NPI Manufacturing Engineer - AI Compute Hardware - Mountain View (HQ) or Remote, United States
$160,000 - $275,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 28 August 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves leading AI chip, compute tray, and rack-scale platform into manufacturing, including owning process development, factory readiness, and production ramp. The focus is on building robust manufacturing processes for AI compute infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Own manufacturing NPI from EVT through DVT and PVT, driving manufacturing readiness at each stage gate.
- Lead manufacturing first article builds and process qualification with JDM/ODM partners.
- Develop and maintain manufacturing process flows, assembly procedures, work instructions, and production documentation.
- Lead SMT process development and optimization (stencil design, solder paste, reflow profile, placement validation, solder quality).
- Define and implement production tooling, fixtures, assembly equipment, and manufacturing test fixtures.
- Own manufacturing process yield and continuous improvement, including defect tracking, Pareto analysis, and root cause analysis.
What you'll need
- 5+ years of NPI or manufacturing engineering experience (PCB, server, AI compute, networking, or electronics hardware).
- Strong hands-on understanding of electronics manufacturing and SMT processes (stencil design, solder paste, reflow, placement, soldering, SPI, AOI, X-ray inspection).
- Experience developing and qualifying manufacturing processes for high-layer-count PCB assemblies, with strong understanding of DFM, DFA, and DFT.
- Experience developing and implementing manufacturing test processes, fixtures, and production test stations.
- Experience with manufacturing yield analysis and root cause methodologies (defect tracking, 8D, FMEA, fishbone), plus SPC and process capability analysis.
- Hands-on experience working with JDM/ODM/CM manufacturing partners, and understanding of manufacturing BOMs, ECO implementation, and AVL/component changes.
Nice to have
- Experience with high-power AI accelerator or GPU server manufacturing.
- Familiarity with liquid cooling assembly, leak testing, and coolant handling.
- Experience with OCP Open Rack or rack-scale system manufacturing.
- Familiarity with JTAG/boundary scan production testing and experience with automated manufacturing test systems.
- Knowledge of IPC-A-610, IPC-6012, IPC-7711/7721, or related manufacturing standards.
- Experience implementing SPC and automated manufacturing data collection.
Skills: manufacturing NPI, SMT process development, manufacturing process yield, DFM/DFT/DFA, production tooling, fixtures
This role has been open 50 days — below the 53-day median for Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering roles.
Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
2514
|
Median days open
53 d
|
Median salary
$97k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | MatX | All employers we track in this specialty (2514 roles · 80 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 1 | 2514 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1 | 9877 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 50 d | 53 d (−3 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $97k |
Skills observed across this category: manufacturing NPI, SMT process development, manufacturing process yield, DFM/DFT/DFA, production tooling, fixtures
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 396 open roles · median 79 d
- Applied Materials · 252 open roles · median 39 d
- Entegris · 225 open roles · median 38 d
- Lam Research · 108 open roles · median 60 d
- Infineon Technologies · 90 open roles · median 58 d
- STMicroelectronics · 69 open roles · median 54 d
How we counted: 2514 open Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 80 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 18 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.