Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer III / IV

Job Description

This Manufacturing Engineer III/IV role focuses on owning complex, mission-critical hardware from initial planning through final delivery in a high-mix, low-volume defense manufacturing environment. Rather than traditional floor-based process improvement, you will act as a Manufacturing Project / Product / Work-Package Engineer, managing production schedules and line-of-balance, resolving technical and supplier issues, and coordinating across engineering, quality, procurement, program management, and customers to ensure on-time delivery. You will remotely oversee manufacturing execution in partnership with production sites and suppliers, proactively identifying risks and driving issues to resolution while supporting advanced launch and recovery systems. The position offers broad visibility across the organization and clear growth paths into senior project engineering, technical leadership, or program management.

Responsibilities

• Own an assigned hardware scope comprising numerous part numbers and assemblies from initial planning through final delivery, ensuring all work packages meet technical and schedule requirements.
• Develop, implement, and maintain manufacturing methods, operation sequences, and processes for the fabrication of parts, components, sub-assemblies, and final assemblies.
• Track parts and assemblies against production schedules and line-of-balance, monitoring status and performance throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.
• Identify schedule, quality, supplier, procurement, and technical risks and create and execute recovery plans to maintain on-time delivery.
• Investigate, disposition, and justify product, drawing, and specification nonconformances through Material Review Board (MRB) processes.
• Lead manufacturing execution and problem solving by investigating schedule delays, dispositioning nonconforming hardware, and driving root-cause and corrective actions.
• Collaborate closely with design engineering on technical specifications and support design-for-manufacturability to ensure robust, producible designs.
• Coordinate and communicate across manufacturing, design engineering, quality, procurement, suppliers, program management, and customers to align priorities and resolve issues.
• Perform supplier audit and oversight activities and support on-site supplier kickoff meetings to establish plans, schedules, and deliverables for assigned hardware.
• Coordinate engineering changes and change proposals, ensuring accurate and timely updates to manufacturing documentation and government-contracting records.
• Manage and maintain government-contracting documentation associated with assigned hardware scope, adhering to applicable standards and internal processes.
• Report project status regularly, escalate risks when necessary, and support budget reviews with the Control Account Manager and program leadership.
• Support new product development efforts by defining manufacturing processes, identifying risks, and contributing to continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Apply lean manufacturing and process improvement principles to enhance efficiency, quality, and schedule performance across assigned work packages.
• Participate in and support nonconformance reporting (NCR), corrective and preventive action activities, and continuous improvement projects.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a related technical field, preferably Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Electrical engineering.
• Level III: approximately 5+ years of related manufacturing or project engineering experience; Level IV: approximately 9+ years of related manufacturing or project engineering experience, with the ability to substitute equivalent experience for formal education where appropriate.
• Demonstrated technical project or hardware ownership experience, having owned a product, work package, or assembly from planning through delivery.
• Proven ability to track hardware status against production schedules and line-of-balance and to manage complex manufacturing timelines.
• Strong manufacturing engineering background, including developing and maintaining manufacturing methods, operation sequences, and processes for fabrication and assembly.
• Experience in manufacturing execution and problem solving, including investigating schedule delays, dispositioning nonconforming hardware, and leading root-cause and corrective actions.
• Effective cross-functional communication skills, with experience coordinating across manufacturing, design engineering, quality, procurement, suppliers, program management, and customers.
• Experience i