Composite Manufacturing Engineer

Our client is seeking an experienced Composite Manufacturing Engineer with a strong background in composite materials, production processes and Department of Defense program requirements to join our team.

• Develop, optimize, and maintain manufacturing processes for composite structural components and assemblies, including hand layup, resin infusion, RTM, autoclave curing, and out-of-autoclave processes.
• Design, develop, and validate composite tooling, fixtures, templates, and assembly aids to support efficient manufacturing.
• Create and maintain manufacturing plans, work instructions, routers, process specifications, and standard operating procedures in accordance with customer, DoD, and company requirements.
• Develop and qualify composite materials, manufacturing processes, and tooling in compliance with MIL-STDs, aerospace OEM specifications, and program requirements.
• Develop layup, bonding, trimming, machining, drilling, curing, and assembly processes for composite structures.
• Evaluate engineering drawings, CAD models, and technical specifications to ensure manufacturability and support Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) initiatives.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Program Management, suppliers, and customers to support product development, production readiness, and process improvements.
• Lead root cause investigations and implement corrective actions for manufacturing issues, quality concerns, discrepancies, and nonconforming material.
• Support Material Review Board (MRB), First Article Inspection (FAI), process qualification, production readiness, and Engineering Change Order (ECO) implementation activities.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, cost reduction, manufacturability, and production efficiency.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting composite materials in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Strong knowledge of composite manufacturing processes, including prepreg processing, hand layup, vacuum bagging, resin infusion, autoclave curing, out-of-autoclave curing, adhesive bonding, trimming, machining, and composite assembly.
• Experience using CAD software such as Siemens NX, CATIA, Solid Works, or similar.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), MIL-SPECs, technical specifications, process standards, and ply books.
• Experience with manufacturing process development, tooling design, process validation, and production documentation.
• Knowledge of quality engineering principles, including FMEA, Statistical Process Control (SPC), root cause analysis, corrective actions, and failure analysis.
• Strong analytical, technical problem-solving, communication, and project management skills.
• Experience working in cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), military aerospace, or defense prime contractor programs.
• Experience supporting low-rate initial production (LRIP) and/or full-rate production environments.
• Experience with aerospace customer specifications such as Boeing BAC, Airbus AIPS, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX (Raytheon), or similar.
• Knowledge of AS9100 Quality Management Systems, NADCAP special processes, and AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI).

The salary range is $100,000-$200,000.

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