Quote Engineer

Titan Circuits•Phoenix, AZ

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Quote Engineer owns the technical and commercial estimating process for printed circuit board fabrication and assembly (PCBA) opportunities. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, purchasing, and sales — translating customer data packages into accurate, competitive, and buildable quotes. You'll scrub BOMs, create component sourcing plans for purchasing to execute, evaluate fab drawings, estimate assembly labor, and flag manufacturability risks before they become production problems. This role does not source components directly — it defines the sourcing strategy that purchasing acts on. This is a high-visibility role: quote accuracy and turnaround time directly drive win rate and margin. You'll work daily with inside sales, program management, purchasing, and production engineering, and you'll interface with customers to resolve engineering questions (EQs) during the quoting cycle.

Requirements

3+ years in electronics manufacturing quoting, estimating, purchasing, or program management (EMS/CM environment strongly preferred)
Working knowledge of PCBA processes: SMT, through-hole, wash, conformal coat, AOI, X-ray, functional test
Ability to read fabrication and assembly drawings and interpret technical notes and specifications
Familiarity with IPC standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-6012)
Proficiency in Excel (lookups, pivot tables, cost modeling); comfort working across an ERP system
Strong written communication — quotes, EQs, and customer correspondence must be clear, direct, and professional
U.S. Person status per ITAR (22 CFR §120.62) due to export-controlled work

Nice To Haves

Experience with quoting platforms (CalcuQuote or similar) and EMS ERP systems (Cetec, Aegis, etc.)
Component engineering background: MPN validation, alternate qualification, lifecycle/obsolescence management
Broad understanding of PCB fabrication, construction, and specifications (materials, stackups, surface finishes, and related IPC standards)
Exposure to AS9100D or ISO 9001 quality systems and aerospace/defense contract flowdowns
Experience quoting Class 3 / high-reliability assemblies
Familiarity with distributor APIs and pricing tools (DigiKey, Mouser, Octopart)

Responsibilities

Perform a technical review of customer RFQ packages (BOMs, Gerbers/ODB++, fab drawings, assembly drawings, specifications) for completeness and quotability
Perform BOM scrubs: validate manufacturer part numbers, identify lifecycle risks (EOL/NRND), flag long-lead and allocation-risk components, and propose form-fit-function alternates where authorized
Generate component sourcing plans based on franchised distribution availability; evaluate pricing, lead time, MOQ, and packaging to support quote accuracy and hand off to purchasing for execution
Quote bare PCB fabrication against IPC-6012 requirements including layer count, material, controlled impedance, surface finish, and tolerances
Estimate SMT and through-hole assembly labor using placement counts, process steps (wash, conformal coat, test, inspection), and workmanship class (IPC-A-610 / J-STD-001 Class 2/3)
Build complete cost models covering materials, labor, tooling/NRE, stencils, test, and overhead; apply margin strategy per account and market conditions
Deliver formal quotations within committed turnaround times and maintain quote logs and win/loss data
Identify DFM/DFA issues during quoting and document them for customer disposition
Draft and manage engineering questions (EQs) to customers; track responses and incorporate answers into final pricing
Review technical flow downs (ITAR/EAR, AS9100D quality clauses, counterfeit mitigation, special processes) and identify cost or compliance impacts
Intercompany communication is critical to this role: work and collaborate directly with sales, purchasing, planning, engineering, and production teams daily
Support program management on requote activity for ECOs, quantity changes, and material repricing
Coordinate with purchasing on strategy for risk buys, broker escalation policies, and excess material
Feed lessons learned from production variances back into estimating models to improve accuracy