Program Engineer

Program Engineer, Armtec Defense Technologies
Armtec Defense Technologies (Armtec) is an operating unit of the Transdigm Group (NYSE: TDG), an industry leader in aerospace and defense products and services. Armtec is comprised of three business units producing subcomponents for ordnance in Coachella, CA; decoy countermeasure flares in Camden AR; and radar countermeasure chaff in Lillington NC. At Armtec, we welcome skilled and enthusiastic people who share our determination and high standards to join us in our mission-critical work supporting the US and allied war-fighters who serve us all by defending democracy and protecting freedom. This position is staffed in Coachella, at Armtec’s world-class, sole-source production facility for felted fiber nitrocellulose combustible cartridge cases for medium and large caliber military ammunition; and pyrophoric payloads for training grenades.

Company Profile
Company: Armtec Defense Technologies is an operating unit of the TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG).
Industry: Manufacturing Combustible Ordnance and Countermeasures

Job Overview
Title: Program Engineer
Job Family: Project Engineers
Reports to: Manager of Engineering
Works with: mid-level managers and supervisors, employees
Location: Coachella, California
Type: Full-Time

Job Summary
The Program Engineer at Armtec Defense Technologies is a key member of the Engineering group, encompassing work on both existing products and processes and new product development activities.  In this position, the Program Engineer is assigned to a Program area and works on the program team.  They are a peer with their Program, Operations, and Quality leadership, and must work in concert with this leadership team to help drive activities on the program to ensure that program objectives and metrics are met. On this team, the Program Engineer is the main point of contact within their assigned program for all technical activity and ensures that required engineering activity to support the program is identified, prioritized, and completed.  Additionally, the Program Engineer ensures that any required maintenance and repair activities within the program are sufficiently specified to enable our Maintenance and Repair organization to quickly and satisfactorily maintain our equipment and processes.

Primary Responsibilities

• Maintain strong working relationships with production supervisors, quality teams, and production employees.
• Regularly communicate technical activity status to program teams, leadership, and engineering peers within customer organizations.
• Report on project status, challenges, and progress to senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Drive deep scientific understanding, technical rigor, and best engineering practices in product and system development.
• Research emerging technologies, evaluate new tools, and integrate modern engineering solutions to enhance operations and minimize project risk.
• Provide technical guidance, review designs, and oversee prototyping activities to test innovative ideas.
• Interface with internal and external customers on technical issues, ensuring products and services meet customer requirements and expectations.
• Track and manage workloads, allocate resources efficiently, and manage budgets to ensure cost-effective use of tools, technology, and personnel.
• Ensure staff have the necessary equipment, processes, and safety protocols to perform their jobs effectively and hold direct reports accountable for following defined processes.
• Monitor key performance indicators such as team productivity, project milestones, and product performance to identify trends and drive improvements.
• Implement and refine engineering workflows, methodologies, and tools to enhance team efficiency and productivity.
• Conduct annual performance reviews, set objectives, and develop individual development plans for direct reports.
• Provide inputs for drawings and review specifications, including tolerances and materials, to ensure requirements are met.
• Maintain and improve cleanliness of work areas.
• Provide technical leadership for engineering in their assigned program.
• Oversee the design, development, and implementation of new products, technologies, or systems
• Maintain strong working relationships with production supervisors, quality teams, production employees, and other departments.
• Maintain product/process knowledge by working closely with operations.
• Coordinate with program management, operations, quality assurance, and stakeholders to align engineering efforts with company goals.
• Regularly communicate technical activity status, project challenges, and progress to program teams, leadership, and customer organizations.
• Serve as a technical point of contact for assigned programs.
• Participate in customer interface activities to ensure products and services meet requirements and expectations.
• Drive innovation by researching emerging technologies, evaluating tools, and integrating modern engineering solutions to enhance operations.
• Improve production processes, tools, and equipment to optimize safety, quality, output, and cost efficiency.
• Apply LEAN Manufacturing principles to maximize efficiency and minimize waste.
• Establish and maintain safe production processes, equipment, and procedures that meet contractual and regulatory commitments.
• Identify and drive productivity improvement projects to enhance efficiency and minimize scrap.
• Analyze product and process data using statistical methods and modeling/prototyping (including 3D printing) to reduce rejects, downtime, material costs, and labor hours.
• Monitor performance metrics, quality defects, and scrap rates to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
• Perform troubleshooting and failure analysis (e.g., FMEA, 8D, DOE) to expedite issue resolution and prevent recurrence.
• Support program management with risk analysis, data evaluation, and presentations at customer reviews.
• Provide input for and review drawings to ensure tolerances, materials, and specifications meet requirements.
• Review, approve, and audit changes related to products, processes, and procedures for adequacy and compliance.
• Analyze product and process design concepts for form, fit, and function to meet customer and product requirements.
• Ensure engineering projects and products meet or exceed industry standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
• Utilize Management of Change (MOC) processes to review engineering changes for impacts on safety, quality, and production prior to implementation.
• Oversee engineering projects from conception to completion, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards.
• Develop and manage project and program plans, technology roadmaps, and technical cost estimates.
• Conduct the design, development, and implementation of new products and technologies, ensuring quality and performance standards are met.
• Conduct the transition of products into manufacturing and full-rate production to ensure seamless transfer of product and process knowledge.
• Collaborate with Program Engineers and leadership to prioritize capital projects and automation that reduce costs and human error.
• Conduct product testing for new materials and processes and serve as a technical product expert.
• Develop and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) listing components and materials required for production.
• Support Procurement in developing new supplier sources.
• Support business development efforts by building relationships, acquiring funding, and preparing quotes and proposals.
• Assemble proposal teams and coordinate the development of technical sections to ensure manufacturing requirements are covered.
• Evaluate technical product requirements on proposals to ensure compliance.
• Provide immediate solutions to production issues and halt operations if safety, quality, or critical inefficiencies arise.
• Define maintenance schedules and develop operation/maintenance procedures to ensure system reliability.
• Integrate new capital equipment by creating procedures and interfacing with engineering/production departments
• Maintain the highest ethical standards, even when challenged from above
• Understand and live by Armtec’s ethics and business conduct policies

Qualifications

• Minimum 4-year degree in engineering or science discipline, such as mechanical / chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, or chemistry / materials science.
• 5+ years of engineering experience in a production environment.
• 5+ years of experience performing development of new products, preferably in the defense industry.
• In-depth knowledge of process engineering disciplines, including lean methods of process flow control, and statistical process control.
• In-depth knowledge of Product Development Processes and methodologies, including design for six-sigma, Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and Design for Assembly (DFA).
• Strong analytical & problem-solving skills, and ability to use statistical tools and techniques.
• Experience with product testing and verification methods, including experience with statistical design of experiment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills required.
• Must be dependable, responsible, and detail oriented and have the ability to deal with people effectively.
• Requires self-direction and ability/willingness to prioritize and take initiative

Armtec Competencies

• Armtec seeks leaders who are organized, have a sense of urgency, are action oriented, and who have a relentless drive for results.  In doing this, we expect our leaders to be professional, have a positive outlook, remain cool under pressure, and be highly approachable.   This requires hard-won skillsets in motivating, conflict management, assessing people, priority setting, building effective teams, and managerial courage.

Education & Professional Work Experience Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• To conform to U.S. export control regulations, applicant should be eligible for any required authorization from the U.S. Government

Work Hours
4/10 workweek

To Apply
Please apply on-line on the Armtec Career Website,  

Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and protected veteran status.

Salary Range: $110,387 - $153,000/Annual

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with generous company contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA - Medical & Dependent Care)
• Life and Accident Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Parent Leave Pay
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Vacation
• Sick Leave
• Holidays (9 paid holiday including holiday shutdown weeks in July and December)
• 401(k) matching
• Tuition Assistance