Manufacturing Process Engineer

Position Summary

Primary Responsibilities

Manufacturing Process Planning

• Develop and maintain manufacturing routings for new and existing products, including operation sequence, work centers, setup/run standards, tooling, fixturing, materials, and outside processing.
• Determine the appropriate manufacturing sequence for close-tolerance features while considering datum integrity, distortion, material condition, accessibility, and downstream operations.
• Establish material requirements, blank sizes, material yield, and traceability controls.
• Define appropriate handling, identification, protection, and material-flow requirements throughout manufacturing.
• Maintain accurate ERP routing information to support scheduling, capacity planning, costing, and actual-versus-standard performance analysis.
• Maintain process documentation and revision control consistent with drawing revisions, engineering changes, and approved process improvements.

CNC Programming & Production Support

• Partner with CNC Programming to translate manufacturing-process requirements into executable machining strategies.
• Support tooling, fixture, work holding, probing, and setup-method development.
• Participate in process kickoff reviews and first article/prove-out activities for new or high-risk jobs.
• Capture actual setup and cycle times and update manufacturing standards as appropriate.
• Support standardization of tooling, setup practices, work instructions, and manufacturing methods across similar part families.
• Provide technical support to Production in resolving machining and process-related issues.

Quality & First Article Support

• Partner with Quality to ensure inspection planning aligns with the actual manufacturing sequence.
• Identify process-critical inspection points, irreversible operations, inaccessible features, and high-risk characteristics requiring in-process verification.
• Support interpretation of drawings, specifications, GD&T, tolerance stacks, and key/critical characteristics from a manufacturing perspective.
• Provide manufacturing-process information required for First Article Inspection and AS9102 documentation.
• Support development and analysis of process capability (Cp, Cpk, Ppk) for critical characteristics.
• Provide process expertise during nonconformance investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Ensure approved process changes are communicated to Quality for evaluation of inspection-plan impact.

Continuous Improvement & Cost

• Analyze actual versus standard setup/run hours, scrap, rework, yield, and process performance.
• Lead projects to reduce setup time, cycle time, scrap, rework, and manufacturing cost.
• Identify and implement process improvements that increase throughput, capability, and repeatability.
• Support make-versus-buy decisions based on capability, capacity, cost, and risk.
• Provide manufacturing input to quoting and contract review, including process feasibility, estimated hours, tooling/fixture requirements, NRE, capacity, and technical risk.
• Support capital-equipment justification through capacity analysis, manufacturing requirements, and return-on-investment evaluation.
• Capture lessons learned and incorporate improvements into standardized manufacturing processes.

Key Performance Indicators

• First Article / First-Pass Yield - Process works correctly before repeat production
• Actual vs. Standard Hours - Routing standards accurately reflect manufacturing performance
• Scrap & Rework - Reduce process-related quality losses
• Setup & Cycle Time - Improve manufacturing efficiency and capacity
• On-Time Routing Release - Engineering does not delay production release
• Routing Accuracy - ERP data supports planning, costing, and scheduling
• Process Improvement Savings - Quantifiable cost/capacity improvement
• Quote Estimate Accuracy - Improve feedback between actual manufacturing and estimating

Work Environment

• Ability to stand and walk throughout CNC and production areas for extended periods and lift tools, fixtures, parts, and materials weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Manual dexterity and visual acuity sufficient to operate equipment, use measuring instruments, read prints, inspect parts, and identify tool wear or process defects.
• Regular exposure to CNC equipment, cutting tools, coolant, chips, noise, moving machinery, and normal manufacturing conditions.
• Required use of appropriate PPE and compliance with all site safety requirements.
• Frequent interaction with production personnel, engineering, quality, customers, and executive leadership.
• May require extended hours to support customer deadlines, production demands, and operational initiatives.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Paid Time Off
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• 401(k) Employer Match

 Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline; equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of manufacturing/process engineering experience in precision machining or a comparable high-mix manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing manufacturing routings, process plans, and controlled manufacturing documentation.
• Strong understanding of CNC machining, tooling, fixturing, setup practices, and manufacturing process development.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, CAD models, and technical specifications.
• Working knowledge of CAM software and CNC manufacturing methods.
• Experience supporting first article, inspection planning, root-cause analysis, and corrective action.
• Strong problem-solving, technical communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Ability to spend significant time on the manufacturing floor supporting process development and production.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in AS9100 / ISO 9001 aerospace, defense, semiconductor, medical, or other regulated precision-manufacturing environments.
• Experience with multi-axis turning and 3-, 4-, and 5-axis milling.
• Experience with grinding, lapping, welding, cleaning, heat treatment, plating/coating, or other special processes.
• Familiarity with AS9102 First Article Inspection.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DOE, 8D, A3, or structured problem-solving methods.
• Fixture and tooling design experience using 3D CAD.
• Familiarity with CMM/metrology and process capability analysis.
• Experience supporting customer, regulatory, or third-party audits.