Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. CATIA/NX, MES systems, SPC software, composite layup and cure references, machining and joining standards, lean methods, PFMEA
About the role
You will join the manufacturing engineering team of an aerospace company responsible for turning flight designs into hardware built right the first time. The team owns process planning, tooling, and production support for airframe, propulsion, or avionics hardware. This role matters because aerospace manufacturing tolerances are unforgiving and volumes are low: your processes determine whether each unique assembly meets its engineering requirements without costly rework or scrap. You will be the bridge between design intent and factory reality, translating engineering drawings into processes that produce conforming hardware repeatedly and affordably. Your days will split between the production floor, troubleshooting the problems that stop the line, and your desk, where you will design tooling, write work instructions, and analyze process data. You will develop deep respect for the people who build the hardware, learning from technicians whose hands-on knowledge often exceeds what any drawing captures. Your process improvements will be measured in hard numbers: scrap rates, rework hours, first-pass yield, and cycle time, because in manufacturing, opinion loses to data every time.
What you will achieve
- Deliver manufacturing plans for flight hardware achieving first-pass yield above 95 percent on new product introductions
- Cut nonconformance rates by 30 percent through process controls, error-proofing, and operator work instructions
- Own PFMEA and process validation for your operations with critical characteristics controlled and capable
- Drive tooling design: jigs, fixtures, and composite tooling that hold aerospace tolerances across production runs
- Ship production support with MRB dispositions grounded in engineering analysis and corrective actions that stick
- Raise first-pass yield by implementing statistical process controls and root cause corrective actions on the top defect drivers
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 2 to 5 years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, process, or industrial engineering roles
- Strong understanding of aerospace manufacturing processes: machining, sheet metal, composites layup/cure, or precision assembly
- Ability to read complex engineering drawings with GD&T and translate requirements into capable processes
- Familiarity with AS9100 quality systems: FAI (AS9102), nonconformance handling, and corrective action
- Experience with PFMEA, control plans, MSA, and SPC in low-volume, high-complexity production
- Knowledge of special processes: heat treat, NDT, surface treatment, or bonding and their controls
- Structured problem solving on the shop floor with containment and root-cause discipline
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with composite manufacturing: ATL/AFP, autoclave cure, or out-of-autoclave processes
- Knowledge of additive manufacturing for flight hardware and its qualification
- Familiarity with digital manufacturing: model-based definition and digital twins
- Lean/Six Sigma certification
- Lean or Six Sigma certification with demonstrated project results
SpaceX
Boeing
Lockheed Martin
Blue Origin
Northrop Grumman
Rocket Lab