DescriptionWe are seeking a talented PCBA Process Engineer to join our manufacturing team in Austin, TX. In this role, you will design, optimize, and sustain printed circuit board assembly manufacturing processes to improve yield, quality, throughput, and cost efficiency. You will troubleshoot production issues, define and maintain SMT and related assembly process parameters, and support the introduction of new materials, tooling, equipment, and technologies. The ideal candidate brings strong process engineering expertise, hands-on problem-solving skills, and a continuous improvement mindset to help drive robust, scalable, and high-quality manufacturing performance.
Location: Austin, TX
Duties and Responsibilities:- Process Optimization: Develop, document, and continuously refine PCB fabrication and printed circuit board assembly processes, including SMT, solder paste printing, component placement, reflow, wave/selective soldering, cleaning, inspection, and test-related process controls.
- Quality and Yield Improvement: Monitor production performance, statistical process control (SPC) data, first-pass yield, defect trends, scrap, and rework rates to identify improvement opportunities and drive measurable reductions in manufacturing defects.
- Root Cause Analysis and Troubleshooting: Lead hands-on investigation of process-related issues such as solder defects, placement errors, insufficient wetting, opens, shorts, tombstoning, bridging, contamination, delamination, and other PCBA manufacturing defects using structured problem-solving methods.
- Process Parameters and Controls: Define, validate, and maintain critical process parameters, control plans, work instructions, and production standards to ensure repeatable, stable, and scalable manufacturing performance.
- Documentation: Collaborate with Headquarters and cross-functional teams to create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), process flow maps, manufacturing work instructions, process specifications, risk assessments, and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) documentation.
- New Product Introduction (NPI): Partner with design engineering, manufacturing, quality, test, and operations teams during Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews to ensure new PCBAs are manufacturable, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable for production.
- Equipment Management: Evaluate, qualify, and support implementation of new production equipment, tooling, fixtures, materials, and technologies; perform process risk assessments and establish preventive maintenance, calibration, and verification requirements.
- Tooling and Stencil Development: Develop, review, and qualify production tooling, fixtures, pallets, carriers, and SMT stencil requirements to support manufacturability, process stability, solder paste deposition quality, and repeatable PCBA production; coordinate with suppliers and internal teams to validate tooling and stencil designs before production release.
- Continuous Improvement: Apply Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and data-driven improvement methodologies to increase throughput, reduce cycle time, improve line balance, eliminate waste, and improve overall equipment effectiveness.
- Compliance and Safety: Ensure manufacturing processes comply with internal standards, customer requirements, IPC workmanship criteria, ESD controls, environmental requirements, and applicable safety regulations.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, test engineering, and external suppliers to resolve manufacturing issues, support production ramp-up, and sustain high-volume PCBA operations.
Requirements- Education: Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical field.
- PCBA Manufacturing Experience: Proven experience in PCB fabrication, PCBA manufacturing, SMT assembly, or electronics manufacturing process engineering in a high-volume production environment.
- SMT Process Knowledge: Strong understanding of solder paste printing, component placement, reflow profiling, wave or selective soldering, cleaning, inspection, rework, and test-related manufacturing processes.
- Quality and Reliability Standards: Working knowledge of IPC workmanship standards, ESD controls, quality systems, process control methods, and electronics manufacturing best practices.
- Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to analyze production data, SPC trends, yield performance, defect Pareto charts, and scrap or rework drivers to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
- Root Cause and Continuous Improvement Methods: Experience using structured problem-solving tools such as 5 Why, fishbone diagrams, 8D, DMAIC, FMEA, control plans, and Lean/Six Sigma methodologies.
- NPI and DFM Experience: Ability to support new product introduction, manufacturing readiness, process validation, design for manufacturing reviews, and production ramp-up activities.
- Equipment, Tooling, and Stencil Knowledge: Experience supporting production equipment, SMT stencils, fixtures, tooling, process qualification, preventive maintenance requirements, calibration needs, and equipment risk assessments.
- Technical Documentation: Ability to create and maintain SOPs, work instructions, process specifications, process flow maps, troubleshooting guides, and manufacturing control documentation.
- Software and Data Skills: Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and experience using manufacturing systems, statistical analysis tools, MES/ERP systems, or data visualization tools to support process monitoring and decision-making.
- Communication and Collaboration: Excellent communication, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with production, quality, test, maintenance, supply chain, design engineering, and external suppliers.
- Adaptability: Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, manage multiple priorities, support urgent production issues, and drive actions to closure with minimal supervision.
FAIR PAY & A JUST WORKPLACESolarEdge proudly seeks to build a richly diverse workforce by hiring people with a diversity of thoughts, identities, perspectives, and experiences that help advance the difference we make for consumers, and by ensuring our people experience equity and inclusion in their work lives. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, LGBTQIA people, people of color, and people with disabilities.
