Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer
Job Description
This Manufacturing Engineer role focuses on welding and weldment-intensive products, driving the design and development of systems manufactured with welded components in highly regulated, high-precision industries. You will apply design for manufacturability principles, collaborate closely with external vendors and suppliers, and troubleshoot complex manufacturing processes to ensure high reliability and quality. The position combines hands-on manufacturing engineering, mechanical design support, and process development for components such as pressure vessels, piping, system internals, and high-temperature materials. You will also develop and maintain CAD models, perform engineering analyses and hand calculations, and contribute to verification and validation of analytical tools while working within rigorous quality and configuration management procedures.
Responsibilities
Apply manufacturing engineering expertise in welding and weldments to influence and drive the design and development of systems built with welded components.
Use design for manufacturability concepts to ensure products can be efficiently and reliably manufactured, incorporating feedback from manufacturers and testing into design iterations.
Work with outside vendors and suppliers to support manufacturing processes, resolve technical issues, and ensure components meet specifications and quality standards.
Develop mechanical and physical concepts and support the development of processes to create or identify structures, systems, and components for use in high reliability products or facilities.
Identify, collect, and document applicable requirements, interfaces, design bases, and criteria by coordinating with key stakeholders and systems engineers.
Support the identification and application of relevant industry codes and standards under the direction of project leads and systems engineers.
Plan and perform analyses to assess mechanical systems and manufacturing processes, ensuring they meet intended functions, technical specifications, and design requirements.
Perform engineering computations using hand calculations and analytical tools for structural, thermal, hydraulic, and other scoping calculations as required.
Support mechanical components and systems design, including the development of innovative mechanical solutions for pressure vessels, piping, system internals, and high-temperature materials such as graphite.
Integrate design activities across engineering team members, partners, and suppliers to ensure cohesive system designs.
Perform scoping and sizing calculations to downselect design features and ensure compliance with design requirements, using guidance from consensus codes and standards.
Create and maintain CAD-generated engineering models of complex systems, including 3D models and detailed drawings.
Assess complex systems for manufacturability, assembly, and integration considerations, providing recommendations to project leads.
Write and develop design documentation such as design basis documents, technical reports, calculations, and drawings in accordance with applicable procedures.
Develop Verification and Validation (V&V) plans for analytical tools and support the qualification and ongoing improvement of the toolset.
Perform work in accordance with established quality procedures for design and configuration management to ensure project quality requirements are consistently met.
Provide independent reviews and acceptance reviews of engineering deliverables and data to verify technical accuracy and compliance with requirements.
Lead or support process improvement initiatives, including tooling development and lean manufacturing efforts, to enhance productivity and quality.
Troubleshoot manufacturing issues in real time, providing practical and technically sound solutions to production challenges on the shop floor.
Support heavy manufacturing startup activities for first-of-a-kind (FOAK) components, including on-site follow-up at vendor and partner locations.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams in highly regulated industries such as nuclear, aerospace, power generation, or medical to align design and manufacturing objectives.
Travel domestically and internationally to vendor and partner sites, as needed, to oversee manufacturing, support troubleshooting, and ensure alignment with engineering requirements.
Essential Skills
At least 10-15 years of relevant industry experience in manufacturing or process engineering roles.
Strong manufacturing engineering experience with a focus on welding, weldments, and weld engineering.
Hands-on experience in welding and weldment engineering and inspection.
Proficiency in Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) techniques, preferably applicable to nuclear or similarly regulated components.
Knowledge of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section III and at minimum Section VIII.
Familiarity with AWS welding standards and ASME BPVC Section IX.
Experience with design and development of mechanical systems using 3D CAD tools (NX preferred).
Mechanical design and development experience, including guiding products through manufacturing and testing oversight.
Proficiency with engineering hand calculations for structural, thermal, hydraulic, and related analyses.
Experience in manufacturing processes such as machining, fabrication, welding, and assembly.
Experience in highly regulated, high-precision industries such as nuclear, aerospace, power generation, or medical device manufacturing.
Experience with process improvement, tooling development, and lean manufacturing principles.
Ability to troubleshoot manufacturing issues in real time and provide effective technical solutions.
Experience with Product Data Management (PDM) or Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems similar to Windchill or other configuration management tools.
Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to approximately 10-13 weeks per year, including occasional trips of 1-2 weeks in duration.
Strong written communication skills for preparing design basis documents, technical reports, calculations, and engineering drawings.
Ability to work within formal quality procedures for design and configuration management.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in welding engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline is a plus.
Formal education or degree in weld engineering is strongly preferred.
Experience applying design for manufacturing principles using manufacturer input and test results to refine designs.
Experience with heavy manufacturing startup and follow-up for first-of-a-kind (FOAK) components.
Proficiency in CAD modeling and drawing production, with NX experience strongly preferred.
ASME component manufacturing experience, preferably with BPVC Section III components and at minimum Section VIII.
Experience with machining and assembly of high-temperature metallic alloys or high-pressure systems.
Ability to guide designs to accommodate NDE accessibility constraints, particularly in spatially limited configurations.
Experience supporting verification and validation (V&V) plans for analytical tools and participating in tool qualification activities.
Familiarity with consensus industry codes and standards used to guide mechanical design and manufacturing.
Experience working collaboratively with cross-functional engineering teams, partners, and suppliers.
Interest in contributing to a growing organization with significant opportunities for professional advancement.
Work Environment
The role is primarily based in an office environment, working within a structured engineering and quality framework that supports highly regulated, high-precision products. You will use modern engineering tools including 3D CAD software (such as NX) and PDMS/PLM systems (such as Windchill or similar configuration management platforms) to create and manage complex system models and documentation. The position involves close collaboration with internal engineering teams as well as external vendors and suppliers, often coordinating activities across multiple locations. While most work is office-based, you will periodically travel domestically and internationally-up to roughly 10-13 weeks per year-to vendor and partner sites to support manufacturing startup, troubleshooting, and oversight of production activities. The environment emphasizes rigorous adherence to quality procedures, industry codes and standards, and configuration management practices, with strong support for professional growth in a growing company that offers substantial opportunities for advancement.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Rockville, MD.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $70.00 - $90.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Rockville,MD.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Apr 17, 2026.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:
Hiring diverse talent
Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we've helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC-with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.
