The Senior Manufacturing Engineer plays a critical hands-on role supporting the production floor while leading complex manufacturing, continuous improvement, automation, and NPI-related initiatives. This role provides technical leadership, troubleshooting expertise, and cross‑functional collaboration to ensure efficient, high-quality manufacturing processes. The Senior Manufacturing Engineer is expected to independently lead multiple projects, mentor others through technical guidance, and rapidly apply institutional knowledge to improve manufacturing readiness, throughput, and operational performance.
What You'll Do:
- Own the manufacturing engineering function on the production floor- the first and last call for technical issues, process failures, and escalations that stop or degrade output.
- Drive and close continuous improvement projects with measurable outcomes, cycle time reduction, yield improvement, scrap elimination, and throughput gains tied to real production targets.
- Own the design, creation, and maintenance of work instructions, routers, and standardized work documentation, ensuring they are accurate, current, and built for a production floor.
- Design and optimize workstation layouts, tooling, and fixturing to improve ergonomics, flow, and build repeatability across production lines.
- Lead root cause analysis and structured problem-solving (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa) for chronic production issues with accountability for implementing and sustaining the fix.
- Evaluate and recommend capital equipment investments to support capacity growth, quality improvement, and process automation with business case development and implementation ownership.
- Partner with Engineering, Quality, Production, and Supply Chain to translate customer requirements and program priorities into executable manufacturing plans, especially on high-visibility defense programs.
- Mentor junior manufacturing engineers and technicians, transferring technical knowledge and raising the team’s overall problem-solving capability.
- Identify and advance automation opportunities, from manual process analysis through solution development, justification, and deployment.
- Support customer source inspections, internal audits (AS9100D), and first article activities with technical documentation and floor-level readiness.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of business needs
Must-Haves Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
- Minimum of 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience.
- Proven experience supporting production lines in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience working in technical manufacturing environments (e.g., industrial, aerospace, automotive, and medical manufacturing).
- Ability to read and interpret assembly drawings and electrical schematics.
- Strong proficiency in manufacturing engineering principles and hands-on production support.
- Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office and engineering-related software tools.
- Experience using SolidWorks or other CAD programs.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
- Effective public speaking and presentation skills for cross-functional collaboration.
- Strong organization and project leadership skills.
- Ability to work effectively with technicians, engineers, and production personnel.
- Fluency in English.
- Demonstrated ability to apply learned knowledge quickly in a fast-paced environment.
Bonus Points If You Have:
- Prior experience in aerospace, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing environments is preferred
- Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing principles.
- Bilingual in Spanish or Vietnamese.
Physical Demands & Safety
- Be able to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 50 pounds unassisted. Beyond this, will require the buddy system or a lifting device
- Ability to stay on your feet for prolonged periods and mobility to get around facility without limitations.
- Ability to sit and work at a station for prolonged periods of time without limitation.
- Achieve daily tasks which require repetitive use of hands and other body parts.
- Learn and follow all safety requirements.
- Maintain a clean and orderly work area.
- Report to work; healthy and not affected by alcohol, drugs, or other harmful influences.
- Actively participate in safety improvement activities.
- Report any unsafe practices by coworkers or contractors.
- Immediately report all injuries and other safety incidents.
We are committed to a high-performance culture of ownership, responsibility, and accountability, which will lead to breakthrough results in service for our customers and highly motivated employees.
