Senior Manufacturing Engineer

LHH Recruitment Solutions; Frederick (MD); On-site; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

LHH Recruitment Solutions is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer in the Frederick, MD area to lead technical initiatives across electronics production. The role emphasizes hands-on work on SMT, through-hole, and electro-mechanical assembly, with a focus on process improvement, NPI support, and tooling development.

You will collaborate with quality, production, engineering, and operations to optimize throughput, quality, and efficiency on day shifts in a manufacturing setting.

Qualifications

• Approximately 10+ years of experience in electronics manufacturing.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or substantial equivalent manufacturing experience.
• Hands-on experience supporting electronics production equipment and processes.
• Strong knowledge of SMT and wave solder manufacturing.
• Experience with leaded and lead-free soldering processes.
• Familiarity with IPC and ISO manufacturing/quality standards.
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics, PCB drawings, and mechanical tolerances.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve manufacturing methods for electronic and electro-mechanical products.
• Provide senior-level engineering support to SMT, through-hole, wave solder, and assembly operations.
• Evaluate workflows to improve throughput, repeatability, quality, and efficiency.
• Support New Product Introduction from planning to early production builds.
• Create and maintain work instructions, process docs, and routing information.
• Provide technical support involving BOMs, approved components, engineering changes, and readiness.
• Develop and refine manufacturing processes for new and existing products.
• Support programming and process development for SMT placement systems, SPI, AOI, and other equipment.
• Establish process parameters for soldering operations (reflow, wave).
• Troubleshoot production machinery and manufacturing equipment.
• Assist with equipment setup, calibration, validation, maintenance, and readiness.
• Develop tooling and fixtures used throughout manufacturing.
• Analyze production and defect data to identify recurring problems and corrective actions.
• Provide root-cause analysis for manufacturing/process failures.
• Train production staff on new equipment and processes.
• Evaluate new manufacturing technologies and tooling for capability improvement.
• Review drawings and documentation to determine suitable production methods.
• Collaborate with quality, production, engineering, and operations to resolve challenges.

Skills

Electronics manufacturing

EMS/CM experience

SMT & wave soldering

Troubleshooting & root-cause analysis

IPC/ISO standards

Schematic interpretation

NPI involvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Juki

Universal

Mycronic

Job description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Electronics

Location: Frederick, MD area

Compensation: $130,000–$140,000

Schedule: Full-Time | Day Shift

Travel: None

The Opportunity

We are partnering with an established electronics manufacturing organization in the Frederick, MD area seeking an experienced Senior Manufacturing Engineer to provide technical leadership across its production operation.

This is a highly hands-on position for an engineer who has spent significant time in an electronics contract manufacturing/EMS environment. The role will focus on improving manufacturing processes, supporting new product launches, troubleshooting production equipment, and optimizing SMT, through-hole, and electro-mechanical assembly operations.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable moving between engineering analysis and the production floor, serving as a senior technical resource for manufacturing personnel.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop and improve manufacturing methods supporting electronic and electro-mechanical products.
• Provide senior-level engineering support to SMT, through-hole, wave solder, and assembly operations.
• Evaluate production workflows and identify opportunities to improve throughput, repeatability, quality, and efficiency.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts from initial manufacturing planning through early production builds.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation, including work instructions, process documentation, and production routing information.
• Provide technical support involving BOMs, approved components, engineering changes, and manufacturing readiness.
• Develop and refine manufacturing processes for new and existing products.
• Support programming and process development for equipment such as SMT placement systems, SPI, AOI, and other automated production equipment.
• Establish process parameters for soldering operations, including reflow and wave soldering.
• Troubleshoot electrical and mechanical issues involving production machinery and manufacturing equipment.
• Assist with equipment setup, calibration, validation, maintenance, and production readiness.
• Develop or improve specialized tooling and fixtures used throughout the manufacturing process.
• Analyze production and defect data to identify recurring problems and implement corrective actions.
• Provide root-cause analysis for manufacturing and process failures.
• Train production employees on new equipment, manufacturing methods, and process changes.
• Evaluate new manufacturing technologies, equipment, and tooling that could improve production capability.
• Review engineering drawings, schematics, assembly documentation, and manufacturing requirements to determine appropriate production methods.
• Work cross-functionally with quality, production, engineering, and operations teams to resolve technical manufacturing challenges.

What We're Looking For

• Approximately 10+ years of experience in electronics manufacturing, preferably within an EMS or contract manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering preferred, or a combination of substantial engineering education and directly relevant manufacturing experience.
• Significant hands-on experience supporting electronics production equipment and manufacturing processes.
• Strong knowledge of SMT and wave solder manufacturing.
• Experience working with both leaded and lead-free soldering processes.
• Understanding of solder materials, fluxes, adhesives/bonding materials, and their applications within electronics manufacturing.
• Experience developing or optimizing wave solder profiles and tooling/fixtures.
• Familiarity with pick-and-place equipment, stencil printing, stencil design, and reflow processes.
• Working knowledge of applicable IPC and ISO manufacturing/quality standards.
• Ability to interpret electrical schematics, assembly drawings, PCB/PWB documentation, and mechanical tolerances.
• Experience supporting automated inspection and production equipment is strongly preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capabilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, technicians, machine operators, quality personnel, and manufacturing leadership.

Particularly Relevant Experience

Candidates coming from environments involving PCBA manufacturing, printed circuit board assembly, electronics contract manufacturing, aerospace/defense electronics, or other high-mix electronics production operations should be particularly relevant.

Experience with equipment platforms such as Juki, Universal, or Mycronic, or comparable SMT manufacturing systems, would be beneficial but is not required.

This position is designed for someone who has been directly involved with manufacturing equipment and processes on the production floor. Candidates whose backgrounds have primarily been in product design without substantial manufacturing process experience may not be the best fit.

Location: Frederick, MD area

Schedule: Full-Time | Day Shift

Travel: None

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer-sponsored work authorization.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

To read our Candidate Privacy Information Statement, which explains how we will use your information, please navigate to https://www.lhh.com/us/en/candidate-privacy

The Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and/or security clearance requirements, including, as applicable:

• The California Fair Chance Act
• Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance
• Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers