Principal Process Engineer

Position Summary

The Principal Process Engineer serves as the highest technical authority for Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) manufacturing within the Center of Excellence.

This role provides expert-level leadership in advanced process development, cross-functional project execution, and technology advancement for high-reliability defense and aerospace electronics.

The Principal Engineer drives major initiatives that improve quality, yield, reliability, and cost performance, while ensuring strict compliance with IPC, J-STD, and MIL standards.

The ideal candidate possesses deep subject-matter expertise, a strong record of leading complex technical projects, and the ability to influence engineering direction across the facility.

Key Responsibilities


* Lead development, implementation, and optimization of advanced CCA manufacturing processes including SMT, wave/selective soldering, bonding/staking, conformal coating, and ruggedization.


* Establish long-range process capability goals and define technical strategies to enhance manufacturing robustness, automation, and efficiency.


* Serve as the technical authority for processing documentation, work instructions, and standards for all CCA processes at the Center of Excellence.


* Maintain expert-level knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and MIL requirements and ensure all CCA processes meet these specifications.


* Lead major root cause investigations for complex or high-impact quality challenges and coordinate cross-functional corrective actions.


* Oversee advanced SPC, data analytics, and process monitoring for critical manufacturing steps.


* Lead multidisciplinary technical projects aimed at improving yield, manufacturability, cost, automation, and defect reduction.


* Partner closely with Design Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Program Management to resolve complex manufacturing challenges and support New Product Introduction (NPI).


* Act as the primary technical lead for implementation of new equipment, inspection systems, and automation technologies.


* Evaluate and integrate emerging manufacturing technologies such as SMT platforms, AOI/SPI systems, and automation solutions.


* Drive digital manufacturing enhancements, process modeling, and capability studies.


* Provide technical mentorship to Senior, Mid-level, and Junior Process Engineers.


* Review and approve major process changes, validation plans, and engineering documentation.


* Deliver training on advanced electronics manufacturing processes, inspection methods, soldering best practices, and thermal profiling.


* Develop and maintain advanced process metrics using data-driven approaches.


* Partner with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to enhance MES/ERP capabilities supporting process control and traceability.

Required Qualifications


* Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field; Master's degree preferr...