Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Rocket EMS•Carson City, NV

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer supports, improves, and sustains manufacturing processes for Class 3 printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) production 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. It works cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Test Engineering, Program Management, Supply Chain, and customers to help ensure products are built efficiently, repeatably, and in accordance with customer requirements, IPC standards, and aerospace- and defense-level workmanship expectations. This hands-on position provides manufacturing-floor support and drives process improvements from concept through implementation. Responsibilities span day-to-day production support, new product introduction, yield and continuous improvement, root-cause investigations, corrective and preventive actions, process documentation and control, audits, and cross-functional manufacturing support. The position is based onsite at a PCBA manufacturing facility in Carson City, Nevada, and requires regular time on the production floor. The listed pay range is $80,000–$120,000 USD. Due to the nature of the work, the position may require access to export-controlled technical data or technology; the successful candidate must be eligible for access under applicable U.S. export-control laws or eligible 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 device, or another high-reliability manufacturing environment.
Strong working knowledge of PCBA 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 in root-cause analysis, corrective actions, process improvement, and production support.
Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, schematics, bills of materials, assembly instructions, specifications, and customer documentation.
Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to analyze data, identify trends, and implement 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.
Ability to prioritize multiple production issues in a fast-paced environment.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Ability to communicate technical information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to drive issues to closure and balance quality, schedule, cost, and manufacturability.
Ability to work in a high-mix environment with changing priorities and customer requirements.
Ability to sit, stand, and walk throughout the workday; work on or around manufacturing equipment and production lines; review small electronic components, assemblies, and workmanship details; occasionally lift materials, tooling, or equipment up to 25 pounds; and use standard office equipment and manufacturing documentation systems.
Must be eligible to access export-controlled information under applicable U.S. export-control laws or eligible for any required government authorization.

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 SMT, selective solder, hand solder, mechanical assembly, conformal coating, and related manufacturing processes.
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.
Lead continuous improvement projects to improve quality, throughput, labor efficiency, first-pass yield, and defect rates.
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, operator work instructions, and process controls.
Support Lean manufacturing, 5S, standard work, waste reduction, and process control initiatives.
Partner with Quality and Production to reduce recurring defects and improve manufacturing reliability.
Serve as a senior technical resource to operators, technicians, supervisors, and engineers; mentor junior technical staff and production personnel.
Lead root-cause investigations into complex manufacturing defects, assembly issues, test failures, and process escapes.
Support corrective and preventive actions, including containment, root-cause analysis, implementation, and effectiveness checks.
Troubleshoot production equipment, fixtures, tooling, and process-related issues hands-on.
Create, review, and maintain work instructions, process procedures, visual aids, routings, and production documentation.
Keep manufacturing documentation accurate, controlled, and aligned with customer and quality requirements.
Support engineering change order implementation, process and customer-driven changes, and documentation updates.
Ensure processes comply with IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, customer specifications, and internal quality-system requirements.
Participate in process, customer, and internal quality-system audits as needed.
Work with Program Management and Customer Engineering to address 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 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.