Sr. Manufacturing Engineer (Nashville)

Sr. Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Nashville, TN

Employment Type: Full-Time / Direct Hire

Work Type: Onsite

Salary: $120,000–$140,000

Relocation assistance available for non-local candidates

**This role requires U.S. citizenship to meet ITAR compliance requirements as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.15.**

Position Summary

The Sr. Manufacturing Engineer will be responsible for developing, implementing, and improving cost-effective manufacturing processes and methods that align with product specifications, production requirements, and quality standards. This position will focus on improving manufacturing efficiency, reducing costs, enhancing product quality, and supporting production operations. The Sr. Manufacturing Engineer will work cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Operations, R&D, and other teams to support new and existing products, troubleshoot manufacturing issues, develop tooling and equipment, and coordinate manufacturing launches.

The role will also support estimating activities associated with Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Quotations (RFQs), including production time, staffing requirements, manufacturing capabilities, and associated costs.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, evaluate, and improve manufacturing processes and methods using knowledge of product design, materials, components, fabrication processes, tooling, production equipment, assembly methods, and quality standards.

• Identify opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs, improve product quality, increase throughput, and improve overall production efficiency.

• Support failure analysis and troubleshooting of non-conforming manufactured products to determine root cause and appropriate rework, repair, or corrective actions.

• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Operations, management, and other teams regarding manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, workflow, and production requirements.

• Support RFI and RFQ activities by estimating production times, staffing requirements, manufacturing requirements, and related costs.

• Coordinate with R&D and Engineering on product designs and tooling requirements to establish efficient and repeatable manufacturing processes.

• Analyze workforce utilization, equipment requirements, space requirements, and workflow to improve manufacturing efficiency.

• Develop and optimize equipment and workspace layouts to support effective production flow.

• Design, develop, modify, and test manufacturing tools, fixtures, machinery, and equipment.

• Perform cost justification and feasibility analysis for new equipment, tooling, and manufacturing process improvements.

• Install, implement, and validate manufacturing equipment and processes in production environments following established validation procedures.

• Implement process improvements designed to increase yield and reduce manufacturing cycle times.

• Coordinate and document routine maintenance activities for applicable manufacturing and test equipment.

• Provide hands-on training to manufacturing employees regarding new products, tooling, equipment, and revised manufacturing processes.

• Coordinate manufacturing launches for new and revised products, including establishing goals, determining sequences of operations, optimizing process flow, training personnel, troubleshooting issues, and evaluating results.

• Conduct time studies to establish processing times and identify opportunities for productivity and efficiency improvements.

• Develop manufacturing metrics, data measurements, and standards to improve production performance.

• Perform testing, collect and analyze manufacturing data, and prepare technical reports documenting results.

• Support Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Perform additional manufacturing engineering responsibilities as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Engineering Science, or a related technical discipline preferred; equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.

• 8-10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience within a production or shop-floor environment.

• Must have experience with supporting aircraft structural assembly or aerospace sheet metal or structures within a manufacturing environment.

• Experience supporting manufacturing process development, optimization, and continuous improvement.

• Knowledge of manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, production equipment, assembly methods, and quality requirements.

• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing issues and supporting root-cause/failure analysis.

• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies and practices.

• Experience supporting aircraft machining and/or aircraft assembly within a similar manufacturing environment is preferred.

• Ability to work cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Operations, R&D, and production personnel.

• Ability to analyze manufacturing data, conduct time studies, and document technical findings.

• Experience supporting new product introductions or manufacturing launches is preferred.