Principal Process Engineer

Elbit America•Fort Worth, TX

About The Position

The Principal Process Engineer serves as the highest technical authority for Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) manufacturing within the Center of Excellence. The role provides expert-level leadership in advanced process development, cross-functional project execution, and technology advancement for high-reliability defense and aerospace electronics. The Principal Engineer drives initiatives to improve quality, yield, reliability, and cost performance while ensuring compliance with IPC, J-STD, and MIL standards. The position requires deep subject-matter expertise, a record of leading complex technical projects, and the ability to influence engineering direction across the facility. The Principal Process Engineer leads development, implementation, and optimization of CCA manufacturing processes, establishes long-range process capability goals and technical strategies, and serves as the technical authority for CCA processing documentation and standards. The role leads investigations and corrective actions for complex quality challenges, oversees process monitoring and analytics, and leads multidisciplinary projects that improve yield, manufacturability, cost, automation, and defect reduction. It partners with Design Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Program Management to resolve manufacturing challenges and support New Product Introduction. The role is also the primary technical lead for implementing equipment, inspection systems, and automation technologies; evaluates emerging technologies; drives digital manufacturing enhancements, process modeling, and capability studies; mentors engineers at multiple levels; reviews and approves major process changes and validation plans; delivers technical training; develops process metrics; and works with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to enhance MES/ERP capabilities for process control and traceability.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field; a Master's degree is preferred.
10+ years of experience in electronics manufacturing and CCA process engineering.
Deep expertise in SMT, soldering, inspection technologies, and high-reliability electronics manufacturing.
Strong knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and aerospace/defense manufacturing requirements.
Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering projects and driving high-impact technical initiatives.
Hands-on experience with SMT platforms (e.g., FUJI), AOI/SPI systems (e.g., Koh Young), wash processes, conformal coating, and ruggedization.
Advanced capability in SPC, data analysis, Six Sigma methodologies, and process validation.
Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence engineering and manufacturing decisions across teams.
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.
Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and establishing new manufacturing capabilities.
Expertise with CAD tools for process/fixture design and manufacturing simulation.
Demonstrated success implementing advanced automation and digital manufacturing solutions.
Ability to lead multiple technical projects simultaneously with minimal supervision.
Strong communication skills for guiding teams and presenting complex technical information.
Basic understanding of APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) principles.
Working knowledge of DMAIC methodology (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control).
Familiarity with the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) continuous improvement cycle.

Responsibilities

Lead development, implementation, and optimization of advanced CCA manufacturing processes, including SMT, wave/selective soldering, bonding/staking, conformal coating, and ruggedization.
Establish long-range process capability goals and technical strategies to improve manufacturing robustness, automation, and efficiency.
Serve as technical authority for CCA processing documentation, work instructions, and standards at the Center of Excellence.
Ensure CCA processes meet applicable IPC, J-STD, and MIL requirements.
Lead major root cause investigations into complex or high-impact quality challenges and coordinate cross-functional corrective actions.
Oversee advanced SPC, data analytics, and process monitoring for critical manufacturing steps.
Lead multidisciplinary technical projects to improve yield, manufacturability, cost, automation, and defect reduction.
Partner with Design Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Program Management to resolve manufacturing challenges and support NPI.
Lead implementation of new equipment, inspection systems, and automation technologies.
Evaluate and integrate emerging manufacturing technologies, including SMT platforms, AOI/SPI systems, and automation solutions.
Drive digital manufacturing enhancements, process modeling, and capability studies.
Provide technical mentorship to Senior, Mid-level, and Junior Process Engineers.
Review and approve major process changes, validation plans, and engineering documentation.
Deliver training on advanced electronics manufacturing processes, inspection methods, soldering best practices, and thermal profiling.
Develop and maintain advanced process metrics using data-driven approaches.
Partner with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to enhance MES/ERP capabilities supporting process control and traceability.