized component library to ensure scalability, consistency, and reuse across multiple projects.
  • Collaborate with electrical engineers and the supply chain team to support correct part selection, implement multisourcing strategies, and enable proactive component lifecycle management.
  • Integrate and synchronize component data with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems (e.g., ENOVIA, Agile) to maintain alignment between design and procurement throughout the product development cycle.
Desired Qualifications
  • Ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards for creepage and clearance in high-voltage PCB designs (> 1500V).
  • Proficient in scripting languages (e.g., Python, SKILL) to automate library management and layout tasks.
  • Experience in magnetic PCB winding design.
  • Familiar with version control systems (e.g., Git) and integration with PLM platforms (e.g., ENOVIA, Arena).
  • Exposure to CATIA 3DEXPERIENCE platform and ENOVIA PLM workflows.

Heron Power modernizes the electrical grid with solid-state transformer technology. Its flagship Heron Link is a modular, megawatt-scale power converter that connects directly to medium voltage, replacing traditional transformers and using wide-bandgap semiconductors for high density and fast voltage/frequency regulation. The system integrates software controls to manage power flows across renewables, storage, and data centers, improving grid stability and reducing equipment footprint. Its goal is to accelerate the all-electric future by delivering scalable, robust grid infrastructure with domestic US manufacturing and pilots starting in 2026.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$178M

Headquarters

Scotts Valley, California

Founded

2024

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Raised $140M Series B in 2025 from a16z and Breakthrough for 40GW US factory.
  • Customer interest exceeds 40GW for 2027 data center and renewable installations.
  • DG Matrix and Amperesand's $140M raises validate surging solid-state transformer demand.

What critics are saying

  • DG Matrix's cheaper silicon transformers capture data center contracts within 6-12 months.
  • Amperesand's $80M accelerates factory ramp, stealing Heron's 40GW share by 2027.
  • Wide-bandgap shortages at Wolfspeed delay 2026 pilots by 6+ months.

What makes Heron Power unique

  • Heron Link uses wide-bandgap semiconductors for 98.5% efficiency and 70% smaller footprint.
  • Integrates SuperBBU for 30-second ride-through in data centers, eliminating legacy UPS.
  • Drew Baglino's Tesla team deployed over 80GW power electronics in past decade.

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Benefits

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

29%

2 year growth

13%
TechCrunch
Feb 20th, 2026
Startups raise $280M to replace century-old transformers with smart grid tech

Three startups modernising electrical transformers have recently raised significant funding rounds. DG Matrix secured $60 million in Series A, Heron Power raised $140 million in Series B, and Amperesand obtained $80 million in November. These companies are developing solid-state transformers that replace traditional copper-and-iron devices with power electronics using silicon-based semiconductors. Unlike conventional transformers, the new technology offers real-time monitoring, bidirectional power flow, and software updates whilst handling multiple tasks in a single device. Data centres represent the initial target market, where solid-state transformers can replace several pieces of equipment whilst occupying 70% less space. The technology arrives as existing transformers age — over 50% of US distribution transformers exceed 35 years old — and demand surges from data centres and EV chargers.

SiliconANGLE Media
Feb 18th, 2026
Heron Power raises $140M to build 40GW US solid-state transformer manufacturing facility

Heron Power raises $140M to build 40GW US solid-state transformer manufacturing facility. Energy infrastructure company Heron Power Inc. announced today that it has raised $140 million in new funding to build a 40-gigawatt, highly automated U.S. manufacturing facility for Heron Link, the company's solid-state transformer solution for critical energy and artificial intelligence data center projects. Founded in 2024 by former Tesla Inc. executive Drew Baglino, Heron Power develops solid-state transformer systems designed to modernize electrical grid infrastructure. The company is focused on replacing conventional large-format transformers with power electronics-based systems that are intended to address grid interconnection constraints associated with renewable energy, battery storage and large data center deployments. Heron's approach centers on modular, software-integrated hardware that can be manufactured at large scale and deployed closer to load and generation assets. The company's core product Heron Link is a solid-state transformer that uses high-frequency power electronics to convert and regulate voltage between medium- and low-voltage systems. The design enables bidirectional power conversion and more granular voltage regulation while also supporting distributed energy resources and variable-load environments. Heron's platform, which manages Heron Link, manages interconnection between generation, storage and end-use infrastructure, including providing voltage transformation, frequency management and power conditioning while interfacing with grid control systems. The software layer allows operators to monitor performance and adjust operating parameters and, in doing so, integrate into utility workflows and large-scale energy projects. "Too much of today's electrical infrastructure is passive, clunky equipment designed decades ago," explains Chief Executive Officer Drew Baglino. "At Heron we are manifesting an alternative future, where modern power electronics enable projects to come online faster, the grid to operate more reliably, and scale affordably." The company's deployment targets include utility-scale solar installations, battery energy storage systems and hyperscale data centers requiring high-capacity grid connections, environments that often face long interconnection timelines due to transformer shortages and infrastructure bottlenecks. By using power electronics-based systems with a modular footprint, the technology is designed to fit into existing substations or distributed energy sites, supporting grid expansion and electrification projects. The Series B funding round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism Fund and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with Capricorn Investment Group, Energy Impact Partners, Valor Atreides AI Fund and Gigascale Capital also participating. "Heron Power isn't just making a product that's essential to bring new electricity generation online and support today's data center buildout," said Erin Price-Wright, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. "They are building the technology that will catapult our aging electric grid into the software-defined, AI-native twenty-first century. And they are manufacturing it at scale here in America." The new funding takes the total raised by Heron to approximately $178 million. Image: Heron Power. A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE: Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE's Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities. * 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more * 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni - Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network. About SiliconANGLE Media SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios - with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange - SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI. Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.

TechCrunch
Feb 18th, 2026
Ex-Tesla exec's Heron Power raises $140M to scale solid-state transformers for data centres

Heron Power, founded by former Tesla executive Drew Baglino, has raised $140 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism Fund and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. The funding values the startup at an undisclosed amount and comes just eight months after its $38 million Series A. The company manufactures solid-state transformers for data centres and the grid. The technology replaces century-old iron-core transformers with smaller, more efficient devices that use semiconductors. Heron Power's transformers can handle 5 megawatts each and eliminate 70% of traditional equipment, potentially reducing costs by an order of magnitude. Customers have expressed interest in purchasing over 40 gigawatts of capacity. The funding will build a factory capable of producing 40 gigawatts annually, with pilot production starting in early 2027.

GlobeNewswire
Feb 18th, 2026
Heron Power Raises $140 Million to Build a Next-Generation Power Grid in Series B Co-led by Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Heron Power announced the closing of $140 million in Series B financing to accelerate U.S. manufacturing of energy infrastructure....

Castle Placement
Jun 11th, 2025
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Heron Power, foundational technology designed to meet complex energy demands, raised $43.25 million of Series A venture funding in a deal led by Capricorn Investment Group.

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