Supplier Industrialization Engineer – PCBA Expert

Supplier Industrialization Engineer – PCBA Expert

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Supplier Development, or Manufacturing Engineering, with a strong focus on PCB/PCBA manufacturing.
• Deep expertise in PCBA production processes, including SMT, through-hole soldering, reflow, AOI, ICT, and conformal coating.
• Experience working with CMs for PCB and PCBA assembly (FPC/FPCA is a plus).
• Knowledge of IPC and ISO standards (certification as internal auditor is a plus).
• Proven success in supplier audits, APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, SPC, and supplier selection & monitoring.
• Hands-on experience in root cause analysis & corrective actions (8D, 5-Whys, Pareto, Fishbone).
• Strong DFM experience for PCBAs, proficiency in Gerber viewers.
• Ability to troubleshoot PCBA failures and work with suppliers to improve yield and defect reduction.
• Understanding of GD&T.
• Experience leading supplier process validation, including EOL testing and first article qualification.
• Strong experience with data analytics tools (JMP, Minitab, R, etc.) to drive process improvement.
• Success implementing automation/new tech with suppliers to improve efficiency and quality.
• Success optimizing test and inspection strategies, including driving requirements for automated EOL testing.

Responsibilities

• Audit and qualify domestic and international PCBA suppliers to ensure they meet high quality, process maturity, and delivery reliability standards.
• Conduct detailed supplier capability assessments, evaluating manufacturing infrastructure, process controls, automation levels, and quality systems.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Engineering teams to define supplier selection criteria and execute sourcing strategies.
• Drive supplier onboarding, development, and risk mitigation strategies to ensure long-term quality and cost optimization.
• Collaborate with the Quality team to establish robust vendor certification processes that ensure high-performance PCBAs.
• Implement quality controls at suppliers, pushing defect prevention upstream through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Deploy and monitor statistical quality control (SPC) methodologies, ensuring data-driven decision-making and process stability.
• Ensure compliance with IPC, ISO, and automotive/aerospace standards (e.g., IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, AS9100, IATF16949).
• Develop and implement pFMEA (Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) to proactively identify and mitigate risks in PCBA manufacturing.
• Lead Design of Experiments (DOE) and Gage R&R studies to validate process robustness, test equipment reliability, and measurement system accuracy.
• Use data analytics tools (JMP, Minitab, R, etc.) to analyze process trends, identify quality issues, and drive improvements.
• Take an active role in DFM/DFA, working alongside engineers to optimize PCBA designs for manufacturability while integrating supplier-specific DFM feedback into part and assembly designs.
• Collaborate with engineering to embed manufacturing best practices early in design.
• Work directly with suppliers to align designs with their capabilities, optimizing panelization, stencil design, soldering, AOI, and ICT.
• Develop process flow diagrams to identify bottlenecks and improve throughput and automation.
• Lead semi-automated and fully automated process development for assembly, soldering, and testing.
• Implement EOL test strategies and in-line process validation to ensure stable, repeatable quality.
• Drive cost reduction and quality at the source, minimizing inspections and improving first-pass yield.
• Identify and implement automation and process controls for scalable, cost-efficient PCBA manufacturing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with CMs for PCB and PCBA assembly (FPC/FPCA is a plus).
• Knowledge of IPC and ISO standards (certification as internal auditor is a plus).