Job Title: Manufacturing EngineerJob Description
The Manufacturing Engineer serves as the technical focal point for assigned projects, ensuring that manufacturing processes and products comply with customer procurement specifications and internal requirements. This role drives product manufacturability, advanced quality planning, tooling design, and visual work instruction creation while meeting cost targets and eliminating waste from manufacturing processes. The Manufacturing Engineer leads new product introduction activities, supports production teams with technical expertise, and continuously evaluates and improves manufacturing methods for aerospace components and assemblies.
Responsibilities
Act as the primary technical focal point for assigned projects, ensuring compliance with customer product procurement specifications and internal manufacturing requirements.
Validate that manufacturing processes meet all customer and internal quality, performance, and documentation standards.
Initiate, drive, and continuously improve product manufacturability for detail parts, sub-assemblies, and top-level assemblies.
Review and approve planning document releases to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with manufacturing capabilities.
Lead Advanced Quality Planning (AQP) activities for assigned programs to ensure robust, repeatable manufacturing processes.
Direct, define, and summarize tooling requirements and coordinate tooling design as it applies to manufacturing and assembly processes.
Create clear, concise Visual Work Instructions (VWI) for detail parts, sub-assemblies, and top assemblies to support efficient production.
Apply operation time standards and develop Work Combination Sheets (WCS) to optimize workflow and labor utilization.
Ensure manufacturability of detail parts, sub-assemblies, and top assemblies, providing technical guidance between internal manufacturing and customer engineering teams.
Collaborate with suppliers to develop and refine their processes, and help identify and correct supplier-related manufacturing issues.
Lead the initial manufacturing cycles for all new detail parts, sub-assemblies, and assemblies associated with New Product Introduction (NPI).
Maintain a clear understanding of delivery schedules and adhere to them, working with Contracts Administration and Operations leadership to resolve conflicts or secure schedule adjustments when needed for tooling and process validation.
Evaluate the effectiveness of manufacturing processes and implement improvements to enhance quality, efficiency, and throughput.
Identify, implement, and drive cost reduction ideas, and participate in or lead special cost reduction initiatives as part of multi-disciplinary teams.
Serve as primary technical support or lead a Production Support Team, partnering with other team members to address and resolve manufacturing issues.
Perform Root Cause and Corrective/Preventive Actions (RCCA) to eliminate root causes of nonconforming products and prevent recurrence.
Perform, document, and validate component, assembly, and system processes such as machining, forming, stamping, heat treating, and chemical processing for materials including titanium, Inconel, aluminum, stainless steel, and O1 and D2 tooling steels.
Ensure that all engineering changes are properly documented, communicated, and implemented in production.
Coordinate and drive the design of tooling to support efficient, safe, and repeatable manufacturing and assembly operations.
Develop sound manufacturing processes based on existing organizational capabilities, equipment, and resources.
Review production drawings for technical content, manufacturability, and clarity, and ensure they align with process capabilities.
Make recommendations and offer credible, data-driven solutions to product, tooling, and process-related challenges.
Provide data and relevant technical information to support the quoting and estimating process.
Follow all organizational policies and procedures related to safety, quality, engineering, and operations.
Coach and support other Manufacturing Engineers on their process improvement projects and RCCA initiatives, fostering knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
Essential Skills
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or another engineering discipline with 3+ years of engineering experience, preferably in an aerospace environment, or a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or another engineering discipline with 2+ years of engineering experience in an aerospace environment.
Demonstrated experience in manufacturing engineering within an aerospace or closely related environment.
Strong knowledge of sheet metal and aerospace materials, including their properties and manufacturing considerations.
Proficiency with sheet metal-related processes such as welding, forming, non-destructive testing (NDT), and associated geometric tolerancing.
Hands-on experience with machining, forming, stamping, heat treating, and chemical processing of materials such as titanium, Inconel, aluminum, stainless steel, and O1 and D2 tooling steels.
Ability to develop and validate manufacturing processes that meet customer specifications and internal quality standards.
Experience creating clear, visual work instructions and planning documents for detail parts, sub-assemblies, and assemblies.
Capability to apply operation time standards and develop Work Combination Sheets (WCS) to support efficient production planning.
Proven track record in advanced quality planning (AQP) and new product introduction (NPI) activities.
Experience performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective and preventive actions for nonconforming products.
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to provide credible recommendations and solutions for product, tooling, and process issues.
Effective communication skills for collaborating with internal manufacturing teams, customer engineering, and suppliers.
Ability to manage multiple projects, adhere to delivery schedules, and coordinate schedule changes when necessary.
Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives in a manufacturing environment.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Experience in aerospace manufacturing environments, including legacy programs and new product introductions.
Background in process improvement and continuous improvement methodologies within manufacturing engineering.
Familiarity with project management practices to coordinate tooling design, process validation, and cross-functional initiatives.
Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams, including production, quality, planning, and supplier development.
Comfort wearing multiple hats and engaging with various teams and functions across the organization.
Experience supporting or leading production support teams to quickly resolve manufacturing issues.
Capability to contribute data and technical insights to support cost estimating and quoting activities.
Mentoring or coaching experience with other engineers on process improvement and RCCA projects.
Work Environment
This is an onsite position based in the main building, working a standard 40-hour week from Monday through Friday. The schedule is straight-time, with flexibility in start times to accommodate personal needs; typical hours are approximately 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with options to start between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. The role is part of a cohesive engineering and planning team of approximately 15 Manufacturing Engineers, including several team members focused on planning. The environment offers a mix of legacy aerospace projects and numerous new programs, providing good challenges, growth opportunities, and the chance to be involved with multiple teams and disciplines. The culture encourages collaboration, wearing different hats, and actively participating in continuous improvement and cross-functional initiatives.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Burbank, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $85000.00 - $90000.00/yr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
health, dental, vision, 401K, 10 holidays, 2 weeks PTO
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Burbank,CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Sep 25, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
