DFA and Mechanical Engineer

Summary

At Celestica, we don’t just manufacture high-complexity technology, we design, engineer, and optimize the hardware powering the future. As a global leader in design, engineering, and manufacturing services, our teams partner with world-changing brands across cloud infrastructure, aerospace, defense, healthtech, and advanced electronics. Located in Richardson, TX, our site offers a collaborative, fast-paced environment where your technical voice directly impacts the physical products shaping tomorrow’s technology landscape.

The DFA and Mechanical Engineer runs the Design for Assembly (DFA) and serviceability screen inside the design phase. This role is responsible for modeling assembly sequences, checking physical access, tool clearances, handling, fastening, routing, and Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) service access before mechanical designs are committed. Operating at the intersection of Mechanical Design, Industrial Design, and Manufacturing Operations, this position acts as the crucial gatekeeper for assembly efficiency and serviceability, while directly supporting trial builds, rack integration, and site mechanical issue resolution.

Note: This position focuses strictly on DFA as a core design property and is not a Site Assembly Engineer or Tooling Designer role.

Detailed Description

• Pre-DFA & Design Screening: Run pre-DFA screens on assigned platforms, model assembly sequences, and evaluate interference, fastening, cable routing, and service access before issuing formal reports prior to design release.

• Sequence & Access Modeling: Model complex physical assembly flows to check access, tool clearance, and handling feasibility across components, sub-assemblies, and chassis.

• Finding Disposition & Tracking: Log DFA findings with severity levels, route issues, and work cross-functionally to achieve disposition and closure alongside mechanical and industrial design teams.

• Build & Site Support: Support trial builds at the assigned site, capturing assembly cycle times, evaluating operator-induced defect modes, and addressing rack integration, thermal, and cold-plate assembly challenges.

• Continuous Improvement: Propose DFA rule changes and design guidelines derived from recurring build findings, fixture feedback, and field service telemetry data.

• Ownership & Performance: Own key deliverables—including pre-DFA reports, assembly sequence models, DFA findings with disposition and closure, and trial build observation reports. Performance is measured on DFA finding closure prior to Design Verification Testing (DVT), actual assembly cycle times versus models, operator-induced defect rates, and FRU service time metrics.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

• Strong technical expertise in Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and serviceability principles for complex electromechanical systems.

• High CAD proficiency (e.g., Creo, SolidWorks) with deep experience modeling assembly sequences, dynamic interference, tool clearance, and physical tolerance stacks.

• Technical familiarity with advanced mechanical packaging, rack integration, cable routing, thermal management, and cold-plate assembly.

• Ability to analyze build metrics, identify operator-induced defect modes, and optimize Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) serviceability.

• Strong cross-functional communication and collaborative problem-solving skills to disposition findings with mechanical engineers, industrial designers, Manufacturing Test Leads (MTLs), site tooling teams, and external suppliers.

Physical Demands

• Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
• Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data. 
• Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Typical Experience

• 4 to 8 years of experience in mechanical engineering, assembly engineering, or New Product Introduction (NPI) with system integration exposure in high-complexity electronics or hardware environments.

Typical Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline.

Educational Requirements may vary by Geography

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.