Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Manager
WGI Inc is seeking an experienced Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Manager to lead our Manufacturing Engineering team and support the continued growth of our aerospace manufacturing operations. This is a hands-on leadership position for an individual who can combine strong technical manufacturing knowledge with the ability to develop engineers, support production, and drive measurable improvements in quality, productivity, cost, and delivery.
The Manufacturing Engineering Manager will work closely with Operations, Quality, Production Control, CNC Programming, Inspection, and senior management to ensure manufacturing processes are capable, repeatable, efficient, and properly supported.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, and develop the Manufacturing Engineering team while establishing clear priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
- Provide hands-on engineering support to CNC machining and other manufacturing operations.
- Lead the development and improvement of manufacturing processes for new and existing aerospace components.
- Oversee new product introduction (NPI), including process planning, tooling and fixturing, programming requirements, first-piece development, and transition into production.
- Review engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, customer requirements, and manufacturing documentation.
- Develop and improve routers, work instructions, manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, and process documentation.
- Work directly with Production to resolve machining, tooling, quality, and process-related issues.
- Identify manufacturing constraints and develop solutions to improve throughput, capacity, machine utilization, and on-time delivery.
- Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions related to scrap, rework, process variation, and manufacturing performance.
- Support CNC programming and machining process optimization for complex, close-tolerance aerospace components.
- Evaluate capital equipment, tooling, automation, and technology requirements to support current and future production.
- Work with Quality and Inspection to ensure manufacturing processes meet customer, regulatory, and internal quality requirements.
- Establish measurable engineering priorities and ensure projects are completed on schedule.
- Drive continuous improvement through data-based decision making and direct engagement with employees on the manufacturing floor.
- Support quoting and technical reviews by evaluating manufacturing feasibility, equipment requirements, tooling, cycle times, and process risk.
- Maintain strong communication between Engineering and Operations to ensure production issues are addressed proactively rather than reactively.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline preferred. Significant relevant aerospace manufacturing experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
- 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, preferably within aerospace or another high-precision manufacturing environment.
- Previous engineering management, supervisory, or technical leadership experience.
- Strong CNC machining and manufacturing-process knowledge.
- Experience with complex, close-tolerance machined components.
- Strong understanding of GD&T, engineering drawings, tooling, fixturing, process planning, and manufacturing documentation.
- Experience with root-cause analysis, corrective action, scrap reduction, and continuous improvement.
- Knowledge of CAD/CAM systems and CNC programming principles.
- Strong problem-solving and project-management skills.
- Ability and willingness to spend significant time on the manufacturing floor supporting engineers, supervisors, and machinists.
Preferred Experience
Experience with aerospace engine components, multi-axis CNC machining, grinding, EDM, CMM inspection, special processes, tooling and fixture design, AS9100 quality systems, Lean Manufacturing, and capital-equipment justification is highly desirable.
Position Type: Full-Time
Department: Manufacturing Engineering
Position Level: Manager
Why Join WGI?
WGI is an established aerospace organization supporting complex components for the commercial and military aerospace industries. This position provides an opportunity to have a direct impact on the development of our manufacturing capabilities, engineering organization, production performance, and future growth.
We are looking for a hands-on engineering leader who is comfortable working equally well in the engineering office and on the manufacturing floor, someone who can develop people, solve difficult manufacturing problems, and turn engineering solutions into sustainable production results.