Senior Engineering Technician

Allocor Tech•Crozet, VA

16h•$74,700 - $91,700•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Engineering Technician will own the critical bridge between hands-on manufacturing and assembly excellence and mechanical design, product architecture, analysis, and manufacturing support. This is a high-impact role for a supply chain and technical professional who thrives in a fast-moving aerospace environment and wants real ownership of building flight hardware while shaping the designs that go into production. You will act as a true partner to engineering—driving final assembly quality, applying DFM/DFA discipline, maintaining the product digital twin, and ensuring hardware is ready for both R&D and production scale-up.

Requirements

Able to inspect PCBs to IPC-A-610 Class 2 or better and perform installation and rework of thru-hole and fine-pitch SMT components to IPC Class 2 in a lead-free process (IPC J-STD-001, IPC 7711, or equivalent).
Extensive experience with PCBs and mechanical assemblies combined with strong hands-on mechanical aptitude and the ability to interpret schematics, drawings, and technical data packages.
Proficiency with SolidWorks (parts, assemblies, drawings, BOMs) or equivalent 3D CAD; ability to produce production-ready documentation.
Experience applying DFM/DFA principles and supporting design reviews.
Familiarity with product lifecycle management (PLM/MRP), ECO processes, and configuration control.
Able to follow acceptance test plans and perform troubleshooting with assistance from the engineering team.

Nice To Haves

Able to read a schematic and help design verification plans and acceptance test plans (or diagnose simple issues with boards).
Experience with thermal analysis, heat load calculations, and basic structural FEA (SolidWorks Simulation or equivalent).
Prior experience serving as technical liaison to fabrication vendors and performing first article inspections.
Familiarity with relevant regulatory and safety standards (aerospace, machinery, EMC, or similar) and risk assessment methods.
Experience organizing formal QA procedures or working in an organization with an established QA department.
Aspiration to grow skills into production management, team leadership, or broader procurement/organizational responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Own final electrical and mechanical assembly of products: soldering connectors and large components, rework of fuse and jumper resistor components, applying staking compound, and fastening assemblies together.
Fabricate test and demonstration harnessing and support the engineering team with PCB rework and experimentation.
Assemble hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test racks and support integration and quality testing of subassemblies.
Design and architect assemblies for new product development and continuous improvement of existing products; produce and maintain system architecture diagrams throughout the design cycle.
Build SolidWorks assemblies, vendor drawings, BOMs, and prototypes. Design sheet metal and machined enclosures, ventilation systems, and structural mounts.
Specify mechanical, electromechanical, optical, fluidic, and pneumatic components. Conduct Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews on new designs.
Calculate heat loads and size airflow, cold plates, thermoelectric coolers (TECs), and chillers. Perform linear static structural simulation. Verify thermal performance using thermocouples and IR thermography.
Maintain the product digital twin in MRP/PLM systems; release new products; draft and execute Engineering Change Orders (ECOs).
Serve as technical point of contact for machine shops and sheet metal fabricators. Issue technical data packages and perform first article inspection (FAI) and first-build testing.
Author and maintain assembly documentation and renderings. Support integration and QC. Travel for tool installations, field service, and refits as required.
Conduct standards and compliance reviews across applicable requirements (e.g., CE Machinery Directive and EMC, NFPA 79, IEC, ISO, SEMI, and ASME).
Identify applicable requirements, drive resulting design changes, author safety system requirements and reports, and perform risk assessments.