Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Manufacturing Engineer for one of our largest Space & Defense clients sitting onsite in Santa Ana, CA. The ideal candidate will have hands-on composite fabrication experience to drive the NPD/NPI introductions from design into repeatable, high-quality production. This is a floor-facing role for someone who wants to own process, not just document it.
Responsibilities:
Partner with New Product Development (NPD) to build manufacturable, cost-effective composite designs layup sequencing, bagging strategy, cure cycles, bonding, and trim/drill operations all get engineered in from the start, not bolted on after the fact.
Own the transition of new composite parts and assemblies from NPD into full value stream (VS) production: process router sheets, standard labor hours, detailed work instructions, Bills of Materials, work cell layout, line capacity planning, and operator training alongside NPD and VS production leads.
Be the go-to line support for production when composite fabrication issues come up layup defects, cure deviations, bonding or tooling problems, autoclave scheduling conflicts and drive them to resolution fast.
Work directly with Quality on Rejected Material disposition, including composite-specific non-conformances (porosity, delamination, fiber misalignment, out-of-tolerance cure), and fix the process issues behind them.
Evaluate and process Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) end to end, coordinating implementation across affected hardware.
Support cost estimating for new RFQ programs, with a sharp eye on composite material usage, layup labor, and tooling cost drivers.
Lead cost reduction and productivity improvement projects across the plant manage multiple production, new-release, and rework projects simultaneously as assigned by the Value Stream Manager.
Qualifications:
Four-year degree in Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering or related technical field, plus 3-5 years of relevant experience in job shop or lower-volume production environments.
Mechanically inclined with real shop-floor knowledge of composite-specific tooling, cutting/kitting equipment, and cure/bond fixtures this isn't a desk job dressed up as manufacturing engineering.
Lean manufacturing experience strongly desired: value stream mapping, 5-S, Kanban, standard work, visual management, cell design, setup reduction, mistake-proofing.
Working knowledge of composite process specs and standards (AS9100 or similar); familiarity with NDI/NDT acceptance criteria for composite parts is a plus.
Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Project, ERP systems, and Outlook. Strong written and verbal communication with basic project management skills.
Salary: $110,000 - $130,000
Numbers & Facts
Location
Santa Ana, CA
Salary
$110,000–$130,000 Per Year
Skills
AS 9100unmatched
Autoclaveunmatched
Bill of Materials (BOM)unmatched
Capacity Managementunmatched
Composite Materialsunmatched
Cost Controlunmatched
Cost Estimatesunmatched
Drillingunmatched
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)unmatched
Engineering Change Managementunmatched
Engineering Change Orderunmatched
Industrial Engineeringunmatched
Kanbanunmatched
Lean Manufacturingunmatched
Machine Toolunmatched
Manufacturingunmatched
Manufacturing Engineeringunmatched
Microsoft Excelunmatched
Microsoft Outlookunmatched
Microsoft PowerPointunmatched
Microsoft Projectunmatched
Microsoft Wordunmatched
Multitaskingunmatched
Network Routersunmatched
Nondestructive Testing (NDT)unmatched
Presentation/Verbal Skillsunmatched
Process Sheetunmatched
Product Developmentunmatched
Product/Service Launchunmatched
Production Supportunmatched
Production Systemsunmatched
Production Volumeunmatched
Productivity Managementunmatched
Project/Program Managementunmatched
Proofreadingunmatched
Request for Proposals (RFP)unmatched
Value Stream Mappingunmatched
Writing Skillsunmatched
eCosunmatched
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