Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Machining 

Full-time | Permanent | Remote

Salaried | $100k - $145k

*We are not currently working with third party agencies on this role.

About Us:

Vantedge Medical is the premier metals-based med-tech solutions partner from concept to full-scale manufacturing. We are at the forefront of precision engineering and innovation, specializing in the development and manufacturing of vital components for medical markets such as Robotic Assisted Surgery, Orthopedics, Surgical Instruments, Dental, and more. Our teams work in unison, collaborating and problem-solving to serve the manufacturing needs of the top Medical Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) around the globe. Making a difference in the lives of patients and their families drives us to go above and beyond every day. With a steadfast commitment to advancing medical technology, we take immense pride in the work we do – and have a lot of fun doing it.

About this Opportunity:

The Sr. Advanced Manufacturing Engineer is Vantedge’s subject matter expert for advanced CNC programming and machining optimization within a high-precision manufacturing environment. This role has no direct reports today. It leads through technical credibility, relationships, and hands-on capability rather than formal authority. This is a senior individual-contributor role with direct visibility to corporate leadership on network-wide technical strategy and capital planning, and represents a key strategic initiative for how Vantedge builds machining capability across the network. This role supports high-impact new product development, production launches, process improvements, and technical problem solving across multiple manufacturing sites, including cross-site coordination between site programming and engineering teams. In addition, this role serves as a key technical resource to the quoting and new business process – evaluating opportunities for site fit, defining the best machining approach, generating cycle-times and process inputs for costing, providing DFM feedback, and acting as the customer-facing subject matter expert for technical machining issues. The role also evaluates, justifies, and proposes new equipment and fixturing to run new parts optimally and to drive machining process improvements across existing business.  

Responsibilities:

Machining Engineering & Process Development  

• Lead and support machining problem-solving, process optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives, setting technical direction across sites rather than owning day-to-day production programming. 
• Serve as the go-to resource for CAM programming strategy across sites — standardizing how Vantedge sites use Mastercam, evaluating new AI-assisted programming capabilities (e.g., Mastercam 2026 R2 and later), and coordinating cross-site programming and engineering practices within the machining network. 
• Provide direct, hands-on programming and machining support to sites during capacity constraints, new launches, or critical timing — CNC programming remains a core, hands-on competency of this role even as its scope grows. 
• Partner with site teams to understand other CAM packages in use across the network, some tied to specific equipment, and help define a path toward standardization where it makes sense. 
• Develop CNC programs using CAM software for 3- to 5-axis mills, 2- to 4-axis lathes, 5-axis mill-turns, and 3- to 5-axis Swiss-type lathes. 
• Develop custom macro routines for process efficiency, including dimensional adjustments, part/tool probing, tool breakage detection, and closed-loop machining. 
• Use CAD software to create 3D solid models, machining and inspection fixtures, custom cutting tools, and fabrication drawings. 
• Support new product development and introduction activities, including contract review, project kickoffs, validation, and production launch. 
• Maintain organized project documentation, schedules, timelines, milestones, and status reports for engineering and senior leadership. 

Quoting & New Business Technical Support  

• Review new opportunities and evaluate site fit – assessing which facility’s equipment, capability, and capacity best align with each part or program. 
• Determine the best machining approach – process sequence, machine platform, tooling, and workholding strategy – to inform quote strategy and competitive positioning. 
• Develop quick, defensible cycle-time estimates and process assessments as inputs to costing and pricing. 
• Provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) feedback on customer models and drawings, identifying features that drive cost, risk, or process difficulty and proposing manufacturable alternatives. 
• Recommend new equipment selection where an opportunity is best served by capabilities not currently in house, supporting capital justification tied to quoted work. 
• Serve as the customer-facing subject matter expert for technical machining issues during quoting and business-development discussions, building customer confidence in Vantedge’s machining approach. 
• Partner with Corporate Estimating, Commercial, and site resources to translate the machining approach into accurate quote inputs and a competitive, executable process. 

Equipment, Tooling & Fixturing Evaluation  

• Evaluate and propose new equipment to run new parts optimally and to improve the machining of existing business. 
• Design and propose new fixturing and workholding methods to improve cycle time, quality, repeatability, and capacity. 
• Build equipment and process trade-off analysis – approach comparisons, cycle-time and yield impact, and ROI – to support capital and continuous-improvement decisions. 

• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and drive alignment with site Engineering Managers and programming teams across multiple locations, influencing outcomes through expertise and relationships rather than direct authority. 
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in precision manufacturing, CNC programming, and process engineering, preferably within a regulated industry such as medical device, aerospace, or automotive. 
• Proficiency with CAD software for 3D part and assembly modeling and creation of detailed manufacturing drawings. 
• Proficiency with CAM software, including toolpath development and machining simulation, preferably in Mastercam, including familiarity with its AI-assisted programming and toolpath optimization capabilities (e.g., Mastercam 2026 R2 or later). 
• Strong ability to read, write, and edit CNC numerical programs, including G-Code and M-Code. 
• Experience machining titanium, stainless and alloy steels, aluminum alloys, engineered plastics, and other commonly machined materials. 
• Experience programming and operating multi-axis machining centers, multitask lathes, 5-axis mill-turns, and Swiss-type CNC lathes. 
• Strong ability to interpret complex engineering drawings and apply GD&T in accordance with ASME Y14.5. 
• Demonstrated ability to take machined products from concept through development, validation, and full-scale production. 
• Ability to assess machining processes for cost, cycle time, and manufacturability, and to translate that assessment into quote and DFM inputs. 
• Willingness to travel domestically up to 30-40% to support manufacturing operations, suppliers, equipment, and engineering projects when located out of the Durham, Hudson area.

Preferred Qualifications  

• Experience in orthopedic or medical device manufacturing. 
• Experience manufacturing orthopedic implants, surgical instruments, or related medical components. 
• Experience machining titanium, stainless steel, cobalt-chrome, PEEK, and other medical-grade materials. 
• Advanced 5-axis machining experience. 
• Experience supporting quoting or estimating with cycle-time and process inputs and evaluating or justifying capital equipment. 
• Experience in customer-facing technical interactions, providing machining expertise during business development. 
• Knowledge of ISO 13485, FDA regulations, GMP, and medical device quality systems. 
• Experience with SPC, FMEA, process validation, and continuous improvement. 
• Experience with CMMs and precision measurement equipment. 
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies. 
• Experience with Mastercam’s AI-enabled programming tools (e.g., AI-based toolpath optimization, Dynamic Motion) or equivalent CAM AI capabilities. 
• Prior experience as a technical mentor, trainer, or informal team lead — this role is expected to grow in scope and technical leadership as it proves out. 
• Interest in piloting emerging manufacturing technology — automation, AI-assisted programming, and advanced process monitoring — to keep Vantedge’s machining capability ahead of the industry curve. 

Key Skills  

• Cross-Site Technical Leadership & Influence 
• Mastercam & CAM AI-Assisted Programming 
• Solidworks 
• CNC Milling & Turning; 3-, 4-, and 5-Axis Machining 
• G-Code Interpretation 
• GD&T 
• Tooling & Workholding Design 
• Cycle-Time Estimating & Quote Input Development 
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM) 
• Equipment Selection & Capital Justification 
• Customer-Facing Technical Support 
• Process Optimization 
• Quality Control 
• Root Cause Analysis 
• CNC Programming 
• CAM Programming