NPI Engineer; PCBA
Job in
San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, 94199, USA
Listed on 2026-03-03
Listing for:
SPAN
Full Time
position Listed on 2026-03-03
Job specializations:
-
Engineering
Manufacturing Engineer, Electronics Engineer, Electrical Engineering, Quality Engineering
Job Description & How to Apply Below
Our Mission
SPAN is enabling electrification for all
We are a mission-driven company designing, building, and deploying products that electrify the built environment, reduce carbon emissions, and slow the effects of climate change.
- Decarbonization is the process to reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, from entering our atmosphere.
- Electrification is the process of replacing fossil fuel appliances that run on gas or oil with all-electric upgrades for a cleaner way to power our lives.
- Enabling homes and vehicles powered by clean energy
- Making electrification upgrades possible
- Building more resilient homes with reliable backup
- Designing a flexible and distributed electrical grid
SPAN is looking for a Staff NPI (New Product Introduction) Engineer - PCBA to lead and execute the design transfer of our electronics hardware into production. The Staff NPI Engineer will bring deep expertise in PCBA manufacturing, SMT processes, and electronic assembly/test development. This role will own the technical interface with our contract manufacturers (CMs), ensuring robust processes for high-yield, scalable, and cost-effective builds.
As the bridge between design and manufacturing, you will work cross-functionally with hardware design, test, manufacturing, and quality teams to drive smooth product introductions, ensure DFM/DFT readiness, and establish world-class manufacturing practices for our PCBAs and electronics modules.
This position reports directly to our Director of Manufacturing Engineering and is part of the Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM) organization.
Responsibilities
- Lead the NPI process for PCBAs and electronics subassemblies, from prototype to high-volume manufacturing.
- Apply DFx principles (DFM, DFT, DFQ, DFR, DFC) to electronic designs to ensure robust manufacturability, test coverage, and quality.
- Partner with design engineers to review Gerbers/ODB++, schematics, and layouts for manufacturability and testability.
- Define and implement PCBA test strategy (ICT, FCT, boundary scan, functional test fixtures) in collaboration with hardware and test engineering.
- Drive SMT line qualifications, reflow profile validation, selective soldering, AOI/X-ray coverage, conformal coating and other PCBA processes.
- Investigate and resolve issues with new designs and prototypes through assembly, testing, and system integration.
- Own technical deliverables for CM onboarding, including process requirements, yield targets, test coverage, and quality control plans.
- Identify and qualify quick-turn vendors to support prototype and early build activities, ensuring rapid iterations and feedback into design.
- Develop and implement second-sourcing strategies to drive cost reduction and ensure supply continuity for critical components and processes.
- Create, review, and submit engineering change orders (ECOs) to release design and process changes to improve manufacturability/serviceability.
- Evaluate technical readiness before release and conduct Technical Readiness (TR) reviews with cross-functional teams.
- Conduct BOM risk assessment, component testing, second sourcing, and manage Product Change Notifications (PCN) and qualifications.
- Improve manufacturing operations to enhance efficiency, consistency, and cost-effectiveness while ensuring high product quality.
- Generate and maintain manufacturing documentation (BOMs, ECOs, test procedures, visual aids, specifications).
- Drive value engineering and cost reduction activities to optimize product lifecycle costs.
- Travel to CM sites (~25-40%) for builds, process qualifications, and troubleshooting.
Required Qualifications
We are seeking a highly capable New Product Introduction Engineer who has:
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent discipline.
- 8+ years of experience in NPI and PCBA manufacturing engineering
- Deep knowledge of SMT processes, reflow soldering, wave/selective soldering, conformal coating, and in-circuit/functional test methods.
- Hands-on experience with DFM/DFT tools, Gerber/ODB++ analysis, and PCBA CAD data review.
- Proficiency in DFx principles: DFM, DFT, DFQ, DFR, DFC.
- Strong knowledge of complex system-level debugging and root cause analysis.
- Expertise in ECO, BOM, and deviation processes.
- Knowledge of manufacturing, test, quality, and reliability best practices.
- Ability to establish technical direction through the investigation and evaluation of new manufacturing technologies.
- Strong working knowledge of industry manufacturing standards such as IPC and JEDEC.
- Experience with process development, characterization, and pFMEA.
- Experience with automation technologies and robotics in manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and scalability.
- Six Sigma Black Belt, or Lean Manufacturing certification.
- Proven track record driving PCBA NPI strategy at a fast-growing hardware company.
Headquartered in San Francisco's vibrant SoMa neighborhood, we are an…
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