Aviation Electronic Micro/Miniature Component and Cable Repair Technician

The new hands in the IMA shop. You're learning the bench, not the flight line — your world is solder, test equipment, and circuit cards, not aircraft.

Follow work orders to inspect, test, and repair printed circuit boards, cable assemblies, and LRUs removed from aircraft. You run continuity checks, solder component-level repairs under magnification, and document everything in NALCOMIS. ESD discipline is drilled into you from day one — every movement at the bench requires a grounded wrist strap and anti-static mat. Senior techs walk you through J-STD-001 Class 3 soldering standards and IPC-A-610 inspection criteria. You touch the hot iron but seniors verify the joint.

• 01ESD handling procedures, J-STD-001 soldering basics, multimeter and oscilloscope operation, technical manual navigation, NALCOMIS work order entry, connector disassembly and inspection

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2 (NAMP), J-STD-001 Class 3, IPC-A-610, applicable MIM/MRC cards for assigned equipment

• —Every solder joint meets J-STD-001 Class 3 — no cold joints, no bridges, no lifted pads. ESD protocol followed 100% of the time. Work documented accurately in NALCOMIS before the card leaves the bench.

• —Skipping ESD grounding because "it'll be fine just this once" — it won't. Rushing a solder reflow and creating a cold joint that passes visual but fails under vibration. Not reading the MRC card all the way through before starting a repair.

A junior 6423 who asks questions before touching expensive components, not after. Someone who keeps a clean, organized bench — tools staged, ESD mats properly grounded, no mystery parts sitting in unlabeled cups. When the oscilloscope shows something unexpected, they flag it immediately rather than hoping it resolves itself.

You've logged enough bench time to work independently on most repair actions and you're starting to train the junior Marines behind you.

Execute component-level repairs on PCBs and cable assemblies with minimal supervision. You use automated test equipment (ATE) to fault-isolate LRUs, interpret fault codes against technical manuals, and determine whether a component is repairable or needs to be condemned. You're the one juniors watch when they need to see a proper solder joint made under magnification. You also start running calibration checks on shop test equipment and logging discrepancies in the metrology tracking system.

• 01ATE fault isolation, component-level soldering (SMT and through-hole), IPC-A-610 inspection to Class 3, technical manual interpretation, metrology program basics, junior Marine mentorship

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2, J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, ATE operator manuals, applicable MIMs and IPBs for assigned weapon systems

• —Repairs completed to Class 3 workmanship with zero rework required after QA inspection. ATE test runs documented completely. Calibration due dates tracked and no overdue equipment on your watch.

• —Substituting a "close enough" component when the exact NSN part isn't in stock — never acceptable. Signing off an inspection on a cable you didn't actually pull and flex-test. Letting a junior Marine work unsupervised on a repair they haven't been signed off on yet.

A Cpl who can walk a junior through a solder repair without touching the iron — describing exactly what they're looking for in the joint, catching the mistake before the component is damaged. Someone who knows which LRUs the shop struggles with and has already read ahead in the tech manual to understand why.

Work center workhorse and junior enlisted anchor. You know the equipment well enough to troubleshoot outside the fault tree and you're running production flow when the SSgt is busy.

Lead a team of junior techs through complex repair actions, interpreting ambiguous fault codes and making repair/condemn decisions on borderline components. You manage daily production priorities — what gets worked first, what gets expedited for an AOG aircraft, what needs a supply order opened. You run the ESD program and J-STD certification tracking for the shop, ensuring everyone's qualifications are current. When the ATE spits out a result that doesn't match the symptom, you're the one who goes off-script into the schematic to find the real fault.

• 01Schematic interpretation and off-tree troubleshooting, production queue management, ESD/J-STD certification tracking, AOG prioritization, HAZMAT program basics, supply coordination for repair parts

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2, applicable MIMs/TMs/schematics, J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, MILSTRIP supply procedures

• —Work center production meets tasking requirements with zero QA rejects attributable to workmanship. Certification records kept current. AOG cards escalated immediately and tracked to closure.

• —Taking the ATE result as gospel when the symptom history doesn't support it — ATE can be wrong, especially with aging test fixtures. Letting certification lapses slide because the qualification is "basically the same as the last one." Promising an AOG turnaround time you can't actually make.

A Sgt who has the shop's top-ten recurring fault codes memorized and has already cross-referenced them against the latest technical directives to see if there's a known fix. Someone who treats an ambiguous ATE result as the start of real troubleshooting, not an excuse to condemn a $40,000 card that might be fine.

Work center supervisor. You own production output, quality assurance, and the professional development of every Marine on the shop floor.

Run the IMA work center as a functioning production shop. You assign work, supervise complex and high-value repairs, sign off QA on critical items, and interface with the Production Control officer on throughput and backlog. You manage the shop's calibration program — tracking all TMDE (Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment) due dates, coordinating with the calibration lab, and ensuring no overdue equipment is in service. You own HAZMAT compliance for the shop (solvents, flux, cleaning agents) and sit in on HAZMAT audits. You're also writing your Sgts' fitness reports and ensuring junior Marines are in school pipelines.

• 01Work center production management, QA authority for Class 3 workmanship, TMDE/calibration program management, HAZMAT coordinator duties, NALCOMIS work order audit, personnel management and evaluations

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2, MCO 4790.2, applicable QA SOP, TMDE calibration program directives, HAZMAT regulations

• —Work center meets or exceeds tasking with zero QA escapes. TMDE calibration 100% current. HAZMAT locker compliant at all times. Junior Marines' training and qualification records accurate and up to date.

• —Letting production pressure push a marginal repair out the door because you need the card count. Signing a QA inspection you didn't physically perform because the Sgt told you it looked good. Letting TMDE go overdue because scheduling the calibration lab appointment is annoying.

An SSgt who runs a shop where QA rejects are genuinely rare because the standards are enforced at the bench, not caught at final inspection. Someone who knows every piece of TMDE in the shop by serial number and calibration interval and treats an overdue sticker as a shop emergency, not a paperwork problem.

Division-level technical authority and senior enlisted advisor on all things bench repair and avionics IMA production.

Oversee multiple work centers within the IMA avionics division, integrating production output across shops and escalating systemic equipment or supply issues to the MO and Production Control. You're the senior technical voice when a repair action is truly outside the capability of the shop — you make the BCM (Beyond Capability of Maintenance) call and write the justification. You drive the training and qualification pipeline for the division, identifying gaps, coordinating school seats, and mentoring SSgts on work center management. You interface with OEMs and technical representatives when field service is required and represent the division in maintenance meetings.

• 01Multi-shop production integration, BCM determination and documentation, school seat coordination, OEM/tech rep interface, NAMP compliance auditing, senior enlisted mentorship, maintenance meeting representation

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2, applicable depot-level maintenance directives, BCM procedures, training and qualification matrices

• —Division production supports wing readiness requirements. BCM determinations are accurate, documented, and not used as an escape valve for difficult repairs. Training pipeline is continuous — no Marine waiting on qualifications due to administrative failure.

• —BCM'ing a card because no one in the shop has worked one before instead of finding a tech rep or reaching out to the depot for guidance. Allowing school seat competition between shops to become a leadership problem instead of coordinating fairly. Losing visibility of work center TMDE programs because you're focused on the big picture.

A GySgt who has read the depot's known-deficiency list for every major LRU the division works and has briefed that list to the SSgts so nobody discovers a known issue through an expensive failed repair. Someone whose BCM rate is low not because standards are loose, but because the shops are well-trained and resourced.

Senior enlisted leader for avionics maintenance at the MAG or wing level. You're shaping policy, managing resources, and developing the next generation of 6423 leaders.

At MSgt/MGySgt: serve as the senior technical advisor for IMA avionics across the command, directing maintenance policy, driving NAMP compliance, and representing the enlisted maintenance force to the commanding officer and wing staff. You brief readiness, identify systemic equipment problems that require depot or OEM escalation, and coordinate with NAVAIR on technical directive implementation. At 1stSgt/SgtMaj: you own the welfare, discipline, and professional development of the entire enlisted force in the maintenance command — from junior Marines in the IMA shop to SSgts running work centers. You're the senior voice in command climate and the last line of mentorship before Marines become senior NCOs themselves.

• 01Command-level readiness reporting, NAMP program oversight, NAVAIR/depot coordination, technical directive compliance, senior enlisted leadership, command climate stewardship, congressional/IG response support

• —COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2, MCO 4790 series, applicable NAVAIRINST directives, MAG/wing SOPs, UCMJ

• —The command's IMA avionics mission capability rates are defensible and accurate. NAMP compliance is genuine, not performed for inspections. Every 6423 in the command knows their job, has current qualifications, and has a senior NCO invested in their career.

• —Optimizing readiness numbers for the brief rather than actual capability. Allowing a culture where BCM is used to protect production metrics instead of being a genuine capability determination. Losing touch with the bench because the schedule is full of meetings — if you can't walk the shop floor and ask a junior Marine a technical question and get a good answer, something is wrong.

A senior enlisted leader who can still read a schematic and knows it — not because they need to solve every fault, but because their credibility on the shop floor is built on genuine expertise, not rank. Someone who treats a high BCM rate as a readiness problem requiring investigation, not an acceptable cost of doing business. The Marine every 6423 in the command knows by name and knows has their back.