Aerospace Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer — NPI/DFM Lead

Beehive Industries, LLC; Centennial (CO); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with match

Equity in company

Bonus eligible

Job summary

Beehive Industries in Centennial, Colorado is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to own manufacturing engineering activities for assigned products through the lifecycle, leading process development, NPI readiness, DFM/DFA collaboration, and production improvements.

You will mentor junior engineers, partner across functions, support APQP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, Lean, and strive to enhance yield, cycle times, and scalability while ensuring readiness from prototype to production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or related technical field required.
• 5+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years with a Master’s; or equivalent.
• Experience with manufacturing engineering activities through NPI and production environments.
• Experience with machining, assembly, additive manufacturing, or welding.
• Experience leading DFM/DFA and manufacturing readiness efforts.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-functional influence.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Own manufacturing engineering execution for assigned products, modules, or components.
• Lead manufacturing process definition, workflow development, and production readiness activities.
• Drive DFM/DFA collaboration with Design Engineering teams.
• Support product transition from prototype development through production execution.
• Develop manufacturing requirements, tooling concepts, process documentation, and technical standards.
• Identify and mitigate manufacturing risks impacting cost, quality, schedule, and production readiness.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions for manufacturing issues.
• Partner with Plant Manufacturing Engineering teams to implement production processes.
• Drive improvements in yield, cycle time, throughput, and manufacturability.
• Support manufacturing trade studies related to process selection, cost, and scalability.
• Support APQP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, and Lean Manufacturing activities.
• Serve as manufacturing representative on Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

NPI readiness

DFM/DFA

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional lead

Lean manufacturing

Project management

GD&T

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Beehive Industries is dedicated to Powering American Defense by revolutionizing the design, development, and delivery of jet propulsion systems to support the warfighter. Through the integration of additive manufacturing, the company aims to meet the growing and urgent needs for unmanned aerial defense by dramatically improving a jet engine’s speed to market, fuel efficiency, and cost.

Founded in 2020, the company is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, with additional facilities in Knoxville, Tennessee, Loveland Ohio, and Mount Vernon, Ohio. Beehive is committed to grow and advance the defense industrial base while manufacturing exclusively in the USA. This role will be located at our Centennial, Colorado facility.

Role Overview

Owns manufacturing engineering activities for assigned products or components throughout the product lifecycle. Leads manufacturing process development, NPI readiness, DFM/DFA collaboration, and production improvement initiatives. Serves as a technical resource for manufacturing challenges and partners cross-functionally to ensure scalable and producible designs.

What You’ll Do...

• Own manufacturing process execution, capability, and production readiness for assigned manufacturing areas, processes, products, or components
• Translate product manufacturing strategy, process intent, and technical requirements provided by Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering into capable, repeatable, and scalable production processes
• Develop, implement, qualify, and continuously improve manufacturing processes across additive manufacturing, machining, assembly, inspection, post-processing, or related advanced manufacturing operations
• Lead process implementation and production-readiness activities from NPI transfer through sustained production and rate ramp
• Partner with Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering to ensure manufacturing requirements, product characteristics, process intent, and technical risks are properly translated into site-level manufacturing controls
• Lead development and maintenance of manufacturing Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEAs, Control Plans, work instructions, standard work, routings, and other production process documentation
• Ensure critical and key product characteristics are appropriately created, controlled, measured, and verified within the manufacturing process
• Lead manufacturing process qualification, capability studies, and production validation activities prior to release into sustained production
• Provide direct technical support to Operations for manufacturing issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, cost, yield, or throughput
• Own implementation of engineering and configuration changes at the manufacturing site, including updates to tooling, programming, routings, work instructions, inspection requirements, qualification activities, and operator training
• Monitor and improve site manufacturing performance including first-pass yield, scrap, rework, cycle time, takt attainment, throughput, process capability, and equipment effectiveness
• Support low-rate initial production and production ramp activities while ensuring manufacturing processes transition into stable, controlled, and sustainable production systems
• Serve as the site manufacturing engineering representative on Manufacturing Program Teams, production-readiness reviews, and other cross-functional manufacturing forums
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, process capability, throughput, and manufacturing scalability

You have...

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field

Experience

• 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, propulsion, turbomachinery, additive manufacturing, machining, assembly, or complex mechanical systems environments
• Strong CAD skillset (Siemens NX and Teamcenter environments preferred)
• Experience developing, implementing, qualifying, and sustaining manufacturing processes in a production environment
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes such as tight-tolerance machining, assembly, additive manufacturing, welding, inspection, or related advanced manufacturing methods
• Working knowledge of GD&T and the relationship between engineering requirements, manufacturing processes, and inspection methods
• Experience supporting products through NPI, production transition, and sustained production environments
• Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management teams
• Demonstrated experience improving manufacturing performance including yield, cycle time, scrap, throughput, quality, or process stability
• Strong problem-solving, technical communication, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced development and production environment
• The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government-issued security clearance is required. U.S. Citizenship is required, as only U.S. Citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Nice to have...

• Experience with aerospace propulsion systems or rotating machinery
• Experience in additive manufacturing and/or tight-tolerance machining environments
• Experience working within APQP-based manufacturing systems
• Experience scaling manufacturing processes from prototype or low-rate production into higher-rate production
• Experience with takt-time analysis, capacity modeling, OEE, line balancing, or manufacturing constraint management
• Experience implementing tooling, automation, mistake-proofing, or manufacturing equipment improvements
• Experience supporting AS9100 / IATF16949 manufacturing environments
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System, Theory of Constraints, or similar production-system methodologies
• Prior experience in a high-growth or fast-paced engineering and manufacturing organization

If this sounds like you, please submit an application with your resume. This could be the opportunity you are looking for to expand your skills, contribute to a winning team, and work with talented people who love what they do and take pride in our mission.

In compliance with Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the salary range for this position is $120,000- $145,200 base salary. Please note that wage information is a general guideline only, and we will consider factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, and market conditions when extending an offer.

Beehive Industries offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes group Medical, Dental, Life,and Short and Long-Term disability coverage from day one. We also offer a generous 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with a Company match.Every role at Beehive Industries is bonus eligible and will also receive equity in the company.

Beehive Industries is committed to full compliance with applicable anti-discrimination laws. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We strive to create an inclusive work environment and will not discriminateon the basis ofrace, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.