Smt Manager Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Join a fast-scaling aerospace startup and set the standard for excellence.

Company Overview

Allocor.tech designs and manufactures mission-critical power electronics and avionics including motor controllers, battery management systems, power distribution, flight control, and flight termination systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS/UAM) and unmanned maritime platforms. Our customers are leaders in advanced air mobility, uncrewed aircraft, and electric watercraft. The team brings deep experience from organizations including Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Sierra Space, and Aurora Flight Sciences.

We are a team of approximately 35 people generating roughly $10M in annual revenue. We recently closed a $6.0M Series A and are projecting 100–200% revenue growth over the next year as we scale production, expand our customer base, and professionalize the business beyond its engineering-led roots. This is a pivotal moment: we are building the technical depth and process rigor required to support rapid, disciplined growth while protecting the speed and agility that got us here.

Role Summary

The Senior Engineering Technician will own the critical bridge between hands-on manufacturing and assembly excellence and mechanical design, product architecture, analysis, and manufacturing support. This is a high-impact role for a supply chain and technical professional who thrives in a fast-moving aerospace environment and wants real ownership of building flight hardware while shaping the designs that go into production. You will act as a true partner to engineering—driving final assembly quality, applying DFM/DFA discipline, maintaining the product digital twin, and ensuring hardware is ready for both R&D and production scale-up.

Key Responsibilities

Assembly, Fabrication & Hands-On Support

• Own final electrical and mechanical assembly of products: soldering connectors and large components, rework of fuse and jumper resistor components, applying staking compound, and fastening assemblies together.
• Fabricate test and demonstration harnessing and support the engineering team with PCB rework and experimentation.
• Assemble hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test racks and support integration and quality testing of subassemblies.

Mechanical Design, Architecture & Analysis

• Design and architect assemblies for new product development and continuous improvement of existing products; produce and maintain system architecture diagrams throughout the design cycle.
• Build SolidWorks assemblies, vendor drawings, BOMs, and prototypes. Design sheet metal and machined enclosures, ventilation systems, and structural mounts.
• Specify mechanical, electromechanical, optical, fluidic, and pneumatic components. Conduct Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews on new designs.
• Calculate heat loads and size airflow, cold plates, thermoelectric coolers (TECs), and chillers. Perform linear static structural simulation. Verify thermal performance using thermocouples and IR thermography.

Change Control, PLM, Vendor & Manufacturing Support

• Maintain the product digital twin in MRP/PLM systems; release new products; draft and execute Engineering Change Orders (ECOs).
• Serve as technical point of contact for machine shops and sheet metal fabricators. Issue technical data packages and perform first article inspection (FAI) and first-build testing.
• Author and maintain assembly documentation and renderings. Support integration and QC. Travel for tool installations, field service, and refits as required.

Regulatory & Safety

• Conduct standards and compliance reviews across applicable requirements (e.g., CE Machinery Directive and EMC, NFPA 79, IEC, ISO, SEMI, and ASME).
• Identify applicable requirements, drive resulting design changes, author safety system requirements and reports, and perform risk assessments.

Qualifications Required

• Able to inspect PCBs to IPC-A-610 Class 2 or better and perform installation and rework of thru-hole and fine-pitch SMT components to IPC Class 2 in a lead-free process (IPC J-STD-001, IPC 7711, or equivalent).
• Extensive experience with PCBs and mechanical assemblies combined with strong hands-on mechanical aptitude and the ability to interpret schematics, drawings, and technical data packages.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks (parts, assemblies, drawings, BOMs) or equivalent 3D CAD; ability to produce production-ready documentation.
• Experience applying DFM/DFA principles and supporting design reviews.
• Familiarity with product lifecycle management (PLM/MRP), ECO processes, and configuration control.
• Able to follow acceptance test plans and perform troubleshooting with assistance from the engineering team.

Preferred

• Able to read a schematic and help design verification plans and acceptance test plans (or diagnose simple issues with boards).
• Experience with thermal analysis, heat load calculations, and basic structural FEA (SolidWorks Simulation or equivalent).
• Prior experience serving as technical liaison to fabrication vendors and performing first article inspections.
• Familiarity with relevant regulatory and safety standards (aerospace, machinery, EMC, or similar) and risk assessment methods.
• Experience organizing formal QA procedures or working in an organization with an established QA department.
• Aspiration to grow skills into production management, team leadership, or broader procurement/organizational responsibilities.

Key Attributes

• Strategic partner who protects schedule, quality, and engineering bandwidth rather than simply executing builds.
• Comfortable operating in a small, agile team with short decision cycles and real flight hardware.
• Detail-oriented with high standards for documentation, configuration control, and first-pass quality.
• Collaborative communicator who earns the trust of engineering and leadership.
• Excited by the opportunity to help professionalize processes and documentation as the company scales production.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

• On-time delivery of final assemblies, harnesses, and HIL racks with high first-pass yield becomes the norm.
• New and existing products have robust SolidWorks assemblies, BOMs, architecture diagrams, and production-ready documentation.
• DFM/DFA input measurably reduces assembly time and rework on new designs.
• The product digital twin and ECO process are clean, current, and trusted by engineering and production.
• Vendor first-article and technical data packages are handled professionally and on schedule.
• Engineering teams view you as a force-multiplier who shortens the path from design to reliable hardware.

This position may require prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, computer work, and occasional exposure to moderate levels of noise, dust, and fumes in production and lab areas. Occasional travel for tool installations, field service, or customer support may be required. Primary work location is on-site in the Waynesboro / Crozet, Virginia area.

Compensation & Benefits

Level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. Base salary is just one component of our total rewards package. Employees may receive equity opportunities and/or cash bonus, and have access to a robust benefits package including: top tier medical HMO, PPO & a 100% company-sponsored HSA plan option, dental and vision coverage, unlimited PTO, 11 paid holidays per year, flexible spending and dependent care savings accounts, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, and access to a 401(k) retirement plan with company match. Eligibility for benefits may vary based on employment status; please check with your recruiter for a comprehensive list of the benefits available for this role. Benefit programs are subject to change at the company’s discretion.

Important Information

FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING TO WORK IN US OFFICES ONLY: To conform to U.S. Government technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Allocor.tech employees must be a U.S. citizen, lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable.

Allocor.tech provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment at Allocor.tech, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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We review applications on a rolling basis and move quickly for strong fits.