Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Rocket EMS•Carson City, NV

10d•$80,000 - $120,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer supports, improves, and sustains Class 3 printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) manufacturing processes in a high-mix, low-to-medium-volume environment. The role provides technical leadership across SMT, through-hole, mechanical assembly, test, rework, conformal coating, and final inspection operations. It is hands-on and requires regular production-floor presence, practical problem-solving, and the ability to carry process improvements from concept through implementation. The engineer works with Production, Quality, Test Engineering, Program Management, Supply Chain, and customers to ensure products are built efficiently and repeatably in accordance with customer requirements, IPC standards, and aerospace/defense-level workmanship expectations. The position is based at a PCBA manufacturing facility in Carson City, Nevada, and is full-time and onsite. The work may involve standing and walking, reviewing assemblies, working around production equipment, and collaborating with production and engineering teams. The role requires the ability to sit, stand, and walk throughout the workday; review small components and workmanship details; work on or around manufacturing equipment; and occasionally lift materials, tooling, or equipment weighing up to 25 pounds. The stated pay range is $80,000–$120,000 USD. Due to the nature of the work, access to export-controlled technical data or technology may be required; candidates must be eligible under applicable U.S. export-control laws or for required government authorization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience may be considered.
At least 7 years of manufacturing engineering experience in electronics manufacturing, PCBA assembly, aerospace, defense, medical devices, or another high-reliability manufacturing environment.
Strong working knowledge of PCBA manufacturing processes, including SMT, through-hole, soldering, rework, inspection, cleaning, coating, and test support.
Experience supporting Class 3 or high-reliability electronic assemblies.
Strong understanding of IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 requirements.
Demonstrated experience with root-cause analysis, corrective actions, process improvement, and production support.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, schematics, BOMs, assembly instructions, specifications, and customer documentation.
Strong problem-solving skills, including analyzing data, identifying trends, and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and standard manufacturing documentation tools.
Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with production operators, engineers, quality personnel, customers, and leadership.
Strong manufacturing-floor presence and hands-on technical approach.
Ability to prioritize multiple production issues in a fast-paced environment.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Practical understanding of how engineering decisions affect production efficiency, yield, and customer delivery.
Ability to communicate technical information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ownership mindset and ability to drive issues to closure.
Comfort working in a high-mix environment with changing priorities and customer requirements.
Ability to balance quality, schedule, cost, and manufacturability.
Ability to sit, stand, and walk throughout the workday; work on or around manufacturing equipment; review small electronic components and workmanship details; and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Eligibility to access export-controlled technical data or technology under applicable U.S. export-control laws, or eligibility for any required government authorization, if such access is required.

Nice To Haves

IPC-A-610 and/or J-STD-001 certification, including trainer-level certification.
Experience in aerospace, defense, satellite, medical, or other regulated electronics manufacturing environments.
Experience with MES/ERP systems, electronic travelers, production routing, and manufacturing data analysis.
Experience with SMT line processes, AOI, SPI, AXI, ICT, FCT, conformal coating, and rework operations.
Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, PFMEA, control plans, and structured problem-solving methods.
Experience supporting customer audits, internal audits, and quality system compliance.
Experience with fixture design, tooling improvements, process validation, and equipment qualification.
Experience leading cross-functional projects and mentoring junior technical staff.

Responsibilities

Support day-to-day Class 3 PCBA assembly, rework, test, coating, and final inspection operations.
Provide technical guidance to production teams to resolve manufacturing issues, bottlenecks, yield concerns, and process interruptions.
Review customer documentation, assembly drawings, bills of materials, specifications, and work instructions for manufacturability and process readiness.
Develop, maintain, and improve processes for SMT, selective soldering, hand soldering, mechanical assembly, conformal coating, and related production areas.
Support new product introduction, first article, prototype, and production ramp builds.
Assist with process validation, equipment setup, tooling and fixture requirements, and production readiness reviews.
Identify and lead continuous improvement projects focused on quality, throughput, labor efficiency, first-pass yield, and defect reduction.
Analyze production, defect, rework, test-failure, and process-performance data to identify root causes and corrective actions.
Improve cycle time, line balance, material flow, changeover efficiency, and operator work instructions.
Support Lean manufacturing, 5S, standard work, waste reduction, and process control improvements.
Partner with Quality and Production to reduce recurring defects and improve manufacturing reliability.
Serve as a senior technical resource for operators, technicians, supervisors, and engineers.
Lead root-cause investigations for complex manufacturing defects, assembly issues, test failures, and process escapes.
Support corrective and preventive action activities, including containment, root-cause analysis, corrective-action implementation, and effectiveness checks.
Troubleshoot production equipment, fixtures, tooling, and process-related issues hands-on.
Mentor junior manufacturing engineers, process engineers, technicians, and production personnel.
Create, review, and maintain manufacturing work instructions, process procedures, visual aids, routings, and production documentation.
Keep manufacturing documentation accurate, controlled, and aligned with customer and quality requirements.
Support ECO implementation, process changes, customer-driven changes, and internal documentation updates.
Ensure processes comply with IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, customer specifications, and internal quality system requirements.
Participate in process audits, customer audits, and internal quality system activities as needed.
Work with Program Management and Customer Engineering to resolve manufacturing concerns and communicate technical risks.
Partner with Test Engineering on test process improvements, failure analysis, fixture readiness, and test yield improvement.
Support Supply Chain and Materials teams with component substitution reviews, material issues, and manufacturability concerns.
Collaborate with Quality Engineering on defect reduction, inspection criteria, process controls, and customer quality requirements.
Support Production leadership with capacity planning, labor standards, process constraints, and operational improvement opportunities.