{"id":2401391,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer","title":"DFA Engineer","company":{"id":2552128,"name":"Sierra Circuits, Inc.","domain":"protoexpress.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/protoexpress","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":{"grade":"C","score":60,"open_postings":33,"ghost_share":0.667,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-25T05:49:26Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"junior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Jose, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":85000,"max":120000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":120000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":2,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Altium Designer","optional":false},{"name":"Cadence Allegro","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-11T22:02:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-11","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26T04:34:21Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":75,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":74},"description":"About the company:\nSierra Circuits is a Silicon Valley-based leader in printed circuit board manufacturing and assembly, specializing in high-quality, quick-turn and complex prototypes. With over 35 years of experience, Sierra provides a seamless, end-to-end PCB solution-from design and fabrication to assembly and testing-all under one roof at its state-of-the-art facilities in Sunnyvale, California. Sierra Circuits is committed to supporting engineers and designers through extensive educational resources. The company offers free online tools such as the Stackup Designer, Impedance Calculator, Material Selector, and BOM and DFM Checkers, along with technical blogs, webinars, design guides, and its SierraConnect community forum. Sierra Circuit serves all industries including aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, and telecommunications, building PCBs to the highest industry standards, and keeping innovation at the forefront of everything we do.\nSUMMARY OF JOB FUNCTION:\nWe are seeking an experienced DFA (Surface Mount Technology Design for Assembly) Engineer to join Sierra Circuit manufacturing team. In this role, you will work closely with design, process, and manufacturing teams to ensure the seamless assembly of printed circuit boards (PCBs) while optimizing product designs for manufacturability. You will be responsible for driving continuous improvements in SMT assembly processes, resolving technical challenges, and ensuring high-quality, cost-effective production.\nRESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:\n Design for Assembly (ADFAE): Analyze PCB designs and provide feedback to improve manufacturability and efficiency during SMT production. Collaborate with design engineers to optimize component placements, solder joints, and assembly processes.\nSMT Process Development: Develop, optimize, and maintain SMT assembly processes, including stencil design, solder paste application, component placement, and reflow soldering, to ensure high-quality output.\nManufacturing Support: Provide technical support and troubleshooting for SMT assembly lines. Collaborate with production teams to identify and resolve issues related to assembly defects, component fit, or solderability.\nContinuous Improvement: Lead initiatives for process improvements, yield enhancement, and cycle time reduction in SMT production. Implement best practices and drive Lean Manufacturing principles to improve overall efficiency.\nDFM Analysis: Conduct Design for Manufacturability (DFM) analysis on new and existing products, identifying potential design and process risks and offering solutions to minimize production disruptions and improve yields.\nEquipment Selection & Maintenance: Recommend SMT equipment upgrades or new purchases to enhance assembly capabilities. Ensure SMT machinery is properly calibrated and maintained.\nDevelop Manufacturing Process Instructions (MPI’s) & Rework Instructions.\nEnsure that all proper documentation and data is available for all assembly jobs. \nWork with the Assembly Management Team to completely implement/monitor the Assembly Management System.\nBe available as back-up for walk-throughs, site audits, or any other requests from customers and partners. \nQuality Assurance: Collaborate with the quality engineering team to define inspection criteria, conduct root cause analysis of assembly defects, and implement corrective actions.\nDocumentation & Reporting: Maintain detailed documentation of process parameters, technical issues, and solutions. Report findings and recommendations to relevant stakeholders.\nCross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product design, process engineering, quality assurance, and supply chain to ensure product designs are optimized for manufacturability and meet production requirements.\nWork extended hours based on company needs and be available for after-hours emergency calls.\nPerform other duties as assigned.\nQUALIFICATIONS:\nEducation: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent experience will be considered.\nExperience: 2 - 5 + years of experience in SMT/DFA engineering in a high-volume manufacturing environment.\nTechnical Skills:Strong understanding of SMT assembly processes including stencil printing, pick-and-place, reflow soldering, and automated optical inspection (AOI).\nProficiency in Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and DFA principles.\nExperience with SMT programming, equipment setup, and troubleshooting.\nFamiliarity with PCB design tools such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, or similar.\nFamiliar with schematics, PCB fabrication drawings and electronic components that are mounted on electronic assemblies.\nAble to evaluate Gerber files\n\nProblem-solving: Ability to diagnose and resolve complex assembly and design issues.\nCommunication: Strong verbal and written communication skills for interfacing with multiple teams.\nCertifications: IPC-A-610 or J-STD-001 certifications are preferred.\nExcellent written and verbal sales communication skills.\nAbility to perform at the highest level in a fast-paced environment.\nExcellent oral and written communication skills. \nExceptional multi-tasking, organizational skills, strong attention to detail and accuracy.\nStrong interpersonal skills and ability to work with all levels of management\nSelf-motivator and a sense of ownership and urgency.\nMust be able to maintain confidentiality & professionalism at all times.\nProficient in Microsoft Office using Excel, PowerPoint, and Word required.\nPreferred Skills:\nExperience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.\nFamiliarity with high-reliability manufacturing industries such as automotive, aerospace, or medical devices.\nSALARY: $85K to $120K per year\nMUST be a US Personnel\nPHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee must frequently stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The ability to lift 20 lbs., open filing cabinets, and bend, stand, or climb on step ladders as necessary.\nENVIRONMENT:\n Clean Manufacturing SMT Environment\nWhat We Offer\nCompetitive Benefits Package - Medical (HMO & PPO), Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Basic Life & AD&D, and Voluntary Benefits \n401(k) Retirement Plan \nWellness Benefits - Gym/Fitness Membership Reimbursement \nPaid Time Off - Vacation, Sick Time, and Paid Holidays","description_format":"text","description_chars":6604,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":2,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Retirement plans"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Hardware","Manufacturing","PCB Fabrication & Assembly"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-12T23:35:59Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":8,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.29,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":74,"expected_fill_days":27,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","win:tail","crowd:junior"],"computed_at":"2026-10-25T05:49:26Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":120000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/sierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/sierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-26T05:11:12Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":6918,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2552128},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2552128"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/sierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsierra-circuits-inc-dfa-engineer"}]}