FHE Design and Process Engineer - Printing

Job Description

Position Summary

NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is a public-private collaboration with the mission of advancing the capabilities of U.S. manufacturing in the field of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) and ensuring that the enabling manufacturing technologies are developed and shared with institute members and the U.S. Government. The institute is a not-for-profit entity funded jointly by industry, academia, and the U.S. Government. Our work enables the next generation electronics for medical, wearable, asset monitoring, structural health monitoring, soft robotics, integrated array antennas, automotive and agricultural technology applications.

NextFlex offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, and a fun, collaborative work environment.

This position will be responsible for various print techniques such as gravure offset or aerosol jet with an emphasis on ink jet. Previous knowledge of print processes for electronics are preferred but not an absolute necessity. Training on all manufacturing tools and processes will be provided as needed. Converting designs as received from Engineering to formats suitable for the manufacturing tools, as well as the use of analytical equipment and data manipulation to present results to the team, will be an integral part of all tasks. This individual will also be expected to contribute to the areas of automated testing and inspection in other areas of Fab.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Become the owner of the ink jet print tool(s), including program creation, process optimization and characterization, supplier communication, spare parts management.
• Optimization of engineering supplied artwork, including ensuring that consistent design rules are followed for consistent results.
• Use of CAD tools such as Fab3000, AutoCAD and other more proprietary software to manipulate designs.
• Assist in programing and operation of other fab tools such as Fanuc robotic arm, ESI laser and optical inspection tool sets.

General functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Participate in or lead technical meetings about scheduling, experiment planning, and result presentation and discussion.
• Participate in meetings and discussions aimed at defining the tactical and strategic needs of our operation.
• Documentation of best practices for pilot manufacturing operation depending on tool, process, and materials.
• Operate in a safe and productive manner.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, materials science or related field or relevant experience.
• Hands-on experience with precision instruments and process equipment.
• Experience with electrical design and/or engineering software including packages such as AutoCAD is highly recommended.
• Communication skills in written and oral capacity to accurately report and describe activities and status.

Desired Qualifications (are a Plus)

• Work experience in manufacturing environment.
• Experience with print processes, preferably using electronic materials.
• Experience with ink jet print processes.
• Experience with manufacturing process development.
• Basic to intermediate programming skills (e.g., Python).
• Experience with statistical software (e.g., JMP).

Supervisory Responsibilities

Not applicable

Travel Requirements

Not applicable

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

The employee will be expected to spend large amounts of time in the Fab / Clean Room. Most of the time would be spent in the operation of processing tools including routine operations level programming and processing of process and test equipment including collecting, analyzing, and reporting results.

Work Authorization/Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be one of the following: a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

COVID-19 Vaccination Notice

As a Federal contractor, NextFlex requires any new employee to provide acceptable proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 prior to his/her/their first day of employment at NextFlex, unless a legally-recognized exemption has been requested by the new hire and approved by NextFlex. This policy has been established to comply with Executive Order 14042 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors) and the implementing Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors (saferfederalworkforce.gov).

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.