Manufacturing Engineer

Fabrinet; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Fabrinet West is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to design and maintain manufacturing workflows for high-density PCBA with complex BOMs. You will write MPIs/SOPs, drive process improvements, and liaise between engineering, quality, and OEM customers to ensure builds meet exact specifications.

The role requires hands-on guidance, training of operators, and collaboration across cross-functional teams to optimize assembly, troubleshoot issues, and ensure safe, efficient production.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum 5 years of related process, quality, or manufacturing engineering experience within an EMS or OEM production environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and optimize cost-effective manufacturing sequences and shop-floor routing aligned with product specs and quality standards.
• Write, maintain MPIs, SOPs, and Visual Aids for production operators.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement across production lines, equipment layout, SOPs, safety, and operator training.
• Design, test, or source tooling, fixtures, and equipment to support assembly, disassembly, harvesting, and remanufacturing operations.
• Collaborate with design teams and clients to deliver DFM and coordinate product launches and revisions.
• Perform analysis to generate labor quotes and NRE estimates; design and validate tooling and fixtures.
• Serve as engineering interface with clients, communicating status and resolutions; support cross-functional teams.
• Participate in RCA and CAPA investigations and analyze quality data to improve yield.

Skills

Process Documentation

MES & Traceability

Assembly Equipment

CAD/GERBER Tools

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Root Cause Analysis

DFM/NPI

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

Gerber/Board CAD

2D/3D Modeling

Artwork Drawing Tools

Job description

The Manufacturing Engineer develops, implements, and maintains manufacturing operational flows, and systems for Fabrinet West production lines. This role is responsible for driving production efficiency, estimating labor/NRE costs, writing clear Manufacturing Process Instructions (MPIs), and leading top level module operations—specifically for high-density PCBA with complex, multi-level Bill of Materials (BOM) structures. The manufacturing engineer will act as the technical liaison between our internal engineering/quality teams and our OEM customers. The ideal candidate is an exceptional team player who collaborates seamlessly across Cross-Functional Teams (CFT) to optimize assembly workflows, troubleshoot build issues, and ensure products are built safely, efficiently, and to exact customer specifications

Primary Job Responsibilities:

Process Development:

• Develop, implement, and optimize cost-effective manufacturing sequence of operations, and shop-floor routing aligned with product specifications and quality standards.
• Establish technical protocols and workflows to harvest, test, screen, and repurpose high-value components for re-assembly or secondary life applications.
• Write, maintain, and update detailed Manufacturing Process Instructions (MPIs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and Visual Aid for production operators.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across production lines, equipment layout, standard operating procedures, safety, and operator training.
• Design, test, or source specialized tooling, fixtures, and equipment to support efficient assembly, disassembly, component harvesting, rework, and remanufacturing operations.

NPI Transfer:

• Collaborate with design teams and clients to deliver Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
• Coordinate product launches and revision releases, establishing production goals, training operators, and monitoring pilot builds.

Costing, Change Management & Tooling:

• Perform comprehensive product and process analysis to generate precise manufacturing/repurposing labor quotes and Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) estimates.
• Design, order, and validate assembly and disassembly tooling, jigs, and fixtures.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Customer Interface:

• Serve as a primary engineering interface with clients, communicating technical status, quality yield, process updates, and engineering resolutions clearly and professionally.
• Act as an active, supportive team player within Cross-Functional Teams (CFT)—partnering daily with Test, Quality, Planning, Program Management, and Production.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance, troubleshooting support, and process training to production supervisors, leads, and operators.

Quality Analysis & Continuous Improvement:

• Participate in root-cause analysis (RCA) and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) investigations for non-conforming products, yield drops, harvested component defects, and Return Material Authorizations (RMAs).
• Analyze shop-floor quality data to implement yield-enhancing strategies and minimize field failures.

Job Qualifications and Requirements:

• BS degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electronics) or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum 5 years of related process, quality, or manufacturing engineering experience within an EMS or OEM production environment.

Specialized Technical Expertise:

• Process Documentation: Proven ability to author clear, concise, and structured Manufacturing Process Instructions (MPIs) and routing instructions for assembly and teardown/harvesting workflows.
• Software & CAD Tools: Proficiency in Gerber/Board/CAD viewer software, 2D/3D modeling and drafting software, and artwork drawing tools.
• MES & Traceability: Strong working knowledge of shop-floor controls, MES, barcode/traceability interfaces, and tooling/maintenance management systems.
• Assembly & Inspection Equipment: Experience with ASM machine programming/interfaces, offline SPI, reflow profiling, conformal coating, strain gage analysis, scanner programming, Dage 2D X-ray inspection & BGA rework station.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a track record of building positive relationships with customers and CFT peers.
• Collaborative mindset with a strong dedication to supporting shop-floor manufacturing operations in a fast-paced environment.