NPN Manager

Ascentec Engineering•Tualatin, OR

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Ascentec Engineering is seeking an NPN Manager to lead hands-on development of precision-machined prototypes from early concepts through demonstrated manufacturing feasibility. The role guides a small team of manufacturing engineers and development machinists, turns incomplete designs into practical build plans, and resolves difficult machining problems alongside the team. It combines CNC machining judgment with day-to-day people leadership, coaching the team to learn from each build and developing practical manufacturing methods. The manager delivers an evidence-based handoff to the New Product Introduction (NPI) team. The position is onsite and is not remote or hybrid. It is not eligible for Visa sponsorship or transfer of Visa sponsorship. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily. If requested, reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions, absent undue hardship. The employer retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position. Applicants must be able to pass a drug screen and criminal background check before employment. ITAR requirements apply: candidates must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Ascentec Engineering is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment is governed by merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced by legally protected status.

Requirements

Strong hands-on precision CNC machining experience, demonstrated through personally owned setup, programming, tooling, workholding, or prove-out work.
Experience developing prototypes, first articles, or low-volume parts where the manufacturing method was not yet established.
Ability to read engineering drawings, interpret tolerances and GD&T, and work with inspection teams to verify critical requirements.
Experience leading machinists or engineers, setting priorities, coaching technical performance, and taking responsibility for team results.
Practical problem-solving skills, including identifying risks, testing assumptions, using inspection evidence, and explaining why a process is ready for the next development stage.
Ability to coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and planning; document decisions clearly; and communicate technical trade-offs to internal partners and customer engineers when assigned.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, with reasonable accommodations provided if requested absent undue hardship.
Ability to pass a drug screen and criminal background check prior to employment.
Must meet applicable ITAR eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on machining or process development for semiconductor equipment components, including translating customer requirements into machining, inspection, and qualification evidence.
Advanced CNC programming, complex workholding, challenging geometries, or tight-tolerance first-part prove-out experience.
Experience building a small development team and transferring prototype methods into NPI and repeatable manufacturing.
Relevant technical education, apprenticeship, or equivalent applied manufacturing training.

Responsibilities

Lead CNC process development by selecting operation sequences, tooling, workholding, and setup strategies; reviewing CAM programs; supporting first-part prove-out; and troubleshooting machining problems on the shop floor.
Translate design intent into feasibility plans with engineering and quality, identifying critical features, tolerance and GD&T requirements, inspection methods, material needs, and unresolved specifications before a build begins.
Plan focused trials with clear learning objectives and acceptance criteria.
Record processes, inspection results, failures, corrective actions, and remaining risks so future builds benefit from prior learning.
Provide DFM and quoting input using operation-level assumptions for material, setup, machining, tooling, inspection, and expected yield; explain technical trade-offs and make-versus-buy options.
Manage development workload, assign accountable owners, and coordinate machine time, materials, inspection, and outside processes.
Escalate capacity conflicts and technical blockers early, and base commitments on readiness and available resources.
Coach engineers and machinists through regular individual and team reviews; set expectations, develop individual development plans, and capture experienced machinists’ knowledge in reusable methods.
Maintain safe work practices, revision traceability, and controls for development hardware.
Coordinate with quality and engineering on applicable customer requirements and approval needs.
Prepare NPN-to-NPI turnover packages covering the current revision, process sequence, tooling and fixtures, CAM status, setup instructions, inspection evidence, cost assumptions, and open risks.
Confirm receiving-team acceptance before completing the handoff.