Engineering Manager

Firecrest Aerospace is a U.S. aerospace propulsion company headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, with manufacturing operations being established in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As a subsidiary of CSE USA, Inc., a member of CSG Group, Firecrest develops and manufactures advanced micro turbojet and turbofan engines for defense, aerospace, and other high-performance applications, supporting U.S. government, allied, and commercial customers.

The company is investing approximately $15 million to establish its initial U.S. manufacturing facility in Stevens Point, where it expects to create approximately 125 high-skilled manufacturing, engineering, and technical positions. As Firecrest expands from engine assembly, integration, and testing into full-scale manufacturing, engineering, and advanced product development, it is helping strengthen the U.S. aerospace and defense industrial base while advancing next-generation propulsion technologies.

At Firecrest Aerospace, you will have the opportunity to work alongside a growing team committed to engineering excellence, innovation, and mission success. Whether your expertise is in manufacturing, engineering, quality, operations, or business functions, you will play a direct role in building advanced propulsion systems that support critical national security and aerospace missions.

Position Summary

The Engineering Manager is responsible for establishing and scaling engineering support for a small turbine engine assembly and test facility. This role begins as an individual contributor reporting to a remote VP of Operations, working in close coordination with the Operations Manager and Quality Manager to stand up the technical and process foundation of the site.

In Phase 1, the Engineering Manager will work in tight coordination with the Quality Manager and Operations Manager operate hands-on, resolving design-for-manufacturing gaps, stabilizing inherited product definitions, and supporting early builds.

As the organization transitions into production (Phases 2 and
3), the role evolves into a leadership position reporting to the on-site Plant Manager, leading a small team of manufacturing and propulsion engineers.

This role is central to enabling production scale from New Product Introduction (NPI) through full-rate production by systematically eliminating variability, resolving failure modes, and improving first pass yield prior to increasing throughput and takt time.

Organizational Scaling & Engineering Ownership

Phase 1:
Site Startup & NPI (Individual Contributor reporting to VP of Propulsion Operations)

Stabilize Product & Process Definition

• Partner with Operations and Quality to co-develop foundational assembly and test processes
• Analyze and “wring out” variability from inherited technical data, including:
• Drawings and specifications from external/legacy sources
• Assembly procedures and work instructions
• Test procedures and acceptance criteria
• Identify gaps in tolerances, stack-ups, and unclear requirements impacting build consistency
• Critical-to-quality (CTQ) identification
• Early tolerance analysis and risk assessment
• Support early engine builds, troubleshooting issues in:
• Assembly processes
• In-process testing
• Rotor balancing and mechanical integrity
• Final acceptance test anomalies
• Begin development of fault trees for known and emerging failure modes
• Participate in and help facilitate:
• Design FMEAs (DFMEA) with design authority
• Process FMEAs (PFMEA) with Operations
• Support structured problem-solving using 8D Problem Solving when appropriate
• Support Operations’ technician training on assembly/test intent, procedures, and known failure modes

Phase 2: NPI → Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) (Functional Manager reporting to Plant Manager)

Improve First Pass Yield (FPY)

• Hire and lead:
• One Manufacturing Engineer
• One Propulsion Engineer
• Mature and deploy variation management processes established in Phase 1:
• Refine tolerances and reduce ambiguity in drawings and specs
• Standardize and validate assembly and test procedures
• Align engineering outputs with quality control plans and inspection methods
• Lead technical troubleshooting to eliminate repeat failure modes across:
• Assembly defects
• In-proc…