Lead PCB Technical Specialist

Job Description:

At Leonardo, we solve real-world engineering challenges, designing and developing mission-critical solutions that power some of the world’s most advanced defence and security systems.

We are recruiting for a Lead PCB Technical Specialist to provide deep technical leadership in the development, industrialisation and supply chain maturation of highly complex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) within the UK European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 programme. The role will report to the Project Engineering Lead for Supply Chain Improvement Team and support the Project Engineering Manager (PEM) and Programme Leadership Team in delivering the programme’s technical, cost, quality and schedule objectives.

The successful candidate will act as the subject matter expert for PCB technologies, manufacturing processes and supplier capability development, supporting the transition of complex PCB designs from development through to high-yield, repeatable production. Working across engineering, manufacturing, quality and supply chain functions, the role will play a critical part in ensuring the programme can achieve its delivery commitments within an increasingly challenging electronic manufacturing supply landscape.

You will play a major role in providing technical leadership and specialist guidance across all aspects of PCB manufacture, supplier development and product industrialisation.

As a Lead PCB Technical Specialist you will offer technical direction, evaluation, and recommendations relating to manufacturing risks and opportunities, while also defining strategic capability improvements and cost-reduction initiatives across the PCB supply chain to support long-term business objectives. You will:

• Act as the technical lead for PCB manufacturing and industrialisation activities across the Mk2 Programme.

• Own the technical strategy for the manufacture of highly complex PCB assemblies, ensuring designs are capable of achieving reliable, repeatable and cost-effective production.

• Work closely with the Project Engineering Lead & Programme Manager to ensure cost and time trade-offs are undertaken and establish technical solutions coherent with agreed budgets and programme timescales.

• Lead technical engagement with PCB manufacturers and key supply chain partners.

• Conduct detailed assessments of supplier manufacturing capability, process maturity and technical risk.

• Lead supplier development and supply chain maturity activities to improve manufacturing performance, quality, yield and capacity.

• Identify manufacturing process weaknesses and drive corrective and preventive improvement initiatives within supplier organisations.

• Ensure programme capacity, yield and cost targets are achieved in both the short and long term.

• Provide Design for Manufacture (DfM) and Design for Assembly (DfA) guidance to engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle.

• Lead reviews of manufacturing readiness, production risk and technical compliance.

• Communicate technical risks, issues and opportunities to the Project Chief Engineer and Programme Leadership Team.

• Support configuration control, qualification, verification and acceptance activities associated with PCB production.

• Represent Leonardo when engaging with customers, senior leadership and external stakeholders to define and deliver technical solutions.

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in PCB development, manufacture and industrialisation.

• Extensive experience in the manufacture of highly complex multilayer and high-reliability PCB products.

• Deep technical expertise in PCB fabrication, assembly and manufacturing technologies.

• Proven experience of taking PCB products from development and low-yield production…