PCBA DFM Engineer — AI-Driven Manufacturing

Etched; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Housing subsidy

Relocation support

Wellness benefits

Daily lunch in office

Job summary

Etched in San Jose designs frontier AI hardware and seeks a PCBA DFM Engineer to ensure manufacturability from design through production, collaborating with Electrical Engineering, PCB Layout, Mechanical, Thermal, Power, Test, and Manufacturing teams to prepare products for production across internal SMT operations and external partners.

The ideal candidate combines manufacturing know-how with disciplined documentation and practical experience using AI tools to improve engineering workflows and

Qualifications

• Degree in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering or equivalent.
• Experience in PCBA DFM, manufacturing engineering, or hardware NPI.
• Strong SMT understanding: stencil design, paste printing, placement, reflow, inspection.
• Experience reviewing PCB layouts, footprints, BOMs, and release packages.
• Familiar with high-density assemblies, fine-pitch components, large BGA packages.
• Ability to distinguish design changes from manufacturing process needs.
• Excellent documentation and ability to produce clear technical reports.
• Experience using AI tools for technical reporting, automation, or app development.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturability reviews from design to production release.
• Translate findings into design changes with owners and deadlines.
• Develop and maintain DFM rules, checklists, and milestones.
• Maintain review records, issue trackers, and design decisions.
• Identify assembly challenges early with cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with suppliers and contract manufacturers on DFM feedback.
• Investigate issues on prototypes and NPIs and apply learnings.
• Improve yield and reduce defects, scrap, and rework.
• Improve testability and inspection coverage with Test Engineering.
• Apply AI to develop reports and lightweight documentation tools.

Skills

PCBA DFM

Manufacturing engineering

Hardware NPI

SMT assembly knowledge

Documentation & process

AI tooling usage

Design collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering

Tools

IPC‑A‑610

J‑STD‑001

Python

SQL

Job description

Etched in San Jose designs frontier AI hardware and seeks a PCBA DFM Engineer to ensure manufacturability from design through production, collaborating with Electrical Engineering, PCB Layout, Mechanical, Thermal, Power, Test, and Manufacturing teams to prepare products for production across internal SMT operations and external partners.

The ideal candidate combines manufacturing know-how with disciplined documentation and practical experience using AI tools to improve engineering workflows and