Chief Composite Manufacturing Engineer

globalhr; Riverside (CA); On-site; USD 205,000 - 389,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Relocation assistance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Collins Aerospace is seeking a Chief Manufacturing Engineer for Composite Materials to define, develop, and validate new manufacturing processes for advanced composites. You will lead strategy, execution, and improvement across enterprise initiatives to support high-rate production.

The role requires 10+ years in composite materials manufacturing, hands-on expertise (AFP, ATL, RTM, OOA curing, autoclave operations, NDI), and strong leadership across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) with minimum 14 years of experience or an Advanced Degree with 12 years of experience.
• 10+ years of experience in composite materials manufacturing and new process development in aerospace/high-performance structures.
• Proficiency in composite fabrication processes: hand layup, AFP, ATL, RTM, OOA curing, autoclave, and NDI methods.
• Experience with prepregs, adhesives, sandwich construction, tooling materials, and cure kinetics.
• Experience with process qualification, statistical methods, and production transition.

Responsibilities

• Develop the manufacturing process strategy and roadmap for composite structures.
• Lead design, development, and validation of end-to-end composite manufacturing processes for high-rate production.
• Establish and maintain manufacturing standards, specifications, and best practices.
• Partner with design engineering to optimize configurations for manufacturability and cost.
• Drive process maturity using PFMEA, DFM/A, SPC, and root cause analysis.
• Lead evaluation of new composite technologies, automation, and digital tools.
• Oversee tooling strategy, design requirements, qualification, and long-term capability.
• Provide technical leadership to engineers, suppliers, and production teams; mentor staff.
• Ensure processes meet quality, regulatory, and safety requirements.

Skills

Composite manufacturing

AFP/ATL/RTM

OOA curing

Autoclave operations

NDI methods

Prepreg systems

Adhesives

Tooling materials

Cure kinetics

Statistical process control

Process qualification

Production transition

Lean/Six Sigma

Education

STEM degree with 14+ years experience

Advanced degree +12 years

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Digital manufacturing

Automation systems

Model-based engineering

Job description

Collins Aerospace is seeking a Chief Manufacturing Engineer for Composite Materials to define, develop, and validate new manufacturing processes for advanced composites. You will lead strategy, execution, and improvement across enterprise initiatives to support high-rate production.

The role requires 10+ years in composite materials manufacturing, hands-on expertise (AFP, ATL, RTM, OOA curing, autoclave operations, NDI), and strong leadership across cross-functional teams.