Automation & Machinery Process Engineer

United States Digital Space LLC

Hawthorne (CA)

On-site

USD 100,000 - 160,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Long-term incentives

Discretionary bonuses

Stock Purchase Plan

Medical, Vision, and Dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Disability Insurance

Life Insurance

Parental Leave

Paid vacation (3 weeks)

Holidays (10+)

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a Process Engineer, Machinery & Automation to own equipment from design through ramp, covering powder handling, mixers, and liquid dispensing for high-rate production. You will automate cells with PLC/HMI/SCADA and collaborate across materials, quality, and design to ensure flight-ready formulations.

The role requires a Bachelor's in engineering and 3+ years’ experience with production equipment, with onsite work and travel to vendor sites.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related engineering field.
3+ years hands-on experience with powder handling and automated dispensing.
Onsite role on the production floor; remote work not considered.
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs and pass site/background checks.

Responsibilities

Design, specify, procure, install, and commission powder handling/dispensing systems, industrial mixers, and liquid dispensing equipment for paints, adhesives, ablatives, sealants, fillers, and other formulated materials
Own powder equipment including hoppers, feeders (screw, vibratory, loss-in-weight), weigh/batch systems, dust collection, pneumatic conveying, and powder-to-liquid incorporation
Own mixers and blending equipment (high-shear, planetary, dual-asymmetric, ribbon, paddle, vacuum, reactors) including agitation, vacuum/degassing, temperature control, seals, cleanability, and integration with upstream feed and downstream dispense/packaging
Own liquid dispensing systems including pumps, meters, valves, manifolds, tanks, pressure/vacuum and temperature control, and single- or multi-component meter-mix-dispense platforms
Automate production cells with sensors, motion, recipe/batch control, interlocks, data logging, and PLC/HMI/SCADA integration to maximize unattended or semi-attended operation
Design custom tooling and fixtures that enable automation (dispense/hold tooling, changeover tooling, transfer tooling, alignment jigs, poke-yoke, robot/gantry interfaces); take tooling from CAD through fabrication, tryout, and production release
Lead capital equipment projects cradle-to-grave: vendor selection, design reviews, SOWs, procurement, factory acceptance testing (FAT) at vendor sites, site acceptance testing (SAT), installation, and ramp
Travel to vendors to execute FATs, validate rate/accuracy/repeatability/cleanability/safety, and drive design corrections before shipment
Productionize equipment and processes for new product introductions (NPIs), including work instructions, control plans, and rate capability demonstration
Partner with materials, quality, production, and design to ensure formulations are mixable and dispensable at scale and meet flight quality requirements
Drive root cause analysis, design of experiments (DOE), and statistical process control (SPC) on mix and dispense performance; continuous improvement for throughput, changeover, cleanability, dust control, and cost
Develop and maintain process specifications, SOPs, and equipment documentation; train technicians and hand off reliable cells to production
Support hazardous materials handling, containment, and EHS requirements for solvent-based, reactive, and powder chemistries