Manufacturing Engineer

Rocket EMS•Santa Clara, CA

16d•$90,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for supporting and improving printed circuit board assembly manufacturing processes in a high-mix, fast-paced electronics manufacturing environment. This role will work closely with production, process engineering, quality, test, materials, and program management to ensure assemblies are built efficiently, consistently, and in compliance with customer requirements. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in PCBA manufacturing, including SMT, through-hole, rework, selective solder, conformal coating, test, and final inspection processes. This position requires strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to drive continuous improvement across the production floor.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, or production engineering in a PCBA or electronics manufacturing environment.
Working knowledge of SMT, through-hole, soldering, rework, inspection, test, and final assembly processes.
Familiarity with IPC-A-610, IPC-J-STD-001, and general electronics manufacturing quality standards.
Ability to read and interpret assembly drawings, bills of material, schematics, work instructions, and customer specifications.
Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and root cause analysis skills.
Experience creating or maintaining manufacturing documentation, process instructions, and production routings.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and common manufacturing data analysis tools.
Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with production, quality, test, materials, and engineering teams.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Hands-on approach with a willingness to spend significant time on the production floor.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
Experience in an EMS or contract manufacturing environment.
Experience with high-mix, low- to medium-volume PCBA production.
Experience with SMT programming, stencil design, reflow profiling, selective solder, conformal coating, or automated inspection processes.
Knowledge of AOI, AXI, flying probe, ICT, functional test, and box-build processes.
Experience with ERP, MES, or shop-floor tracking systems.
Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement experience.
Experience supporting aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, or other highly regulated electronics customers.
IPC certification or prior IPC training.

Responsibilities

Support day-to-day PCBA manufacturing operations to ensure production schedules, quality requirements, and customer commitments are met.
Develop, maintain, and improve manufacturing processes, work instructions, visual aids, routings, and production documentation.
Provide technical support to production operators, leads, supervisors, quality inspectors, and test personnel.
Review customer documentation, assembly drawings, bills of material, Gerber files, ECOs, deviations, and manufacturing requirements.
Support new product introduction activities, including process planning, first article builds, prototype builds, and transition to production.
Identify and resolve manufacturing issues related to SMT, through-hole, soldering, rework, coating, inspection, test, and final assembly.
Work with production and quality teams to investigate defects, determine root cause, and implement corrective actions.
Assist with DFM/DFA reviews and provide feedback to customers or internal teams to improve manufacturability.
Create and maintain process flows, manufacturing routings, labor standards, and production support documentation.
Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on yield, throughput, cycle time, rework reduction, and labor efficiency.
Analyze production data, defect trends, WIP movement, and process performance to identify improvement opportunities.
Support equipment, tooling, fixture, and process validation activities.
Work with quality to ensure compliance with IPC standards, customer specifications, and internal quality requirements.
Assist with training production personnel on new processes, updated work instructions, and manufacturing best practices.
Participate in MRB, root cause analysis, corrective action, and customer issue resolution as needed.
Coordinate with materials and planning teams to resolve build readiness issues related to shortages, AVL concerns, substitutions, or documentation gaps.
Support implementation of engineering changes and ensure changes are properly communicated to production.
Maintain a safe, organized, and efficient production environment.