Manufacturing Engineer $110-140k

Bell & Associates, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Bell & Associates, Inc. seeks a Manufacturing Engineer to bridge design engineering and the assembly floor in an EMS environment, ensuring PCBAs and box-builds are manufactured flawlessly and in full regulatory compliance.

The role covers product ownership from initial customer engagement to NPI, production readiness, and sustaining support, translating customer specs into robust manufacturing execution plans and defining sequencing of operations for efficient, high-quality output.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent technical experience.
• 3 to 5 years in electronics manufacturing or EMS environments.
• Experience with SMT line programming, wave soldering, reflow, and box-build.
• Proficiency with EMS CAD/CAM tools and standards (IPC, ITAR/AS9100 familiarity).

Responsibilities

• Lead transitions from design to production for PCBAs and box-builds.
• Translate customer specifications into standardized manufacturing instructions.
• Perform DFM/DFT reviews and ensure testability and reliability.
• Oversee tooling, fixtures, and production readiness to meet schedules.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional teamwork

Technical writing

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

ODB++

Gerber

MES

ERP

Job description

Bell & Associates has been engaged to help our client recruit their next Manufacturing Engineer. The Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for bridging the gap between design engineering and the assembly floor, ensuring complex printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) and box-builds can be manufactured flawlessly, repeatedly, and in full compliance with strict regulatory standards. The role has product ownership from initial customer engagement to new product introduction (NPI), production readiness, and sustaining support within an electronics assembly environment. This role translates customer technical specifications and product design elements into robust manufacturing execution plans, ensuring products are manufactured accurately, efficiently, and at target quality yields.

Responsibilities

NPI & Process Planning

• Lead product transitions, assembly builds, and customer Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) into production execution. Review customer documentation (BOMs, Gerber files, assembly drawings) and translate them into standardized manufacturing assembly build instructions. Define sequence of manufacturing operations, workflow routing, and product process requirements.

Design for Excellence (DFX)

• Conduct rigorous Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Testing (DFT) reviews. For high-reliability electronics, this means verifying that component spacing prevents solder bridging, thermal relief is adequate for heavy copper layers, and test points are accessible for automated probes.
• Review the Bill of Materials (BOM) to identify counterfeit risks, obsolete components (EOL), long lead-time parts, and environmental requirements. In defense and aerospace, they ensure compliance with restrictions like ITAR and source components from trusted, qualified distributors.

Documentation & Work Instructions

• Translate complex engineering drawings and other documentation into step-by-step assembly visual instructions, travelers, and other supporting documents to ensure a error free product for shipment.

Tooling and Fixturing

• Oversee and ensure on-time production readiness through the creation of custom stencils for solder paste printing, wave solder pallets, press-fit tooling, and other assembly aids and fixtures for error-proof and efficient manufacturing.

Developing Test Strategies

• Collaborate with test engineering to deploy Automated Optical Inspection (AOI), X-ray inspection (AXI), Flying Probe (FPT) or In-Circuit Testing (ICT), and functional product testing as part of rigorous inspection and test strategy designed to reduce process variation and ensure the highest possible product quality.

Yield Optimization & Root Cause Analysis

• Continuously monitor first-pass yield (FPY) and established metrics. Lead the root cause failure analysis for product and process defects identified at process inspection, test failures, or customer complaints/returns.

Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)

• Ownership for identifying, implementing, and validating robust process changes and corrective actions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent related technical experience.
• 3 to 5 years of manufacturing engineering experience in an electronics contract manufacturing (EMS) or high-mix PCBA environment.
• In-depth knowledge of SMT line programming and setup, through-hole assembly (wave, selective, and PTH), reflow profiling, and box-build assembly processes.
• Proven experience in DFM/DFA analysis, tooling procurement, and generating standard work instructions.
• Experience with EMS industry CAD/CAM tools (ODB++, gerber, MES, ERP), component packaging formats, equipment qualification/validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), and Lean/Six Sigma principles.
• Deep knowledge and understanding of IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001, as well as ISO 13485 and AS9100 quality system requirements and standards.
• Strong technical problem-solving, failure analysis, and analytical decision-making capabilities.
• Clear written and verbal technical communication skills across cross-functional customer and internal teams.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple engineering projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Standards-driven mindset focused on operational excellence, quality control, and cost reduction.

Bell & Associates, Inc. is a recognized Executive Recruiting & Staffing leader based in Kansas City. We focus and specialize in the following practice areas - Accounting/Finance, Engineering, Executive Leadership, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Human Resources, Information Technology, Manufacturing/Operations Management. We provide top talent to our clients on a Direct Hire, Contract, and Contract-to-Hire basis.