Staff Supplier Industrialization Engineer - PCBA

Heron Power Inc.; Scotts Valley, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 199,000; Full time

Job summary

Heron Power is seeking a Supplier Industrialization Engineer — PCBA to own supplier development and manufacturing readiness across PCBAs. You will work with the Head of Supply Chain and senior leaders to drive supplier partnerships and ensure technical success across the electronics supply chain.

The role covers supplier qualification, DFM, NPI, production ramp, and continuous improvement, with substantial ownership and potential for leadership in a fast-paced, hardware-focused startup.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in PCBA manufacturing, supplier development or related field.
• BS in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing or industrial engineering.
• Deep knowledge of PCB/PCBA manufacturing from development to production.
• Strong SMT and through-hole assembly, soldering, PCB fabrication and testing.
• Skilled in DFM/DFA, metrology, SPC, DOE, and sampling plans.
• Understanding of ISO 9001 and PPAP quality standards.
• Ability to assess supplier capabilities and drive corrective actions.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally on short notice.

Responsibilities

• Develop PCBA and electronics supplier capabilities through assessments and process improvements.
• Lead supplier qualification for high-quality, cost-effective PCBAs and assemblies.
• Communicate technical requirements between suppliers and Heron Power teams.
• Drive DFM/DFA reviews and manufacturing process capability assessments.
• Lead industrialization across PCB fabrication, SMT, through-hole, soldering, and testing.
• Drive process capability, yield improvement and corrective actions.
• Evaluate new PCB/component technologies for reliability and cost.
• Identify cost reduction through process, materials, automation and optimization.

Skills

PCBA manufacturing

Supplier development

Quality systems

DFM/DFA

Statistical methods

ISO 9001/PPAP

Process capability

Travel willingness

Electrical testing

Manufacturing controls

Education

BS degree in electrical/mechanical/manufacturing/industrial eng.

Job description

Supplier Industrialization Engineer - PCBA

What to Expect

Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything.

Our first goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade.

We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.

Job Overview

As Heron Power’s Supplier Industrialization Engineer — PCBA, you will take ownership of supplier development and manufacturing readiness across Heron’s PCB, PCBA, and electronics supply base. You’ll collaborate closely with the Head of Supply Chain as well as senior leaders from engineering, NPI, reliability and manufacturing to drive strategic supplier partnerships.

You will ensure the technical success of Heron’s electronics supply chain, overseeing supplier performance, manufacturing processes, qualification, and quality systems. This is a highly technical role with significant ownership across supplier qualification, DFM, NPI, production ramp, and continuous improvement, with potential for advancement into a leadership position.

How You Will Contribute

• Develop Heron’s PCBA and electronics supplier capabilities through technical capability assessments and manufacturing process improvement initiatives.
• Lead supplier qualification to ensure sustained high-quality, cost-effective, and timely delivery of critical PCBs, PCBAs, and power electronic assemblies.
• Facilitate clear communication of technical requirements between suppliers and Heron’s supply chain, electrical engineering, power electronics, and manufacturing teams.
• Drive supplier DFM/DFA reviews, PCB/PCBA design-for-manufacturing assessments, process reviews, and ensure assembly processes can meet design requirements.
• Lead industrialization and supplier development across PCB fabrication, SMT, through-hole assembly, soldering, power semiconductor assembly, inspection, electrical test, and high-power PCBA processes.
• Drive supplier process capability, yield improvement, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions for critical manufacturing and quality issues.
• Contribute to the evaluation of new or alternative PCB, component, material, and manufacturing technologies for improved reliability, manufacturability, or cost reduction.
• Identify and drive cost reduction activities through process, material, automation, yield, and manufacturing optimization.

What You Will Bring

Must Have Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in PCBA manufacturing, supplier development, supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, supplier industrialization, or a related field.
• BS degree in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, industrial engineering, or demonstrable equivalent experience and exceptional ability.
• In-depth knowledge of PCB/PCBA manufacturing processes, with demonstrated experience taking complex electronic assemblies from development through production.
• Strong understanding of SMT, through-hole assembly, soldering, PCB fabrication, inspection, electrical test, and manufacturing process controls.
• Skilled in DFM/DFA, process capability, metrology, and statistical data analysis techniques including SPC, DOE, and sampling plans.
• Comprehensive understanding of quality management systems and standards such as ISO 9001 and PPAP.
• Demonstrated ability to independently assess supplier manufacturing capabilities, identify process risks, and drive corrective actions through production.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally often with short notice.

Nice to Haves

• Prior experience in manufacturing and/or process engineering focused on power electronics, PCBA, PCB fabrication, power semiconductors, high-voltage/high-current assemblies, or power conversion products.
• Experience with SiC, MOSFET, high-power switching, thermal management, or other power-electronics technologies.
• Experience with AOI, X-ray, functional test, in-circuit test, electrical characterization, or reliability testing.
• Experience with ERP and PLM tools to support BOM control, change management, factory quality, and supplier reporting.
• Strong data analysis and visualization skills (Tableau, JMP, Minitab, etc.).
• Experience leading supplier industrialization or mentoring engineers in a senior/staff technical capacity.

Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. The base salary range for the role is from $145,000 to $199,000.