Senior Avionics PCBA Engineer: Prototyping & Automation

Relativity; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is seeking a Senior Avionics PCBA Development Engineer to own the bring-up of new avionics prototypes. You will program machines, develop processes, conduct inspections, and troubleshoot defects hands-on while maintaining documentation.

You’ll partner with design and manufacturing engineers, support DFМ initiatives, and bridge to mass production. This role combines hands-on manufacture with automation and data analysis across avionics systems.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of hands-on PCBA assembly experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency with SMT equipment including solder paste printers, pick-and-place, and reflow ovens.
• Professional-grade soldering and rework skills, including component replacement, fine-pitch soldering, and BGA rework.
• Strong understanding of SMT processes, common defects, and troubleshooting, including inspection methods such as visual, AOI, and X-ray.
• Ability to read PCB assembly drawings, schematics, and datasheets; comfortable building automation tools or scripts to improve data collection and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Provide DFM feedback: Review PCB designs for manufacturability and partner with hardware engineers to resolve assembly issues before builds begin.
• Operate the full SMT line: Support the operation of every station on the line for avionics prototype builds to ensure quality and process control.
• Inspect and troubleshoot: Perform first-article inspections (visual, AOI, X-ray), investigate defects such as bridging, tombstoning, and voiding, and drive corrective actions to root cause.
• Program and optimize equipment: Develop programs and tune parameters, placement routines, and reflow profiles for high-reliability aerospace PCBAs.
• Build and rework hardware: Support prototype and qualification builds hands-on, and perform professional-grade soldering and PCBA rework, including component replacement, BGA rework, and fine-pitch repairs.
• Maintain process control documentation: Work with the team to keep work instructions, assembly drawings, inspection criteria, and process specifications current.
• Develop automation tools: Build and enhance tools for machine-programming automation, data-collection pipelines, and analysis workflows that improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.

Skills

PCBA assembly

SMT equipment

Soldering & rework

SMT inspection

Automation scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

Solder paste printers

Pick-and-place machines

Reflow ovens

Job description

Relativity Space is seeking a Senior Avionics PCBA Development Engineer to own the bring-up of new avionics prototypes. You will program machines, develop processes, conduct inspections, and troubleshoot defects hands-on while maintaining documentation.

You’ll partner with design and manufacturing engineers, support DFМ initiatives, and bridge to mass production. This role combines hands-on manufacture with automation and data analysis across avionics systems.