ROCKET EMS

Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Carson City Nevada | Manufacturing Engineering

Position Summary

The Principal Manufacturing Engineer provides hands-on technical leadership and manages the development and execution of manufacturing engineering at Rocket EMS in Carson City. The position performs the full scope of Senior Manufacturing Engineer responsibilities while managing assigned engineers and engineering technicians, setting technical direction, and strengthening team capability. This role is accountable for production support, process readiness, engineering work quality, and sustained improvements in product quality, throughput, and manufacturing cost.

Manufacturing Engineering and Production Support

Provide hands-on engineering support for surface mount technology (SMT), through-hole, secondary assembly, rework, and other assigned printed circuit board assembly processes.
Review daily build schedules and ensure job packages, manufacturing process instructions (MPIs), data collection routings, approved reflow profiles, programs, and tooling are ready before production begins.
Develop, optimize, and validate manufacturing processes and equipment settings. Resolve programming, tooling, documentation, and process problems that interrupt production or reduce yield.
Design, specify, order, and verify stencils, soldering and assembly fixtures, press-fit tooling, and other process aids. Maintain tooling identification, logs, and build readiness status.
Verify production setups and first article results against applicable checklists and acceptance criteria. Investigate solder release, bridging, voiding, solderability, and other process concerns.
Respond to technical questions from the production floor, train operators on new or changed processes, and provide effective support across assigned production areas and shifts.
Exercise stop-line authority when repeated defects or uncontrolled processes threaten quality. Coordinate containment, corrective action, and restart through established company procedures.

Product Introduction and Engineering Documentation

Lead pre-build and post-build design for manufacturability (DFM) reviews. Document known risks and coordinate resolution of build-blocking issues with Program Management, customers, and internal teams.
Create and maintain MPIs, process specifications, job packages, Manex routings, and data collection instructions. Ensure engineering changes, deviations, and special instructions reach affected work orders and personnel.
Lead engineering readiness for new product introductions, repeat builds, and process transfers, including tooling, process validation, operator training, and lessons learned.

Engineering Team Management

Directly supervise assigned manufacturing engineers and engineering technicians. Set individual objectives, clarify responsibilities, and hold team members accountable for timely, technically sound work.
Assign projects and daily production support based on business priorities, engineering capacity, and individual skills. Balance urgent floor support with planned improvement work and product introductions.
Establish clear deliverables, owners, schedules, and escalation expectations. Review progress regularly, remove barriers, and address overdue actions or recurring execution problems.
Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews. Provide specific feedback, recognize strong performance, and address performance concerns with management and Human Resources.
Participate in recruiting, technical interviewing, hiring recommendations, and onboarding. Recommend staffing and coverage changes based on workload and capability needs.
Coordinate engineering coverage and handoffs across shifts and production areas. Ensure critical processes have qualified backup support.
Communicate engineering priorities, production risks, resource needs, and recovery plans clearly to site leadership and affected departments.

Engineering Team Development

Build and maintain a team skills matrix covering process knowledge, equipment capability, troubleshooting, documentation, and applicable workmanship requirements.