Sr Manufacturing Engineer - Metals

About the Organization
Applied Aerospace & Defense (Applied) is a premier provider of advanced design, engineering, and vertically integrated manufacturing solutions for leading and next-generation space and defense technology companies. Applied builds complex hardware for extreme operating environments and is focused on three core markets: Space and Launch Systems, Defense Aviation and Airborne Systems, and C5ISR and Precision Strike Systems. With decades of space and defense manufacturing heritage, Applied combines deep material science and IP-enabled process expertise with the ability to enable rapid prototyping, enhance new product development, and responsively scale production. Across its nationwide infrastructure of advanced manufacturing facilities, Applied continuously supports a balanced mix of next-generation technology and platform development, large scale production programs, and aftermarket sustainment for enduring platforms.

EOE Statement
Applied Aerospace and Defense is an equal opportunity employer.

Description

Principal Manufacturing Engineer

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Principal Manufacturing Engineer who brings deep technical expertise, strong manufacturing instincts, and a passion for developing others.

This is a highly hands-on, shop-floor-focused role. We are looking for an engineer who wants to be where the work happens-partnering directly with machinists, operators, CNC programmers, Quality, and Operations to solve problems and improve how we manufacture our products. This is not a position for someone who wants to spend their day behind a desk.

The Principal Manufacturing Engineer will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes. This individual will lead complex technical problem-solving, process optimization, new product industrialization, and cross-functional manufacturing initiatives that directly impact Safety, Cost, Quality, and Delivery (SCQD).

We want someone who is naturally curious, thinks outside the box, challenges traditional approaches when there is a better way, and is willing to roll up their sleeves to understand problems firsthand.

Just as importantly, this individual will serve as a mentor and technical resource for our engineering team, helping develop less-experienced engineers, sharing practical manufacturing knowledge, and raising the overall technical capability of the organization.

The ideal candidate combines advanced manufacturing engineering expertise with creativity, leadership, collaboration, and a strong connection to the shop floor.

Essential Responsibilities

Maintain a strong and consistent presence on the manufacturing floor, working directly with machinists, operators, CNC programmers, Quality, and Operations to understand challenges, troubleshoot issues, and implement practical solutions.

Serve as a senior technical leader and escalation point for complex manufacturing challenges, using hands-on investigation, data, engineering principles, and creative problem-solving to drive issues to resolution.

Develop, release, and maintain detailed technical work instructions for manufacturing and repairing aerospace metallic structures and assemblies, ensuring compliance with customer engineering requirements, specifications, and applicable regulatory standards.

Partner closely with the machine shops and CNC Programming team to develop and implement effective manufacturing strategies for complex metallic machined components and assemblies.

Mentor and develop Manufacturing Engineers, providing technical coaching, practical guidance, and knowledge sharing to strengthen engineering fundamentals, manufacturing expertise, and problem-solving capabilities across the team.

Encourage engineers to spend time where the work is performed, understand manufacturing challenges firsthand, and develop solutions collaboratively with production employees.

Challenge existing processes and conventional approaches by bringing innovative, outside-the-box thinking to manufacturing problems, process improvements, tooling, workflows, and production strategies.

Provide advanced technical support to Operations and Quality to achieve site-level Safety, Cost, Quality, and Delivery (SCQD) objectives.

Review engineering drawings, specifications, and model-based definitions for manufacturability and translate design requirements into clear, controlled shop-floor documentation.

Partner with Purchasing, Sales, and other stakeholders during the quoting process to define manufacturing approaches, identify technical risks, establish labor standards, and support competitive and achievable cost estimates.

Establish and validate operational standard hours through time studies, process analysis, and production data to improve routing accuracy and capacity planning.

Lead productivity, cost-reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing principles, waste elimination, process optimization, and data-driven problem-solving.

Develop, validate, and industrialize manufacturing processes for New Product Introduction (NPI), ensuring processes achieve required capability, repeatability, quality, and production-readiness targets prior to release.

Evaluate nonconforming components to determine repair feasibility and develop and validate repair solutions in partnership with Engineering and Quality.

Lead and participate in engineering program, manufacturing readiness, and product design reviews to ensure compliance with engineering principles, company standards, customer requirements, and applicable specifications.

Assess the manufacturing impact of engineering changes and clearly communicate technical requirements, risks, and implementation plans across functional teams.

Train engineers, machinists, and operators on manufacturing methods, process controls, structured problem-solving techniques, and quality requirements.

Promote a culture of technical excellence, innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration across Engineering and Operations.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for more than an experienced engineer. We are looking for a technical leader who loves manufacturing and wants to make a visible impact on the shop floor.

The successful candidate will:

Be a hands-on engineer who prefers solving problems at the source, not solely from behind a desk.

Enjoy working directly with machinists, operators, CNC programmers, and manufacturing leaders.

Have the ability to look at a difficult manufacturing problem and ask, "How can we do this better?"

Bring creative and outside-the-box thinking while maintaining strong engineering discipline.

Enjoy mentoring and developing engineers and sharing years of practical manufacturing knowledge.

Have strong hands-on manufacturing experience and a solid understanding of machining and manufacturing processes.

Independently lead complex technical investigations from problem identification through root cause, corrective action, and implementation.

Use data, engineering fundamentals, and structured problem-solving to improve manufacturing performance.

Build strong partnerships across Engineering, Operations, Quality, CNC Programming, Supply Chain, and other functions.

Balance immediate production needs with long-term process improvements.

Demonstrate strong ownership and drive projects through measurable results.

Communicate technical information effectively with everyone from shop-floor employees to senior leadership.

Lead through influence and help raise the technical capability of the entire engineering organization.

Safety & Quality Commitment

The Principal Manufacturing Engineer is expected to actively support Environmental, Safety & Health (ESH) and Quality Management System policies and practices. This includes promoting a safe workplace, identifying and eliminating unsafe conditions and behaviors, supporting regulatory and customer requirements, and ensuring quality products and services are delivered safely and on time.

This is an opportunity for an experienced engineer who wants to be more than a technical expert. We are looking for someone who wants to be on the floor, solve challenging manufacturing problems, develop people, challenge the status quo, and leave our processes-and our engineering team-better than they found them.

This position is classified as Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and reports to the Engineering Manager.

Pay Range: 130K - 180K per year. Final compensation will be based on experience, qualifications, and demonstrated technical expertise.

Position Requirements


Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or relevant technical discipline, or HS Diploma/GED w/equivalent composite/aerospace manufacturing/repair experience. 20+ years of technical experience with composites and/or aerospace components production or repair.

Desired Characteristics

• Demonstrated experience creating, structuring, and maintaining complex multi-level Bills of Material (BOMs) for aerospace assemblies, ensuring configuration control and production readiness.
• Proven experience in the developing and implementing machining strategies of large-scale metallic aerospace structures, including fixturing for both Milling and Turning.
• Hands-on experience machining large metallic aerospace components, including process planning, tooling strategy, and dimensional validation.
• Strong proficiency in engineering drawing interpretation, including advanced Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) application and tolerance analysis.
• Working knowledge of CAD systems such as CATIA, SolidWorks, NX; ability to interrogate models to support manufacturability and tooling design decisions.
• Experience designing and validating manufacturing tooling for, including production fixtures, machining/holding fixtures and assembly aids.
• Demonstrated change management capability, including leading engineering change implementation across cross-functional teams; ability to manage risk, stakeholder alignment, and execution discipline.
• Strategic thinker capable of translating high-level engineering change initiatives into structured, tactical execution plans; analytical, data-driven, and results-oriented.
• Strong background in continuous improvement methodologies including Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and ACE; proven record of measurable operational improvements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence across organizational levels; demonstrated ability to build engagement and sustain a culture of operational excellence
• Strong familiarity with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) required.

Shift
First

Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time

Location
Applied Aerospace & Defense, Santa Ana

Category
Engineering

Req Number
ENG-26-00001

Position
Sr Manufacturing Engineer - Metals

Close Date

Post Internal Days
0

Number of Openings
1

Exempt/Non-Exempt
Exempt

Hiring Manager(s)
Jacqueline Cadena


This position is currently accepting applications.