Advanced Manufacturing Technologist

Job Description

Job Description

Advanced Manufacturing Technologist

Digital Twin Lab  ·  Siemens Digital Engineering  ·  Robotics, Additive, AR/VR

Virginia Manufacturers Association  |  Manufacturing Skills Institute

About VMA and MSI

The Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) has been the Commonwealth's leading manufacturing trade association and industry advocate for 104 years, representing Virginia's manufacturers since 1922. VMA delivers this program through its national workforce education affiliate, the Manufacturing Skills Institute (MSI), which builds the talent pipeline that Virginia and national manufacturers need to compete and grow.

Together, VMA-MSI operates Registered Apprenticeship training, manufacturing skill credentials, employer training, and a national Made-in-America credentialing network.

About the Program

This position supports Path to Prime, a new VMA-MSI program expanding hands-on manufacturing training and industry-recognized credentials for small manufacturers across Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The program is funded through a grant awarded to VMA-MSI in 2026, and it significantly increases the volume of employer training and credentialing MSI delivers.

About the Role

VMA-MSI is building a three-site Digital Twin Manufacturing Lab Network, anchored by a new flagship lab in Richmond, and we are hiring the technologist who will help stand it up, run it, and teach in it. At VMA-MSI you would serve as our Digital Twin Lab Engineer, the technical anchor of the lab network.

Digital twin technology lets a manufacturer model their production line in software, test changes before touching the floor, and see where they are losing time and money. Most small manufacturers have heard of it and have no idea what it would mean for their operation. Your job is to show them.

The lab is new. You will work alongside Siemens Industry Software, our Siemens solution partner, to set it up and configure it, and you will not be doing that alone. They handle the build, the configuration, and the initial training so that the capability transfers to VMA-MSI staff. They will also teach the first courses in the lab. You will support their sessions, learn the material from the people who build it, and take over delivery as the capability transfers.

The Lab You Would Run

This is not a classroom with a projector. The Richmond flagship is a working advanced manufacturing lab, with scaled companion setups at the West Virginia and Pennsylvania partner sites.

•  Collaborative robot cell. A UR5e-class integrated cell with controller, gripper, and machine-vision inspection, anchoring Process Simulate demonstrations and hands-on automation training

•  Industrial additive. A Markforged X7 continuous-carbon-fiber printer producing load-bearing parts and tooling, alongside enclosed UltiMaker S-series machines for engineering nylons and chopped carbon fiber

•  AR and VR. Sony VR headsets for Siemens digital-twin collaboration and design review, Apple Vision Pro for augmented reality, and Scope AR WorkLink for AR work instructions on the shop floor

•  Industrial controls. Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 training rigs at all three sites

•  Metrology. Structured-light 3D scanners comparing as-built parts to as-designed models

•  IIoT and condition monitoring. Vibration, temperature, and current sensors with gateway and dashboard, plus a portable retrofit kit that turns a manufacturer's own machines into data sources

•  Digital engineering. Twenty-two mobile NX and Tecnomatix workstations on charging carts, with portable power, so the lab travels to members' shop floors

Siemens Industry Software will stand up an end-to-end digital twin of a part, a five-axis CNC machine including kinematics and operational behavior, and its full manufacturing process, with collision detection and toolpath verification. That environment is what you will teach in.

The Siemens Training You Would Receive

Our Siemens partner delivers roughly twenty-six days of instructor-led factory training to prepare you to run the lab and teach the curriculum:

•  NX CAM Manufacturing Fundamentals (5 days)

•  Fixed and Multi-Axis Machining (4 days)

•  Turning Operations, including multi-spindle and mill-turn (3 days)

•  NX Post Configurator (4 days)

•  NX CAM Integrated Simulation and Verification (5 days)

•  Tecnomatix Process Simulate: Basics and Robotic Path Development (5 days)

•  Sony VR for digital-twin collaboration (half day)

If you are strong on the technology and want to get stronger, few roles anywhere offer this kind of direct access to Siemens expertise, on this equipment, paid for.

Key Responsibilities

Lab Setup and Operations

•  Work with the Siemens solution partner to set up and configure the Richmond flagship lab

•  Support configuration of companion equipment at the West Virginia and Pennsylvania partner sites

•  Work directly with equipment vendors and integrators on specification, ordering, delivery scheduling, installation, and commissioning across all three sites

•  Serve as the technical point of contact for vendors during setup, acceptance testing, and warranty or service calls

•  Coordinate site readiness with vendors and partner hosts, including power, network, space, and safety requirements ahead of delivery

•  Maintain lab equipment in working order across the three-site network, including the robot cell, PLC trainers, additive machines, metrology scanners, IIoT kits, and AR/VR systems

•  Support procurement of lab equipment, software, and supplies, and track equipment condition, location, and service needs

Working With the Siemens Partner

•  Support partner instructors delivering courses in the lab, including session setup, equipment readiness, and in-class assistance

•  Participate in train-the-trainer sessions so lab and course capability transfers to VMA-MSI staff

•  Take over delivery of partner-developed courses as capability transfers

Training Delivery

•  Deliver hands-on, in-person digital engineering instruction on the Siemens software suite, including NX, Tecnomatix, and Process Simulate

•  Run eight to ten digital engineering cohorts for participating manufacturers over the program term

•  Teach participants how to build and use digital-twin and simulation models so they can apply the tools in their own operations

•  Use the robot cell, additive equipment, metrology, and AR/VR systems as instructional platforms, not showpieces

•  Instruct participants ranging from production engineers and technicians through plant leadership and business owners

Course Development

•  Develop four new Digital Twin Lab short courses at half-day, full-day, two-day, and three-day depths

•  Design the sequence so a company can begin with a short introduction and move into longer, more applied formats as their interest grows

•  Build course content that connects the technology to practical outcomes such as throughput, quality, downtime, and cost

•  Work with the MSI curriculum team on content development and with the program's Multimedia Producer on supporting training media

Documentation and Outcomes

•  Document training delivery, participant completion, and course outcomes

•  Capture participant and employer feedback to improve subsequent sessions

Required Qualifications

•  Demonstrated proficiency with Siemens NX and Tecnomatix

•  B.S. in engineering or equivalent demonstrated experience

•  Understanding of manufacturing processes and how digital engineering tools apply to them, whether gained in industry, academic, research, or integrator settings

•  Ability to explain technical material clearly to people who do not share your background

•  Comfort working directly with business owners, plant managers, and engineers

•  Ability to travel to participating companies and partner sites as needed

•  Valid driver's license and a clean driving record

•  Self-directed; able to run a lab and a cohort schedule without close supervision

Deep years on a shop floor are welcome but not required. Recent graduates, career changers, and people coming out of academic, research, or integrator settings are all encouraged to apply.

Preferred Qualifications

•  Depth in Process Simulate, NX CAM, or NX Post Configurator

•  Experience with collaborative robotics, machine vision, or industrial automation

•  Experience with additive manufacturing, particularly composite or continuous-fiber printing

•  Experience with AR or VR in an engineering, training, or industrial setting

•  Experience with PLCs, industrial controls, metrology, or IIoT and condition monitoring

•  Hands-on manufacturing or production experience

•  Experience setting up or commissioning a lab, training space, or new technical capability

•  Experience coordinating with equipment vendors or integrators on delivery, installation, and acceptance

•  Experience developing technical course content for working adults, or training incumbent workers rather than entry-level students

About This Position's Term

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with the Virginia Manufacturers Association. It is funded for 11 months under the grant supporting the Path to Prime program. You are a VMA employee from your first day, with the same health, dental, vision, retirement, and paid leave benefits as any other full-time employee.

The grant's period of performance ends in September 2027. VMA actively pursues continuation funding for its programs, but this position is not guaranteed beyond the funded term, and we would rather say that plainly at the outset than have it come as a surprise.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

Work is performed in the Richmond training lab, on active manufacturing floors, and at partner sites. The role requires standing for extended periods, use of personal protective equipment, and setting up, moving, and maintaining lab and training equipment. Some travel requires overnight stays.

What We Offer

•  Comprehensive benefits from date of hire, including health, dental, vision, retirement match, and generous paid time off

•  Roughly twenty-six days of Siemens factory training, paid for, on the stack you will be teaching

•  The chance to stand up a new lab and shape how it runs, rather than inherit someone else's

•  Equipment most training organizations cannot justify: an integrated robot cell, industrial continuous-fiber additive, professional metrology, and AR/VR

•  An established curriculum team and multimedia support behind you, so you can focus on the technical work and the teaching

•  A defined 11-month scope of work with a clear mission and measurable results

•  Mission-driven work building the capability of Virginia's manufacturing base

The Virginia Manufacturers Association is the only statewide association in Virginia exclusively dedicated to manufacturers and their allies, serving as the industry’s advocate since 1922. We partner with leading Virginia companies to assess, train, and place candidates into high-quality manufacturing careers across the Commonwealth.

Company Description

The Virginia Manufacturers Association is the only statewide association in Virginia exclusively dedicated to manufacturers and their allies, serving as the industry’s advocate since 1922. We partner with leading Virginia companies to assess, train, and place candidates into high-quality manufacturing careers across the Commonwealth.