What are the responsibilities and job description for the SMT Technician position at NOISEFIGURE RESEARCH?
SMT Technician
Company: NoiseFigure Research, Inc.
Location: Renton, Washington
Job Type: Part-Time
Work Setting: On-site
Department: Manufacturing / Prototype Assembly / Engineering Support
Job Description
NoiseFigure Research is seeking an SMT Technician to support printed circuit board assembly, prototype manufacturing, surface-mount technology production, rework, inspection, and engineering build support. This role is hands-on and requires experience working with electronic components, PCB assemblies, soldering tools, microscopes, assembly documentation, and manufacturing process controls.
The SMT Technician will work closely with engineers, manufacturing personnel, and project teams to support fast-turn prototype builds, customer assemblies, test boards, and low-volume production. NFR provides integrated circuit custom solutions, discrete analog, RF, digital, and mixed-signal chips, and test boards for customer environments, with engineering support for PCB and system architecture, design, assembly, and bring-up.
Key Responsibilities
- Perform SMT assembly, hand soldering, rework, touch-up, inspection, and repair of printed circuit board assemblies.
- Set up, operate, and support SMT manufacturing equipment, including stencil printers, pick-and-place equipment, reflow ovens, hot-air rework stations, soldering irons, microscopes, and inspection tools.
- Assemble prototype and low-volume PCB builds in support of engineering, customer programs, internal R&D, and manufacturing projects.
- Place, solder, inspect, and rework fine-pitch components, passive components, ICs, connectors, QFNs, BGAs, and other surface-mount packages.
- Read and follow assembly drawings, bills of materials, work instructions, travelers, schematics, component placement files, and engineering notes.
- Inspect PCB assemblies for solder quality, component orientation, polarity, placement accuracy, bridges, opens, tombstoning, insufficient solder, contamination, and other defects.
- Support PCB bring-up, system integration, prototype debugging, and test preparation in coordination with engineering teams.
- Maintain accurate documentation of builds, rework activity, inspection results, nonconformances, process deviations, and completed assemblies.
- Support material kitting, component verification, inventory handling, and preparation of parts for SMT assembly.
- Assist with process improvement, yield improvement, defect reduction, and repeatability of prototype and production assembly workflows.
- Follow ESD safety procedures, cleanroom or controlled-environment protocols where applicable, and company quality standards.
- Support advanced packaging, flexible electronics, high-density interconnect, and prototype manufacturing projects as needed. NFR’s work includes advanced packaging and flexible substrate development, including low- to mid-volume quick-turn components and subsystem packaging capacity for specialized ASICs.
- Assist engineers and technicians with build readiness reviews, tooling preparation, process monitoring structures, mechanical checks, and final assembly verification.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe manufacturing work area.
Minimum Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- 2 years of hands-on experience in SMT assembly, PCB assembly, electronics manufacturing, soldering, or related technical manufacturing work.
- Experience with hand soldering, SMT rework, microscope inspection, and electronic component handling.
- Ability to read and follow technical drawings, work instructions, assembly documentation, bills of materials, and component placement information.
- Familiarity with ESD-safe handling procedures and electronics manufacturing practices.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to perform repetitive precision work accurately.
- Ability to work on-site with physical equipment, tools, materials, components, and PCB assemblies.
- Ability to communicate clearly with engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams.
- Ability to document work performed, issues found, and corrective actions taken.
Preferred Qualifications
- IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, or IPC-7711/7721 training or certification.
- Experience with fine-pitch SMT components, QFN, BGA, micro-BGA, RF boards, high-density assemblies, or prototype electronics builds.
- Experience operating or supporting pick-and-place machines, stencil printers, reflow ovens, AOI systems, or X-ray inspection tools.
- Experience with low-volume, high-mix, quick-turn prototype manufacturing.
- Experience supporting RF, analog, mixed-signal, ASIC, advanced packaging, flexible electronics, or mil/aero electronics programs.
- Experience working in an R&D or engineering-driven manufacturing environment.
- Familiarity with process recipes, build travelers, revision control, and quality documentation.
- Experience assisting with failure analysis, board repair, test setup, or engineering bring-up.
Required Skills and Knowledge
- SMT assembly and rework
- Hand soldering and solder touch-up
- PCB inspection and defect identification
- Microscope work and fine-pitch component handling
- Component identification and polarity verification
- ESD-safe practices
- Reading BOMs, drawings, schematics, and work instructions
- Prototype and low-volume electronics manufacturing
- Manufacturing documentation and build records
- Team communication and engineering support
- Quality awareness and process discipline
- Safe use of soldering, rework, and assembly tools
Work Environment
This position is performed on-site in an electronics manufacturing, prototype assembly, and engineering support environment. The role requires hands-on work with SMT equipment, soldering tools, microscopes, electronic components, printed circuit boards, test fixtures, and manufacturing documentation.