Principal PCBA Manufacturing Engineer (Wilmington, MA)

MKS Instruments•Wilmington, MA

About The Position

Are you naturally curious? So are we at MKS. Our collective curiosity drives us to be an innovation leader in many industries. Our products drive technology advancements across a wide range of applications such as 5G, augmented/virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, clean drinking water and space exploration. We are a team of collaborators who value fresh thinking and believe in mutual respect, constructive candor, diversity and inclusion. As a valued and trusted partner to our customers, we are continually pushing the boundaries of possibility. We believe in creating technology that transforms our world and are looking for like-minded individuals to join our team. If this is appealing to you, we want to meet you. We are looking for an exceptional Principal PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) Manufacturing Engineer to lead the DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and DFT (Design for Testability) strategy throughout the entire NPI lifecycle, partnering closely with design engineering and global contract manufacturers to ensure every board is optimized for yield, test coverage, and factory readiness. This role will be responsible for driving schematic‑level and layout‑level reviews, identifying manufacturability and testability risks before they reach the factory, and influencing design teams toward architectures that scale cleanly into production. Success in this role requires deep expertise in PCBA processes and test methodologies, the ability to guide design teams with clarity and conviction, and the leadership to drive contract manufacturers toward disciplined, repeatable, high‑quality execution.

Requirements

Minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree is required, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree is preferred.
8+ years’ experience in PCBA manufacturing engineering, test engineering or hardware development is required.
Subject matter expertise in PCBA manufacturing processes, SMT, PCBA test methodologies & inspection, PCBA design and board chemistry.
In depth knowledge of IPC standards related to PCBA manufacturing.
Experience with schematic capture and analysis applications such as Mentor Graphics/PADS, and OrCAD are required.
Experience with DFT (Design for Test) and DFM (Design for Manufacturing) principles is required.
Experience managing vendors and external design partners, as well as providing training and technical support to contract manufacturers (CMs) both onsite and remotely, is required.
Ability to create detailed project plans is required.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with cross-functional teams (engineering, supply chain, operations) to ensure PCBA assemblies meet design and quality standards.
Conduct Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Testability (DFT) reviews to ensure PCBA layouts are optimized for production, reducing costs and assembly time and ensuring high yields.
Support global contract manufacturers with remote training, troubleshooting, and process optimization.
Serve as the technical authority for SMT processes, including solder paste printing, SPI, pick-and-place, and reflow profiling.
Lead ICT development and qualification of test fixtures, equipment, and software for production environments.
Maintain revision control, documentation, and review supplier changes (PCNs, Gage R&R) for test processes.
Analyze test data, drive root-cause analysis, and continuously improve test coverage, fault isolation, and throughput.
Maintain a list of chemistries used at each PCBA supplier

Benefits

MKS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance coverage (medical, dental and vision), 401(k) with company match, life and disability insurance, 12 paid holidays, sick time, 15 paid vacation days, [6 weeks fully paid] parental leave, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement

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