Principal Manufacturing Engineer

ROCKET EMS

Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Carson City Nevada | Manufacturing Engineering

Position Summary

The Principal Manufacturing Engineer provides hands-on technical leadership and manages the development and execution of manufacturing engineering at Rocket EMS in Carson City. The position performs the full scope of Senior Manufacturing Engineer responsibilities while managing assigned engineers and engineering technicians, setting technical direction, and strengthening team capability. This role is accountable for production support, process readiness, engineering work quality, and sustained improvements in product quality, throughput, and manufacturing cost.

Manufacturing Engineering and Production Support

• Provide hands-on engineering support for surface mount technology (SMT), through-hole, secondary assembly, rework, and other assigned printed circuit board assembly processes.
• Review daily build schedules and ensure job packages, manufacturing process instructions (MPIs), data collection routings, approved reflow profiles, programs, and tooling are ready before production begins.
• Develop, optimize, and validate manufacturing processes and equipment settings. Resolve programming, tooling, documentation, and process problems that interrupt production or reduce yield.
• Design, specify, order, and verify stencils, soldering and assembly fixtures, press-fit tooling, and other process aids. Maintain tooling identification, logs, and build readiness status.
• Verify production setups and first article results against applicable checklists and acceptance criteria. Investigate solder release, bridging, voiding, solderability, and other process concerns.
• Respond to technical questions from the production floor, train operators on new or changed processes, and provide effective support across assigned production areas and shifts.
• Exercise stop-line authority when repeated defects or uncontrolled processes threaten quality. Coordinate containment, corrective action, and restart through established company procedures.

Product Introduction and Engineering Documentation

• Lead pre-build and post-build design for manufacturability (DFM) reviews. Document known risks and coordinate resolution of build-blocking issues with Program Management, customers, and internal teams.
• Create and maintain MPIs, process specifications, job packages, Manex routings, and data collection instructions. Ensure engineering changes, deviations, and special instructions reach affected work orders and personnel.
• Lead engineering readiness for new product introductions, repeat builds, and process transfers, including tooling, process validation, operator training, and lessons learned.

Engineering Team Management

• Directly supervise assigned manufacturing engineers and engineering technicians. Set individual objectives, clarify responsibilities, and hold team members accountable for timely, technically sound work.
• Assign projects and daily production support based on business priorities, engineering capacity, and individual skills. Balance urgent floor support with planned improvement work and product introductions.
• Establish clear deliverables, owners, schedules, and escalation expectations. Review progress regularly, remove barriers, and address overdue actions or recurring execution problems.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews. Provide specific feedback, recognize strong performance, and address performance concerns with management and Human Resources.
• Participate in recruiting, technical interviewing, hiring recommendations, and onboarding. Recommend staffing and coverage changes based on workload and capability needs.
• Coordinate engineering coverage and handoffs across shifts and production areas. Ensure critical processes have qualified backup support.
• Communicate engineering priorities, production risks, resource needs, and recovery plans clearly to site leadership and affected departments.

Engineering Team Development

• Build and maintain a team skills matrix covering process knowledge, equipment capability, troubleshooting, documentation, and applicable workmanship requirements.
• Create individual development plans with measurable learning goals, practical assignments, and regular progress reviews. Coach engineers in root cause analysis, process development, and technical communication.
• Establish onboarding, cross-training, and knowledge-sharing practices. Develop engineers who can independently own processes and resolve production problems.
• Use technical reviews, documented lessons learned, and shared process standards to improve engineering judgment and prevent repeated mistakes.
• Identify future technical leads and develop succession coverage for critical responsibilities. Encourage early escalation, collaboration, and ownership of results.

Technical Direction and Improvement Planning

• Set engineering methods and technical standards for assigned manufacturing processes. Review significant process changes and engineering deliverables within delegated authority and company approval procedures.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex or recurring manufacturing problems. Lead investigations that involve multiple processes, departments, or customer requirements.
• Develop an engineering improvement plan tied to yield, defect recurrence, cycle time, downtime, capacity, and cost. Prioritize projects using production data and business impact.
• Evaluate equipment, automation, tooling, and process investments. Prepare technical and financial justifications and lead approved implementation and validation activities.

Quality Analysis and Customer Support

• Review Rocket data collection records and daily, weekly, and customer quality reports. Analyze trends and lead failure analysis, root cause investigations, and corrective actions with Quality and Production.
• Document corrective actions, incorporate changes into subsequent builds, and verify effectiveness using production results. Ensure containment and permanent correction receive clear ownership and follow-through.
• Present engineering findings in quality and defect reduction meetings. Provide technical support for customer inquiries, engineering service requests, and manufacturing reviews.
• Support applicable ISO activities and customer quality requirements through controlled work instructions, training, audits, and documented process compliance.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, electrical, industrial engineering, engineering technology, or a related technical discipline.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible manufacturing or process engineering experience, including substantial hands-on experience in electronics manufacturing or printed circuit board assembly.
• At least three years of engineering team leadership or management experience, including assigning work, coaching engineers, and evaluating technical performance.
• Demonstrated expertise in SMT and through-hole assembly, soldering processes, tooling, build readiness, DFM, engineering changes, and production troubleshooting.
• Proven ability to lead complex root cause investigations, implement lasting corrective actions, and deliver measurable quality, throughput, or cost improvements.
• Experience with ERP or manufacturing data systems, engineering documentation, and production data analysis. Ability to interpret drawings, bills of material, customer specifications, and IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 requirements applicable to assigned work.
• Strong planning, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work effectively under pressure, and explain technical issues clearly to operators, customers, and management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-mix electronics manufacturing services and high-reliability, aerospace, defense, or IPC Class 3 manufacturing.
• Experience with Manex, electronic production data collection, process risk analysis, statistical process control, designed experiments, and Lean improvement methods.
• Experience developing engineering teams, introducing manufacturing automation, and leading equipment or process qualification projects.

Work Environment and Performance Expectations

This role requires regular work on the production floor and in an office environment, close coordination with Production, Quality, Test, Materials, and Program Management, and compliance with safety, electrostatic discharge, confidentiality, and customer requirements. Success is measured by engineering readiness and response, sustained process improvements, completion of engineering commitments, and demonstrated growth in team capability.

Perform other related duties as assigned. Pay Range

$120,000 - $140,000 USD

ITAR/EAR Compliance: Due to the nature of the work performed at Rocket EMS, this position may require access to export-controlled technical data or technology. The successful candidate must be eligible to access such information under applicable U.S. export-control laws or be eligible for any required government authorization.

Rocket EMS will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the California Fair Chance Act. Candidates are not required to disclose criminal history or participate in a background check unless and until a conditional offer of employment has been made. Any final offer of employment may be conditioned on completion of a background check, consistent with applicable law. #zr