Production Engineering Manager (SMT/ PCBA)

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

About The Position

Relativity Space is seeking a Production Engineering Manager specializing in SMT/PCBA to lead their production operations for the Terran R vehicle. This role involves overseeing automated SMT manufacturing, PCB assembly, and PCBA rework to ensure production readiness, efficiency, and high-quality output for critical avionics hardware. The manager will lead a team of engineers and technicians, collaborating with various departments like Avionics Design, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, and Quality to drive manufacturing execution from new product introduction through production-rate builds. Key responsibilities include identifying process gaps, improving line efficiency, implementing scalable manufacturing systems, and driving continuous improvement in SMT processes such as pick-and-place, reflow, coating, inspection, and rework, ensuring safe, repeatable, and reliable manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
6+ years of experience in SMT manufacturing, PCB assembly operations, or electronics production environments.
Prior leadership or management experience.
Strong technical understanding of SMT line operations, including pick-and-place programming, reflow processes, AOI inspection, and PCB assembly workflows.
Experience supporting PCBA development builds, new product introduction (NPI), and production-rate manufacturing environments.
Background leading technical teams within fast-paced electronics manufacturing environments, including engineers, technical specialists, and production technicians.
Experience supporting PCBA troubleshooting, failure analysis, and rework operations for complex electronic assemblies.
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, capable of working closely with design engineering, quality, supply chain, and production teams.
Experience driving manufacturing process improvements, throughput optimization, yield improvement, and operational scalability.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or high-reliability electronics manufacturing environments.
Familiarity with IPC standards including IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and electronics workmanship requirements.
Experience with MES systems, production data tracking, and manufacturing process controls.
Understanding of ESD controls, controlled manufacturing environments, and AS9100 quality systems.
Experience supporting low-volume/high-mix manufacturing environments transitioning into higher-rate production.

Responsibilities

Oversee day-to-day execution across automated SMT manufacturing, PCB assembly operations, and PCBA rework activities.
Ensure production readiness, manufacturing efficiency, and high-quality output for launch-critical avionics hardware.
Lead a growing team of production engineers, technical specialists, and PCBA rework technicians.
Support both development builds and production hardware.
Drive manufacturing execution across new product introduction (NPI), prototype development, and production-rate builds in collaboration with Avionics Design, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production teams.
Identify process gaps, improve line efficiency, and implement scalable manufacturing systems and controls.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives across pick-and-place, reflow, coating, inspection, rework, and process validation activities.
Ensure safe, repeatable, and reliable manufacturing execution.
Contribute to avionics production scalability, hardware quality, and launch readiness.