Sr. PCBA Manufacturing Engineer

Sr. PCBA Manufacturing Engineer

Department: Production & Test

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Hawthorne, California

Reporting To: Tyler Sherman

Compensation: $129,000 - $175,000 / year

Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi‑purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world‑class team. Astrolab is looking for a team member who will support both the development of lunar rovers and the development of our production processes and facility.

You will collaborate across design engineering, supply chain, quality, and our manufacturing partners to advance product design in tandem with improving our means to build and test. You will own manufacturing processes, including overseeing Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and guiding internal production teams to ensure timely delivery of high‑reliability printed circuit boards (PCBs) and printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). This includes responsibility for all factory‑floor processes, tooling, and continuous‑improvement initiatives.

• Collaborate with Design Engineering to provide PCB/PCBA Design for Excellence (DFX) feedback and identify manufacturing risks early in development
• Partner with supply chain and EEE components engineers to establish and enforce a preferred parts list, identify alternate parts, and address part obsolescence
• Perform in‑depth reviews of schematics, eCAD, and BOMs and create Fabrication and Assembly drawings in Altium
• Contribute to design reviews as a subject matter expert in manufacturability, testability, yield improvement, supplier capability, and quality control
• Define and document manufacturing and test best practices for PCB designers to adhere to
• Lead PCB/PCBA manufacturing vendor selection and qualification, define manufacturing readiness requirements, and drive milestone reviews
• Develop and validate advanced manufacturing and test processes, including equipment selection, commissioning, documentation, and training
• Select and qualify materials including PCB substrates, solder, flux, and polymerics (staking, underfill, and conformal coat)
• Work closely with CMs to establish repeatable, high‑quality processes for quick‑turn and flight‑grade builds
• Direct and coordinate PCB fabrication and PCBA manufacturing activities, including managing supplier relations, overseeing quarantine and rework operations, and spearheading continuous improvement initiatives
• Write and maintain engineering documentation including drawing notes, mBOMs, work instructions, inspection requirements, rework practices, and standard operating procedures
• Support technicians and engineers in building prototype hardware and transitioning designs from development, through qualification, and into production
• Investigate non‑conformances to identify root causes, develop corrective actions, and drive systemic improvements to designs and manufacturing processes
• Identify opportunities to reduce risk, simplify processes, and enhance PCB/PCBA quality, throughput, and cost

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field; master’s degree or relevant certifications are a plus
• 5+ years of experience in PCB fabrication or PCBA assembly manufacturing. Preference for candidates with NPI, spaceflight hardware, and NASA program experience
• Expertise in board assembly processes and equipment: stencil/paste print, SPI, pick & place, SMT reflow, AOI, selective solder, X‑ray inspection, flying probe, cleaning, coating, and programming
• Extensive knowledge of IPC and NASA standards (IPC‑A‑600/610 Class 3, J‑STD‑001, IPC‑6012, IPC‑CC‑830, IPC‑SM‑840, IPC‑TM‑650, NASA‑STD‑8739.1). Experience with the IPC space addendum is a plus
• Demonstrated experience with materials used in PCBA manufacturing including PCB substrates, polymerics (conformal coating, staking, underfill), solder alloys, and electrical components
• Experience developing and supporting PCBA manufacturing processes (SMT, X‑ray, ICT, flying probe,…