What are the responsibilities and job description for the PCB Rework Technician position at Etched?
About Etched
Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled PCB Rework Technician with advanced capabilities in large BGA rework (including components >70mm) and complex board-level repairs involving fine-pitch components down to 0402. This role is critical to supporting engineering, validation, and bring-up efforts by performing high-reliability rework on advanced PCBs, including those supporting custom ASICs.
Key Responsibilities
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents.
Job Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled PCB Rework Technician with advanced capabilities in large BGA rework (including components >70mm) and complex board-level repairs involving fine-pitch components down to 0402. This role is critical to supporting engineering, validation, and bring-up efforts by performing high-reliability rework on advanced PCBs, including those supporting custom ASICs.
Key Responsibilities
- Perform precision rework and re-balling of very-large BGAs (custom ASIC packages > 70 mm) with high first-pass yield.
- Operate large-format BGA rework systems, ensuring exact alignment, controlled thermal profiles, and clean re-flow on high-pin-count ICs.
- Rework SMT and through-hole components down to 0402 packages, maintaining exceptional workmanship and consistency across boards.
- Read and interpret ECNs, schematics, layout files, and BOMs to execute component swaps and design modifications accurately.
- Execute advanced board-level repairs: trace cuts, jumper-wire additions, micro-soldering, and circuit rerouting.
- Inspect reworked assemblies with X-ray or AOI equipment to verify solder-joint integrity, alignment, and overall quality.
- Maintain detailed rework documentation and clearly communicate findings or improvement ideas to engineers.
- Collaborate closely with hardware, validation, and bring-up teams to support rapid iteration and tight project timelines.
- 5 years of hands-on PCB rework experience on production-quality and/or R&D hardware.
- Proven expertise with large BGAs (> 70 mm), fine-pitch QFNs/BGAs, and 0402-scale components.
- Proficiency using advanced hot-air/IR rework platforms, precision microscopes, and large-area heaters designed for custom ASICs or high-power devices.
- Skill in following detailed engineering rework instructions, layout files, and schematics with minimal supervision.
- Familiarity with IPC-A-610 and IPC-7711/21 workmanship and rework standards.
- Exceptional attention to detail, steady manual dexterity, and strong visual-inspection skills.
- Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving R&D environment where requirements can change quickly.
- Operating and programming X-ray or AOI systems for real-time inspection and failure analysis.
- Performing micro-soldering, trace repair, and circuit rerouting on high-density, multi-layer boards.
- Reballing custom ASIC packages and handling ultra-large, high-pin-count ICs.
- Developing or optimizing thermal profiles for challenging package types (e.g., stacked dies, high-power BGAs).
- Documenting rework processes in MES/PLM systems and feeding back design-for-rework (DFR) recommendations.
- Supporting engineering bring-up with rapid component swaps, blue-wire fixes, and on-the-fly design experiments.
- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
- Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch and dinner in our office
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
Salary : $40 - $65