SMT Process Engineer (Greenfield Factory) - San Jose, United States
Originally posted 9 October 2026 by the employer.
Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence, with a focus on inference.
About the role
This role involves establishing the first PCB assembly (PCBA) manufacturing facility, with hands-on ownership of manufacturing readiness from initial setup through volume production.
What you'll do
- Support equipment selection, define technical specifications, and coordinate installation for the SMT line.
- Qualify equipment for production through Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), and execute startup, validation, and qualification plans.
- Develop and optimize programs for solder paste printers, SPI, pick-and-place, AOI, AXI, and depanelization equipment.
- Define, procure, and qualify stencils, PCB support tooling, and various fixtures for engineering builds.
- Lead SMT support for prototype, EVT, DVT, PVT, and production builds, troubleshooting process and programming issues.
- Drive continuous improvement for first-pass yield (FPY), throughput, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of SMT manufacturing engineering experience.
- Demonstrated experience supporting SMT line installation, commissioning, or factory startup.
- Experience with equipment acceptance testing, qualification, and production ramp-up.
- Hands-on experience programming and optimizing SMT equipment.
- Experience supporting PCBA manufacturing from prototype builds through high-volume production.
Nice to have
- Experience with leading technicians or small technical teams.
Skills: SMT line, equipment selection, process development, solder paste printers, AOI, FPY, OEE
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 52-day median for Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering roles.
Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
2432
|
Median days open
52 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 (2432 roles · 77 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 7 | 2432 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 13 | 9739 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 57 d | 52 d (+5 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $100k |
Skills observed across this category: SMT line, equipment selection, process development, solder paste printers, AOI, FPY
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 385 open roles · median 81 d
- Entegris · 244 open roles · median 30 d
- Applied Materials · 231 open roles · median 38 d
- Lam Research · 105 open roles · median 53 d
- Infineon Technologies · 90 open roles · median 51 d
- ASML · 75 open roles · median 70 d
How we counted: 2432 open Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 77 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 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.