PCB Fabrication & Supplier Engineer (Eng III)

Samtec, Inc.
Position Title: PCB Fabrication & Supplier Engineer (Eng III)
Description
Founded in 1976, Samtec is a privately held, $1 Billion global manufacturer of a broad line of electronic interconnect solutions, including High-Speed Board-to-Board, High-Speed Cables, Mid-Board and Panel Optics, Precision RF, Flexible Stacking, and Micro/Rugged components and cables. Samtec Technology Centers are dedicated to developing and advancing technologies, strategies and products to optimize both the performance and cost of a system from the bare die to an interface 100 meters away, and all interconnect points in between. With 40+ international locations and products sold in more than 125 different countries, Samtecs global presence enables its unmatched customer service.

Summary/Objective
Nebely every high-speed product Samtec releases is proven on a printed circuit board that has to be built at the edge of what the supply base can do, which is where this role sits. You own how those boards get built and you own the technical relationship with the fabricators who build them. That means the vendor-agnostic stackup library, the supplier capability matrix, the DFM and technical question loop with fab front-end engineering, qualification of new fabricators and new processes (HDI, UHDI, SLP and substrate-class constructions), and the PCB portion of program schedules from quote through dock. You work directly with signal integrity engineers, PCB designers and fabricator FAEs, and your judgment determines where a board gets built and whether it arrives on time and correct. You're the person who can tell a designer a construction won't yield, tell a fab why its DFM call changes design intent, and tell a program manager a date that holds.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

Own the technical interface between signal integrity engineers, PCB designers, and external PCB fabrication suppliers across the applicable process flows

Create and maintain vendor-agnostic stackups and the stackup database; document impedance, material, and construction rationale in appropriate/approved systems

Evaluate design packages for manufacturability ahead of release; identify construction, yield, and cost risk and propose alternatives that hold design intent

Resolve fabricator DFM findings and technical questions within design intent; route intent-changing questions to the responsible design or SI engineer with a recommendation and a response date

Review fabricator-returned data, including Gerber overlays, and confirm design intent before authorizing build

Build and maintain a supplier capability matrix covering qualified capability, in-process qualification, material availability, and known gaps, so designers can select a supplier from current information

Lead qualification of new fabrication suppliers, new supplier sites, and new processes using a defined test vehicle, capability review, and documented acceptance evidence

Qualify advanced fabrication technologies and materials, including HDI, UHDI, SLP, and substrate-class constructions, ahead of program need and in partnership with SI

Forecast long-lead material, trigger pre-orders against approved stackups, and convert supplier lead-time reality into schedule commitments the business can plan against

Solicit and compare fabrication quotes; recommend the supplier on technical, lead-time, and cost-driver grounds; specify bare-board test and acceptance requirements

Own the PCB segment of program schedules from quote through dock; publish a recurring PCB status showing owner, risk, and next step for each active board in appropriate/approved systems (PTS)

Identify and mitigate PCB supply risk across material availability, capacity allocation, capability gaps, and quality trends; elevate with options rather than status alone

Investigate post-dock manufacturing, impedance, and TDR failures; drive supplier corrective action, RMA, and rebuild to closure

Strengthen what Samtec specifies to its suppliers, including fab drawing notes, impedance and loss coupons, foil roughness, and acceptance criteria, with SI and quality

Contribute fabrication capability, tradeoff, and cost-driver input to design reviews

Define and report a PCB process-health metric set covering cycle time, first-pass DFM acceptance, on-time dock, and respin/RMA rate; drive improvement against it

Guide designers and SI engineers on fabrication capability, construction tradeoffs, and design-for-manufacturability practice

Hold accuracy and completeness of PCB fabrication, stackup, and supplier collateral in accordance with configuration management practices

Develop Samtec's technical relationships with its fabrication partners, including communicating Samtec capability and value as a development partner

The responsibilities as defined are intended to serve as a general guideline for this position. Associates may be asked to perform additional tasks depending on strengths and capabilities.

Preferred experience

7-12 years of relevant experience in PCB fabrication, front-end/CAM engineering, PCB supplier engineering, or advanced PCB design and manufacturing

Expert in PCB construction and process: multilayer and sequential lamination, via technology (mechanical, laser microvia, blind and buried, backdrill, aspect ratio), and controlled impedance

Expert/standardizes stackup synthesis and material selection across low-loss and ultra-low-loss laminates, copper foil profile, and the electrical, manufacturability, and cost tradeoffs among them

Expert in supplier-facing technical work: capability assessment, qualification methodology, DFM and technical question resolution, and supplier corrective action

Proficient with field-solver and stackup tools (e.g., Polar) and CAM/DFM analysis tools (e.g., FAB 3000, CAM350); reads and interprets Gerber, ODB++, IPC-356, and drill data

Prior work inside or embedded with a PCB fabrication facility; experience with HDI, UHDI, SLP, or IC substrate fabrication

Working knowledge of transmission line theory and high-speed digital design; familiarity with PCB design tools such as Cadence Allegro

Owns multi-project schedules, supplier commitments, and written status reporting; communicates technical detail at the level the audience needs

Working within applicable IPC/UL/ISO expectations for PCB fabrication, acceptance, and supplier qualification

Education

BS required in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field; MS preferred

SAMTEC, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to creating a diverse environment. All employment decisions at Samtec are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, pregnancy or parental status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender and/or gender identity/expression, marital status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws.
Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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