Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Composites
Manufacturing Engineer — Aerospace Composites (Hand Layup / Filament Winding / Bonded Assembly) — $140k to $175k Base — Santa Ana, CA / Onsite — Tier 1 Aerospace Supplier This Jobot Job is hosted by: Billy Surch Are you a fit? Easy Apply now by clicking the "Quick Apply" button and sending us your resume. Salary: $150,000 - $180,000 per year A bit about us: Founded over 50 years ago and based in Southern California, we are a Tier 1 aerospace and defense supplier of flight-critical, highly-engineered components and complex assemblies for military and space applications. We're recognized as a premier source of proprietary tanks, extendable refueling probes, landing gear, airframe structures, and composites, with life-limited part expertise extending into rotorcraft rotor and power transmission systems. Much of the hardware we build has flown on our customers' platforms for decades, making us one of the more capable independent suppliers in the region. Why join us? Base salary $140k–$175k Medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k) Generous PTO, sick leave, and paid holidays Onsite (fully onsite — hands-on process work and classified/ITAR environment) Full-lifecycle process ownership — you drive NPI, qualification, and continuous improvement, not just execution Broad, stable program base across military and space platforms with long-running customer relationships SME / technical authority track with room to mentor and lead engineering change initiatives Job Details Job Details: You'll own the design, development, and optimization of advanced composite manufacturing processes for flight-critical aerospace hardware — leading process definition and control across multiple fabrication methods and serving as the primary interface between engineering, operations, quality, and customers. Lead development, qualification, and scale-up of composite processes: hand layup, filament winding, bonding and assembly, and oven/autoclave cure Establish and validate process parameters (cure cycles, resin flow, fiber volume fraction, consolidation pressure, temperature profiles) and author specs, work instructions, and control plans Provide hands-on production troubleshooting and drive yield improvement, defect reduction, and cost optimization through process controls Lead RCCA investigations for nonconformances using DMAIC or 8D, and support quoting with cost estimates and technical risk assessments Act as SME and mentor to junior engineers and technicians, and collaborate with design engineering on DFM/DFA for composite structures and bonded assemblies Looking for: U.S. Person status required (ITAR); ability to meet DoD security standards and obtain a clearance if required 15 years of technical experience with composites and/or aerospace component production or repair BS in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Chemical, or Aerospace Engineering (or related discipline); HS Diploma/GED with equivalent composite/aerospace manufacturing experience also considered Senior through Principal levels considered Experience in any of the following areas welcomed: Pressure vessels and high-performance composite systems Autoclave and oven cure processing Six Sigma, ACE, Lean, DMAIC / continuous improvement Laminate schedule and OEM specification interpretation SolidWorks and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access) Interested in hearing more? Easy Apply now by clicking the "Quick Apply" button. Jobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide an inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and all qualified candidates receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Jobot also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. It is Jobot’s policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions. Sometimes Jobot is required to perform background checks with your authorization. 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