Surface Mount Technology (SMT) Lead Engineer

Essential Responsibilities

• Play a critical role in the coordination of planning, design, implementation and maintenance of the circuit board assembly process.
• Serve as a key liaison between Design, Operations, and Quality to ensure products are manufacturable, cost-effective, and meet all quality and compliance standards.
• Be heavily involved in the support of line launch activities and participate directly in the build and commissioning process to gain comprehensive knowledge of equipment, workflows, and operational requirements.

Department Development and Leadership

• Lead the establishment and scaling of the SMT manufacturing department, including line layout, process definition, staffing, and operational readiness.
• Develop standardized manufacturing processes, work instructions, training programs, and operational procedures that align with ISO:9001 standards.
• Build and mentor a high-performing SMT team including leads and operators through hiring, training, and performance management.
• Provide technical and operational leadership during line startup, commissioning, and production ramp activities.

Process Development

• Lead Design for Manufacturability reviews of Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA), Bills of Materials (BOMs), and processes.
• Develop scalable SMT manufacturing processes, including process flows, stencils, tooling, and fixturing, and validation methods.
• Drive process optimization activities focused on yield improvement, cycle time reduction, and defect prevention.
• Capture, standardize, and communicate lessons learned and best practices across SMT operations.

Manufacturing and Production Support

• Lead the transition of new products into production with robust and repeatable manufacturing processes.
• Oversee SMT equipment programming, setup validation, and process optimization for builds.
• Develop preventive maintenance and calibration strategies.
• Troubleshoot process equipment issues using root cause analysis and corrective action process.
• Support manufacturing scalability through line balancing, capacity analysis and operational planning.

Quality and Compliance

• Ensure all builds meet quality, traceability, and regulatory requirements.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, reports, and records.

Communication and Collaboration

• Work cross-functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing and Quality teams.
• Interface with equipment vendors for implementation and ongoing support.
• Present technical findings, updates, and recommendations to stakeholders.