PCBA DFM Engineer - San Jose, United States
Originally posted 23 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The PCBA Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Engineer ensures hardware designs are optimized for reliable, scalable manufacturing across internal SMT operations and external manufacturing partners.
What you'll do
- Lead PCBA manufacturability reviews from early design through production release, evaluating component placement, footprints, spacing, solderability, assembly access, inspection coverage, and rework feasibility. - Translate review findings into actionable design changes, establish owners and deadlines, and verify implementation before builds and production release. - Develop and maintain DFM rules, checklists, and review milestones that reflect the capabilities of internal SMT operations and contract manufacturers. - Support prototype and NPI builds by investigating design-related assembly issues and incorporating findings into subsequent board revisions. - Improve yield and reduce manufacturing costs by using build results, inspection data, and failure analysis to eliminate recurring defects and board respins. - Partner with Test Engineering to address test access, design-for-test requirements, and inspection limitations before production release.
What you'll need
- Degree in electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering, or equivalent practical experience. - Experience in PCBA DFM, manufacturing engineering, or hardware NPI, moving complex electronics from design into production. - Technical understanding of SMT assembly processes, including stencil design, solder paste printing, component placement, reflow, inspection, and rework. - Experience reviewing PCB layouts, component footprints, assembly drawings, bills of materials, and manufacturing release packages. - Knowledge of manufacturability challenges associated with high-density assemblies, fine-pitch components, and large BGA packages. - Familiarity with IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and relevant PCB design and fabrication standards.
Nice to have
- Experience with high-performance compute, accelerator, server, or networking hardware. - Experience with high-layer-count PCBs, HDI structures, via-in-pad designs, and board or package warpage. - Experience with thermally demanding or high-power assemblies. - Hands-on experience with solder paste inspection, AOI, X-ray inspection, and assembly failure analysis. - Experience supporting both internal SMT operations and external contract manufacturers. - Python, SQL, or similar tools for engineering data analysis, automation, and application development. - Machine learning experience in manufacturing for defect classification, anomaly detection, yield prediction, or automated inspection.
Skills: PCBA, DFM, SMT, IPC-A-610, BGA, NPI
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 54-day median for Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering roles.
Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
2504
|
Median days open
54 d
|
Median salary
$100k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Etched | All employers we track in this specialty (2504 roles · 78 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 8 | 2504 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 16 | 10080 · 106 employers |
| Median days open | 26 d | 54 d (−28 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $100k |
Skills observed across this category: PCBA, DFM, SMT, IPC-A-610, BGA, NPI
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 381 open roles · median 78 d
- Applied Materials · 260 open roles · median 36 d
- Entegris · 213 open roles · median 42 d
- Lam Research · 109 open roles · median 65 d
- Infineon Technologies · 100 open roles · median 45 d
- Vishay Intertechnology · 67 open roles · median 37 d
How we counted: 2504 open Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 78 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 23 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.