---
title: 'SMT Technician at Northwood Space'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/smt-technician-northwood-space-torrance-4jy88ym8ez5s'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-05'
---

# SMT Technician at Northwood Space

- **Company:** Northwood Space
- **Location:** Torrance, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-11-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/northwoodspace/0fd8099c-020d-409b-88ef-15e56924487d

## Job description

About Northwood: Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.

Role: We are seeking a Surface-Mount Technology (SMT) Technician to own the setup, programming, and performance of our surface mount line across production and new product introduction (NPI) builds. This role is critical to delivering high-reliability electronics on schedule and at scale, with direct impact on our ability to deploy next-generation space communication systems. You will keep print, placement, reflow, and inspection equipment running at peak performance, catch defects before they move downstream, and work closely with Engineering to turn new designs into repeatable, high-yield builds.

## Responsibilities

- Set up and operate SMT equipment, including screen printers, pick-and-place, reflow ovens, SPI, AOI, and X-ray, including feeder setup, component verification, and changeovers per work instructions
- Create, debug, and optimize programs for pick-and-place, screen printer, SPI, AOI, and X-ray equipment
- Configure and tune process parameters such as nozzles, conveyor speeds, print settings, and reflow profiles
- Perform preventive maintenance, cleaning, calibration, and repairs, and partner with Engineering to diagnose and resolve equipment issues
- Inspect solder quality using microscopes, AOI, and X-ray to IPC-A-610 standards, documenting defects and root causes
- Support production and NPI builds, assist technicians and Engineering with technical issues, and drive continuous improvement of SOPs and processes

## Basic Qualifications

- High school diploma or equivalent
- 5+ years of experience in SMT electronics manufacturing
- Hands-on experience operating and setting up SMT equipment (screen printer, pick-and-place, reflow, and inspection)
- Experience programming or editing programs on SMT placement or inspection equipment
- Experience building to travelers, BOMs, work instructions, and assembly drawings

## Preferred Qualifications

- Familiar with IPC-A-610 and/or J-STD-001
- Experience with Fuji placement, Heller reflow, and Nordson CyberOptics SPI/AOI equipment
- Experience in high-reliability, aerospace, or IPC Class 3 electronics manufacturing
- Experience with fine-pitch and BGA components, including X-ray inspection of hidden solder joints

Additional Requirements

- This role requires being on-site 5 days per week
- Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Must be able to lift and carry up to 25 lbs. unassisted
- Repetitive assembly operations, grasping, standing, lifting, bending, pulling, pushing, stooping, stretching, and carrying are generally required to perform the functions of this position

Additional Information: If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., 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.

Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

## About Northwood Space

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Building a global ground network for the future of space communications — delivering vertically integrated hardware, software, and shared infrastructure that lets space missions go from concept to live data delivery in months instead of years.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, raised $100M in January 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States (additional offices in Torrance, CA; Washington, D.C.; with presence in the United Kingdom and India)
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Bridgit Mendler (CEO, Cofounder), Griffin Cleverly (Co-Founder, CTO), Shaurya Luthra (Co-Founder, Head of Digital)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing; Space-to-ground infrastructure; Satellite communications.
- **Target customers**: B2B and B2G — commercial satellite operators, government agencies (e.g., U.S. Space Force), and defense customers.
- **Mission**: “Take space missions further, faster” by building resilient, cloud-like ground infrastructure for the next century of space operations.

## Products & Services
- **Hardware (Antennas built for scale)** : Phased-array antenna systems designed for volume manufacturing and rapid deployment (hours, not months).
- **Network (Shared infrastructure)** : A horizontally scalable, dynamic capacity provisioning network that eliminates single points of failure and works across multiple orbits and frequency bands.
- **Software (Orchestration intelligence)** : The intelligence layer that schedules contacts, routes data, and manages the entire ground network — enabling on-demand capacity without traditional procurement cycles.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding raised — **$136.4M** across four rounds (Grant $100K in 2023, Seed $6.3M in 2024, Series A $30M in 2025, Series B $100M in 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz (led Seed, Series A, and Series B), Founders Fund (Seed), Washington Harbour Partners (led Series B and a prior round). Strategic partners include government agencies and commercial launch providers.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew **117.6% YoY** to 65 employees (as of mid-2026).
  - 48 active job postings (+140% YoY increase).
  - Successfully tested next-generation phased array antennas.
  - Won a U.S. Space Force contract (mentioned in news snippets).
  - Expanded to three U.S. offices and international presence (UK, India).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertically integrated ground stack** — from antenna hardware to network orchestration software — collapses deployment timelines from years to months/days.
- **Hardware that deploys in hours** and scales like cloud computing, avoiding traditional multi-year procurement cycles.
- **Resilient, shared infrastructure** designed for multiple orbits and frequency bands, reducing single points of failure.
- **Strong talent pipeline** from SpaceX, Anduril, Tesla, Palantir, and other top aerospace/defense firms.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale the global ground network** by deploying more sites and increasing capacity for both government and commercial customers.
- **Volume manufacturing** of antenna systems to meet surging demand.
- **Deepen partnerships** with defense and intelligence agencies (National Security Space) and commercial satellite operators.
- **Continue hiring aggressively** across engineering, operations, site management, and business development.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values include humility, bias to action, autonomy, and exceptionalism. Teams are trusted to own their work and make decisions.
- **Impact**: Work is deployed globally — antennas built in Torrance, software orchestrated from LA, sites stood up worldwide.
- **Benefits**: Competitive salary, meaningful equity, comprehensive medical/dental/vision, employer-sponsored 401(k), paid parental leave, commuter benefits, sponsored clubs and quarterly events.
- **Work Model**: Likely on-site for hardware roles (Torrance, El Segundo, Washington D.C.); some software roles may offer flexibility. Two main office hubs: Los Angeles (HQ) and Washington D.C.
- **Engineering culture**: Fast iteration, real-world deployment, cross-functional collaboration. “If you like building quickly and seeing your work deployed in locations around the globe, we want you at Northwood.”

## Sources
1. [northwoodspace.io](https://www.northwoodspace.io/)
2. [northwoodspace.io/about-us](https://www.northwoodspace.io/about-us)
3. [northwoodspace.io/careers](https://www.northwoodspace.io/careers)
4. [LinkedIn – Northwood](https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwood-space)
5. [Crunchbase – Northwood Space](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/northwood-space)

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