Aerospace Composites Engineer From Prototype to Production

Poseidon Aerospace; California (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation support

Health benefits

6% Retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free meals & snacks

AI tools access

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace seeks a hands-on Composites Engineer to bridge design and fabrication for advanced airframe structures. You will develop tooling, layup processes, and production methods while supporting technicians on the shop floor and ensuring manufacturability and quality.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of composite fabrication or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, strong CAD skills, GD&T expertise, and a hands-on mindset for rapid prototyping and production readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering or equivalent technical experience.
• 2–5 years of hands‑on composite fabrication or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or related industries.
• Strong working knowledge of composite materials (carbon fiber, fiberglass, epoxy systems) and associated processes (hand layup, resin infusion, RTM, bonding).
• Demonstrated experience supporting technicians and shop‑floor operations.
• Ability to design and develop tooling and fixtures using CAD software
• Comfortable working with hand tools, measuring equipment, and basic shop machinery when developing or validating processes.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail in a fast‑paced, prototype‑oriented environment.
• Strong understanding of GD&T and the ability to apply proper tolerancing to tooling designs and composite fabrication drawings.

Responsibilities

• Design, fabricate and procure tooling, molds, jigs, and fixtures required for fabrication and assembly.
• Develop and document manufacturing processes for composite airframe components, including layup, bonding, curing, trimming, drilling, and assembly.
• Collaborate closely with design engineering to ensure manufacturability, structural integrity, and production efficiency of composite parts and assemblies.
• Work directly with technicians on the floor to support prototype builds, troubleshoot issues, and optimize build quality and efficiency.
• Define material handling, kitting, and cure cycle parameters to ensure process consistency and compliance with specifications.
• Support prototype builds and transition new designs to production, troubleshooting issues on the shop floor.
• Develop detailed work instructions, travelers, and manufacturing documentation.
• Analyze process capability and identify opportunities for cost reduction, yield improvement, and defect prevention.
• Support non‑conformance investigations and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Interface with suppliers on composite materials, tooling, and equipment.
• Provide training, mentoring and technical guidance to production technicians on new processes or tooling.
• Maintain accurate BOM information for all airframe components and subsystems.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, lean manufacturing efforts, and digital manufacturing integration.

Skills

CAD design

GD&T

Problem solving

Shop-floor experience

Mechanical reasoning

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Manufacturing/Materials Engineering

Tools

CAD software

Measuring tools

CAM tooling

Tooling design

Job description

Poseidon Aerospace seeks a hands-on Composites Engineer to bridge design and fabrication for advanced airframe structures. You will develop tooling, layup processes, and production methods while supporting technicians on the shop floor and ensuring manufacturability and quality.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of composite fabrication or manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, strong CAD skills, GD&T expertise, and a hands-on mindset for rapid prototyping and production readiness.