Principal Manufacturing Engineer

A leading aerospace and defense manufacturer is seeking a hands‑on Principal Manufacturing Engineer to lead manufacturing and process engineering in a build‑to‑print, AS9100 production environment. This is a floor‑facing, execution‑focused leadership role for an engineer who enjoys standing up and standardizing manufacturing processes — not a strategic, corporate, or multi‑site oversight role.

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, the Principal Manufacturing Engineer owns day‑to‑day technical execution across CNC machining, metallic forming, tooling, and production engineering. The right person thrives close to the floor — establishing process controls, standardizing work, and improving manufacturability within a streamlined Lean / AS9100 operation. The role carries hands‑on exposure to capital equipment planning and CNC programming, partnering with programmers, operations, and quality to keep build‑to‑print production stable, repeatable, on‑spec, and on schedule.

• Lead hands‑on manufacturing and process engineering for build‑to‑print production across CNC machining, metallic forming, and tooling.
• Stand up, document, and standardize manufacturing processes, work instructions, routings, and process controls in an AS9100 / Lean environment.
• Drive process stability and continuous improvement — cycle time, repeatability, setup reduction, yield, and manufacturability.
• Support spin forming, bump forming, brake forming, and large structural metallic operations with sound process and tooling decisions.
• Collaborate technically with CNC programmers on tool paths, speeds/feeds, and cycle time — programming exposure, not necessarily writing code.
• Support tooling and fixture strategy, process validation, and distortion / quality control for complex metallic components.
• Contribute to capital equipment planning — justification, selection, and implementation of new machines and capability.
• Partner day‑to‑day with Operations, Quality, and Manufacturing Engineering to execute to drawing, spec, schedule, and cost.
• Mentor and develop engineers and programmers; manage workload, priorities, and performance across the team.
• Maintain AS9100 process discipline and support ERP / MRP accuracy and manufacturing data integrity.

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or a related engineering field.
• 8+ years in aerospace, defense, or precision metallic manufacturing within a build‑to‑print production environment.
• 3–5+ years of engineering leadership / management with direct reports.
• Hands‑on expertise in CNC machining and metallic forming; proven ability to stand up and standardize manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of CNC programming and CAD/CAM (Mastercam, CATIA, NX, or similar) — able to engage programmers at a technical level.
• Experience operating in an AS9100 and Lean / continuous‑improvement environment.
• Exposure to capital equipment planning, justification, and implementation.
• U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance.

• Direct spin forming, bump forming, or brake forming experience.
• Background with large aluminum or titanium structural components.
• Lean Six Sigma or structured continuous‑improvement certification.
• Experience supporting missile, launch vehicle, or hypersonic build‑to‑print programs.