Manufacturing Engineer – Process & Materials

Manufacturing Engineer – Process & Materials (Palo Alto, CA)

Location:

Palo Alto, CA

Pay: $80K to $110K annual salary depending on experience and leveling

We’re looking for a hands‑on Manufacturing Engineer with approximately 3+ years of experience who enjoys solving problems where materials, processes, and production meet. This role puts you directly on the production floor, troubleshooting real manufacturing problems, improving processes, and working with production and engineering teams to make specialized products better.

At Microwave Power Products (MPP), you’ll work with metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, joining processes, coatings, machining, and mechanical assemblies while partnering directly with production teams to understand why problems occur and how to prevent them.

This is not a role where you’ll spend most of your time behind a desk. Approximately 75% of the role supports production and 25% focuses on process improvement and engineering projects.

• Work directly on the production floor solving manufacturing problems at the source
• Troubleshoot issues involving materials, processes, tooling, fixtures, documentation, training, and mechanical assemblies
• Apply engineering fundamentals to metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other specialized materials
• Support specialized manufacturing processes including brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and precision assembly
• Take problems from failure → root cause → corrective action → improved process
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and suppliers
• See your engineering work directly improve quality, yield, productivity, and process capability

We’re hiring at the Engineer I or Engineer II level, with the Engineer II profile generally aligning with candidates who have approximately 3+ years of applicable hands‑on experience. Exceptional early‑career candidates with strong hands‑on manufacturing experience may be considered at Engineer I.

• Early‑career engineer with a B.S. in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Relevant hands‑on experience through internships, school projects, research, manufacturing, robotics, or similar technical work
• Strong mechanical aptitude and demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and solve technical problems
• Interest in manufacturing processes, materials, and continuous improvement

• Approximately 3+ years of applicable manufacturing, process, materials, or mechanical engineering experience
• Hands‑on experience supporting production, troubleshooting manufacturing issues, or improving processes
• Experience with root cause analysis, process characterization, corrective action, manufacturing documentation, or related activities
• Ability to independently manage projects and work cross‑functionally with Production, Engineering, Quality, and suppliers

Experience with brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, metallurgy, failure analysis, or other specialized manufacturing processes is highly beneficial.

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR). Access to certain controlled information may be limited to individuals who qualify as “U.S. persons” (generally U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals). Non‑U.S. persons may still apply; however, eligibility for access to controlled information may require U.S. government authorization.

MPP is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and is a global manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems focused primarily on communications and defense markets. With a heritage of technological excellence that spans decades, MPP develops, manufactures and globally distributes innovative and reliable technology solutions used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for commercial and military applications. MPP serves customers in the communications, defense, medical, industrial and scientific markets.

This is a hands‑on manufacturing engineering role supporting…