Through-Hole Lead: Hands-On Team Leader for Soldering

Rocket EMS; Carson City (NV); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Medical, dental, vision, and life ins.

Paid time off and holidays

Opportunities for advancement

Job summary

Rocket EMS in Carson City, NV seeks a Through-Hole Lead to provide hands-on leadership for the through-hole assembly team, ensuring IPC-A-610 Class 2 and 3 workmanship standards. You will train operators, troubleshoot issues, and collaborate with engineering, quality, and production leadership to maintain quality and efficient workflow.

The role requires strong technical skills, detail orientation, and ability to guide a team in a fast-paced electronics manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in through-hole assembly and soldering in a contract manufacturing or electronics production environment.
• Previous experience as a production lead, trainer, or senior operator with responsibility for guiding other employees preferred.
• Hands-on experience with hand soldering and selective and/or wave soldering equipment.
• IPC-A-610 and/or J-STD-001 certification preferred.
• Strong soldering and defect troubleshooting skills for both leaded and lead-free assemblies.
• Ability to read and interpret MPIs, assembly drawings, schematics, BOMs, and customer requirements.
• Understanding of component identification, polarity, orientation, and color codes.
• Working knowledge of IPC-A-610 Class 2 and 3 workmanship requirements.
• Ability to organize workloads, communicate priorities, and guide operators to meet quality and production goals.
• Effective training, coaching, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to consistent workmanship.
• Basic computer literacy, including Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and production tracking systems.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily through-hole production activities, assigning work based on production priorities, employee qualifications, and available resources.
• Review MPIs, assembly drawings, ECOs, BOMs, and customer requirements; ensure operators use current, approved build documentation.
• Lead and support component preparation, hand insertion, hand soldering, wave soldering, and selective soldering operations.
• Verify component identification, polarity, orientation, placement, and workmanship throughout the assembly process.
• Confirm equipment setups and process settings follow approved instructions; coordinate first-artifact verification and required approvals before production proceeds.
• Monitor work in process, output, and schedule progress; communicate material shortages, equipment problems, staffing needs, and production delays to the Supervisor.
• Provide hands-on troubleshooting for assembly and soldering defects; contain affected work and elevate recurring or unresolved issues to Engineering, Quality, or the Supervisor.
• Perform and support authorized rework and solder touch-up in accordance with approved procedures.
• Train and coach operators on assembly methods, soldering techniques, equipment operation, workmanship requirements, and safe handling practices.
• Verify completion of production records, traceability requirements, first-article documentation, and in-process inspection forms.
• Communicate clear shift pass-downs covering job status, priorities, quality concerns, and unresolved issues.
• Reinforce safety, ESD, applicable MSD handling, housekeeping, and 5S requirements.
• Work with Engineering and Quality to identify defect trends and improve processes, reducing rework and production interruptions.
• Support other assembly or rework areas as directed by the Supervisor, Engineer, or Manager.

Skills

Soldering (hand)

Soldering (wave)

IPC-A-610/class 2 & 3

Troubleshooting defects

Reading MPIs/Drawings/BOMs

Team leadership

English communication

Excel/Office

Training/coaching

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Rocket EMS in Carson City, NV seeks a Through-Hole Lead to provide hands-on leadership for the through-hole assembly team, ensuring IPC-A-610 Class 2 and 3 workmanship standards. You will train operators, troubleshoot issues, and collaborate with engineering, quality, and production leadership to maintain quality and efficient workflow.

The role requires strong technical skills, detail orientation, and ability to guide a team in a fast-paced electronics manufacturing environment.