About The Role

Work Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

Principal Staff Engineer – PCBA Centre of Excellence

The PCBA Centre of Excellence is seeking a highly experienced Principal Staff Engineer to help shape and execute the technical strategy for a resilient, cost-effective global electronics supply chain. Based at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Brno Technology Center, you will serve as a senior technical leader and trusted advisor across Engineering, Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Operations, supporting multiple Analytical Instruments Group (AIG) businesses.

This is a senior individual contributor role with broad technical and organizational influence. You will provide technical leadership across the PCBA and electronics lifecycle, driving Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VAVE), supply chain optimization, product cost reduction, manufacturability, and supply resilience. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you will own a portfolio of complex initiatives, influence product and sourcing strategies, and translate technical opportunities into measurable business outcomes.

As a senior member of the PCBA Centre of Excellence, you will also strengthen organizational capability through mentorship, technical coaching, and the development of scalable engineering standards and best practices.

About the Brno Technology Center

This position is based at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Brno Technology Center, one of the company’s largest global engineering and manufacturing sites. Brno is recognized as a global hub for electron microscopy, where world-class electron microscopes and spectrometers are designed, developed, and manufactured for customers across the life sciences, semiconductor, materials science, and industrial markets.

The site brings together more than 1,500 experts across R&D, manufacturing engineering, electronics, software, sourcing, and operations, creating a highly collaborative environment focused on innovation, continuous improvement, and solving complex scientific and engineering challenges.

What You Will Do

Serve as a senior technical authority for PCBA manufacturing, electronics supply chain, value engineering, and Design for Excellence (DfX), influencing decisions across multiple products and businesses.
Develop and drive a multi-year portfolio of technical initiatives focused on VAVE, cost productivity, supply chain resilience, design standardization, and platform optimization.
Lead complex VAVE programs and workshops, partnering with Engineering, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Quality, and business leadership to deliver measurable and sustained business results.
Partner with EMS Category Management on supplier strategy, technical RFQ evaluations, supplier selection, manufacturing capability assessments, and strategic sourcing decisions.
Lead PCBA redesign, component and platform standardization, supplier manufacturing and test optimization, and mitigation of component obsolescence and supply risks.
Influence new product and sustaining engineering teams to incorporate DfX, lifecycle management, manufacturability, cost optimization, and supply resilience into product decisions.
Develop and evaluate business cases for major technical initiatives, including financial impact, NPV, ROI, implementation risk, and technical trade-offs.
Establish engineering methodologies, standards, and best practices that enable scalable VAVE, cost optimization, and supply chain improvement across businesses.
Partner strategically with the India Engineering Center and other global engineering teams to accelerate execution and expand technical capability.
Lead complex cross-functional problem solving and communicate technical recommendations, business opportunities, risks, and trade-offs to senior stakeholders.
Champion Practical Process Improvement (PPI), Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to deliver sustained operational and engineering improvements.
Mentor engineers and technical professionals through technical coaching, design guidance, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving support without direct people-management responsibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or another relevant technical discipline.
8+ years of progressive experience in electronics, PCBA manufacturing or design, product engineering, manufacturing engineering, value engineering, or a related technical environment.
Demonstrated success leading complex technical initiatives across multiple functions, products, sites, suppliers, or businesses.
Strong technical knowledge of PCBA manufacturing, electronics design, component technologies, and electronics supply chains.
Demonstrated ability to operate independently, establish technical direction, and influence senior stakeholders within a global matrix organization.
Experience developing business cases and translating technical opportunities into measurable financial outcomes, including NPV and ROI.
Experience with supplier technical assessments, RFQs, spend analysis, supplier engagement, and technical-commercial decision making.
Strong analytical, communication, stakeholder-management, negotiation, and structured problem-solving skills.
Practical application of Lean, Six Sigma, PPI, or equivalent continuous-improvement methodologies.
Demonstrated ability to mentor technical professionals and build engineering capability beyond individual project responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced PCBA manufacturing, design, and DfX knowledge, including DFM, DFA, DFT, and design-to-cost.
Experience developing electronics or PCBA standardization, sourcing, or value-engineering strategies across multiple product platforms.
Background in electrical component engineering, electromechanical design, power management, electrical systems, or controls.
Experience working with global procurement organizations and Tier 1 or Tier 2 EMS suppliers.
Experience with component lifecycle management, obsolescence mitigation, and alternate-component qualification.
eCAD layout and component-management experience using industry-standard tools.
Knowledge of phase-gate product development and PLM engineering-change processes.
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
Master’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Business Administration, or a related field.