Process Engineer; 1st Shift

Position: Process Engineer (1st Shift)
Job Title:

Process Engineer - SMT / PCBA (1st Shift)

Job Description

The Process Engineer will create, optimize, and maintain SMT and PCBA production lines for high‑reliability products serving the aerospace and defense industry. This role focuses on developing effective reflow profiles, supporting SMT operations, and acting as the subject matter expert for assigned lines. Approximately 15-20% of the position involves direct customer interaction, requiring strong communication skills to translate technical requirements into robust manufacturing processes.

Responsibilities

+ Create, optimize, and maintain SMT and PCBA process lines to support high‑reliability aerospace and defense products.

+ Develop, validate, and refine reflow profiles to ensure consistent solder quality and compliance with reliability standards.

+ Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for assigned SMT and PCBA lines, providing technical guidance and troubleshooting support.

+ Support SMT operations, including pick-and-place programming, setup optimization, and continuous process improvement.

+ Collaborate with customers to review documentation, clarify technical requirements, and align manufacturing processes with customer expectations.

+ Develop and maintain detailed work instructions, including process steps, quality checkpoints, and inspection criteria.

+ Design, refine, and support tooling, fixtures, and fine tooling solutions to improve manufacturability and product quality.

+ Support new product introduction (NPI) and prototype builds by establishing initial process parameters, documentation, and verification steps.

+ Lead or support first article builds and reviews, ensuring that process documentation and results meet customer and internal requirements.

+ Drive process improvements for PCBA and related operations, focusing on yield enhancement, defect reduction, and throughput optimization.

+ Support through-hole and mixed-technology assembly processes, including wave or selective soldering as needed.

+ Interface with customers approximately 15-20% of the time to provide technical updates, discuss process changes, and address issues.

+ Document and communicate process changes, lessons learned, and best practices to cross-functional teams.

+ Collaborate with quality, production, and engineering teams to resolve process-related issues and support root cause analysis.

+ Support box build and final assembly processes where applicable, ensuring alignment between PCBA and system-level builds.

Essential Skills

+ Minimum of 5 years of experience in process engineering with a strong focus on PCBA and SMT manufacturing.

+ Hands-on experience with SMT processes, including pick-and-place equipment setup and optimization.

+ Demonstrated ability to develop and optimize reflow profiles for high-reliability electronic assemblies.

+ Strong background in PCBA process engineering and process improvement, including data-driven problem solving.

+ Experience supporting NPI and prototype builds in an electronics manufacturing environment.

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Experience with first article builds and documentation in a regulated or high-reliability industry.

+ Knowledge of through-hole assembly processes and related soldering methods.

+ Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with customers and internal teams.

+ Ability to balance approximately 80% technical responsibilities with 20% customer-facing activities.

+ Eligibility to work in the United States in accordance with applicable requirements.

Additional

Skills & Qualifications

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Experience with box build and system-level assembly is a plus.

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Experience with tooling modification, fixturing, and fine tooling design for PCBA and assembly processes.

+ Prior experience working with or for an electronics contract manufacturer (CM) is preferred.

+ Familiarity with ECD or similar tools for thermal profiling and process verification.

+ background in aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability electronics manufacturing environments.

+ Ability to work independently as the line SME while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

+ Strong attention to detail and a continuous…