Principal Manufacturing Engineer

o   Lead manufacturing engineering activities from product design through production, including design-for-manufacturability (DFM), design-for-assembly (DFA), and production readiness.

o   Develop and optimize manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, work instructions, and production methods for complex aerospace and defense hardware.

o   Evaluate engineering designs for manufacturability, producibility, cost, quality, reliability, and schedule impacts and provide actionable recommendations to design teams.

o   Develop and maintain process plans, manufacturing work instructions, travelers, routings, bills of material (BOMs), and other manufacturing documentation.

o   Lead First Article Inspection (FAI), production qualification, process validation, and engineering verification activities in accordance with AS9100, AS9102, customer, and contractual requirements.

o   Identify and resolve production, manufacturing, and supplier technical issues, including root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.

o   Lead MRB/nonconformance investigations, disposition technical issues, and coordinate corrective actions with Quality, Engineering, Operations, and suppliers.

o   Develop and implement lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, process optimization, and cost-reduction initiatives.

o   Perform capacity, cycle-time, labor, equipment, and facility analyses to support production planning and program growth.

o   Support new product introduction (NPI) and transition of engineering designs into production.

o   Establish and maintain manufacturing readiness and production readiness assessments for new and existing programs.

o   Evaluate and select manufacturing technologies, equipment, materials, processes, and outside suppliers to meet program requirements.

o   Support supplier technical evaluations, source selection, make/buy decisions, and supplier development activities.

o   Develop technical approaches and cost estimates for proposals, ROMs, bids, and new business opportunities.

o   Serve as the primary manufacturing engineering interface with government customers, prime contractors, suppliers, and internal program leadership.

o   Represent the organization in customer technical reviews, design reviews, production meetings, and program status reviews.

o   Communicate technical status, manufacturing readiness, risks, issues, and recovery plans to program leadership and executive management.

o   Support development of technical volumes, statements of work, proposals, basis-of-estimate inputs, and customer presentations.

o   Support program execution by ensuring manufacturing engineering activities are aligned with cost, schedule, technical performance, and contractual requirements.

o   Provide technical leadership during customer audits, source inspections, FAI events, acceptance activities, and production qualification events.

o   Serve as the senior manufacturing engineering authority for assigned programs and provide technical direction to engineers, technicians, and manufacturing personnel.

o   Lead cross-functional teams consisting of Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and external suppliers to resolve complex technical and production challenges.

o   Provide technical mentorship and guidance to manufacturing engineers, junior engineers, and technicians, promoting consistent engineering practices and professional development.

o   Establish and maintain manufacturing engineering standards, processes, and best practices across programs and facilities.

o   Lead design reviews, manufacturing readiness reviews, technical interchange meetings, and production reviews.

o   Translate customer and contractual requirements into practical manufacturing and engineering execution plans.

o   Identify technical, manufacturing, cost, schedule, and supply-chain risks and develop mitigation strategies and recovery plans.

o   Drive technical decisions using data, engineering analysis, production metrics, and risk-based decision making.

o   Coordinate resolution of cross-functional technical issues that span engineering design, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, and operations.

o   Review and approve manufacturing engineering deliverables for technical accuracy, completeness, and compliance.

 Note:  The duties and responsibilities described on this document are not necessarily a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; and the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive engineering and manufacturing experience, preferably within the aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries.
• Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing engineering activities for complex aerospace, defense, or electromechanical systems from development through production.
• Strong proficiency in interpreting and developing engineering drawings, CAD models, mechanical/electrical schematics, specifications, and technical data packages (TDPs).
• Demonstrated experience with Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), process development, tooling, fixtures, work instructions, and production processes.
• Experience with 3D CAD/modeling software, preferably SolidWorks or equivalent.
• Demonstrated experience with configuration management, engineering change control, BOM management, and revision control.
• Experience developing and executing manufacturing plans, process plans, routings, travelers, work instructions, and production documentation.
• Experience supporting First Article Inspection (FAI), production qualification, process validation, and transition from engineering development into production.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, AS9102, ISO 9001, and aerospace/defense quality systems.
• Experience with root-cause analysis, corrective action, nonconformance/MRB disposition, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to perform manufacturing capacity, labor, cost, make/buy, tooling, equipment, and process analyses.
• Experience working directly with customers, suppliers, program management, quality, engineering, and production organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and mentor engineers and technicians.
• Strong understanding of program schedules, technical milestones, risk management, and production readiness.
• Ability to develop and communicate technical presentations, engineering analyses, proposals, estimates, and customer deliverables.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with engineering personnel, production personnel, senior leadership, government customers, and prime contractors.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize multiple projects, and make sound technical and business decisions with limited direction.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance, if required by assigned programs.

• MS Degree in STEM or business-related field
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and digital engineering environments.
• Experience with specific DoD agencies or commands relevant to Albers Aerospace's work (e.g., Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), US Army, US Navy Program Offices).
• Experience in the design and integration of munitions, loitering munitions, fuzing technologies, or other complex aerospace weapon systems.
• Active involvement in industry organizations such as AIAA (e.g., Member, Associate Fellow, Committee involvement).
• Background in All-Up Round (AUR) integration, warhead design, tail kit design, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), or Modeling, Simulation & Analysis (MS&A).
• Direct experience with Hydra 70 rockets and components
• Master’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related discipline.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license or other relevant professional certification.
• Experience supporting U.S. Government acquisition programs, including DoD customers.
• Experience working with MIL-STD, MIL-SPEC, and government contract requirements.
• Experience with CUI and/or CMMC-controlled environments.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing execution systems.
• Experience with GD&T and ASME Y14.5.
• Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection requirements.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with supplier qualification, supplier development, and source selection.
• Experience with aerospace structures, aircraft modification/integration, avionics, electromechanical systems, or mission systems.
• Experience developing and managing Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) and engineering work breakdown structures.
• Experience with DOORS, Jama, or other requirements-management tools.
• Experience with SolidWorks PDM/PLM or equivalent product lifecycle management systems.