Director of Production Engineering

The Production Engineering Director is responsible for the manufacturing process from new-product introduction through to stable, high-volume production. The role sets process standards, equipment strategy, and engineering methods so the factory launches products on time meeting, cost and quality targets.  Objectives include cost, throughput, and first-pass yield improvement year over year. Success is measured by NPI performance, process capability, equipment uptime, cost reduction, and the strength of the team.
Key responsibilities
Process ownership and capability
•    Own process design, documentation, and control for SMT operations, AOI, X-ray, selective and wave solder, conformal coating, press-fit, Box build, cable and harness, functional test, and final pack.
•    Define process, work instructions, visual standards, and control plans. Drive process capability (Cp/Cpk) on critical characteristics and close gaps with designed experiments
•    Lead root-cause analysis on yield loss, solder defects, component damage, test fallout, and escapes. Use structured problem solving (8D, fishbone, 5-Why, DOE) and deploy corrective actions into the process.
•    Maintain ESD, moisture-sensitive device, and cleanliness controls in line with IPC and customer requirements
New product introduction
•    Lead the plant NPI process from design-for-manufacturability review through pilot, first article, and release to volume. 
•    Run DFM and DFA reviews with design engineering. Challenge layouts, component choices, panelization, test access, and tolerances that will hurt yield or cycle time.
•    Own PFMEA, process flow, control plan, and work-instruction packages. Define inspection, AOI, and ICT/functional-test coverage with Quality and Test Engineering.
•    Manage prototype and pilot builds, first-article inspection, and customer or regulatory process qualifications. 
Equipment, automation, and capacity
•    Plan capital assembly equipment. Justify spend with capacity, quality, and labor models.
•    Own equipment acceptance, installation and process qualification.
•    Remove bottlenecks in SMT, 2nd Stage assembly, box build, test, and material kitting operations.
•    Set improvement objectives for the engineering teams in terms of uptime and throughput.

 Cost, yield, and continuous improvement
•    Own the engineering contribution for assembly cost: scrap, rework, consumables, labor content, and changeover efficiency. Publish yield reports as required.
•    Run structured improvement initiatives (lean, Six Sigma, etc) with operation teams to improve plant P&L and customer scorecards.
•    Standardize best practice processes across all lines and shifts.
Quality, compliance, and customer interface
•    Partner with Quality on IPC-A-610 / IPC-A-620 workmanship, J-STD-001 process control, IPC-7711/7721 rework limits, and customer-specific standards.
•    Support ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 27001, ISO14001, quality management systems.
•    Represent Production Engineering in customer visits, process audits, and failure investigations. 
•    Own traceability requirements with MES and ERP including component lot traceability, and test results tied to each board serial number.
People and organization
•    Lead and coach process, manufacturing and test engineers. 
•    Set technical standards, design rules, and review gates so junior engineers can make consistent decisions.
•    Build shift coverage and a response model for line-down events.
•    Recruit team members and develop successors for managers, team leads and principal-engineer roles. 
Qualifications
Required
•    P.Eng. accreditation, with Bachelor’s Degree in electrical, mechanical, industrial, manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline. 
•    Ten or more years in electronics assembly manufacturing, with at least five years leading process or manufacturing engineering.
•    Demonstrated ownership of board and box level assembly processes, including paste print, placement, reflow profiling, and inspection.
•    A record of taking products from NPI or transfer into stable volume production, with measurable yield and launch results.
•    Working knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and ESD (ANSI/ESD S20.20) requirements.
•    Experience leading engineers and influencing production, quality, supply chain, and design peers 
•    Ability to read schematics, assembly drawings, BOMs, and Gerber or ODB++ data well enough to challenge a process or a design.
Preferred
•    Master’s degree in engineering, with applied problem-solving credentials used on the factory floor.
•    Experience in a regulated or high-reliability environment: automotive (IATF 16949), medical (ISO 13485), aerospace (AS9100).
•    Hands-on exposure to ICT, flying probe, boundary scan, and functional test strategy, including fixture and coverage decisions.
•    Capital project leadership for new lines or a major capacity expansion, from specification through acceptance.
•    MES, ERP, SPC, and equipment-connectivity experience used to control processes, 
•    Experience with conformal coating, underfill, potting, press-fit and box-build of complete electronic products.
Working conditions
The role is based in the factory. A substantial share of time is on the production floor, in ESD-controlled areas, around reflow ovens, selective-solder equipment, and test cells. The director must be willing to support off-shift launches, customer audits, and line-down events. Occasional travel to customers, suppliers, and sister plants is expected.
This description covers the primary duties of the role. It is not an exhaustive list. Duties may be adjusted as products, volume, and plant structure change.