Composite Manufacturing Engineer

Mindscope; Hauppauge (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Mindscope is seeking an experienced Composite Manufacturing Engineer to lead processes for composite structural components. You will work on prepreg processing, resin infusion, autoclave curing, and related out-of-autoclave methods to meet DoD program requirements.

You will design tooling, develop manufacturing plans and SOPs, and collaborate across Engineering, Quality, and Production to drive manufacturability, reliability, and cost improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of five years of manufacturing engineering experience with composites in aerospace/defense.
• Expertise in prepreg processing, hand layup, vacuum bagging, resin infusion, autoclave curing, and out-of-autoclave methods.
• Proficiency with CAD software (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks).
• Ability to read drawings and MIL-SPECs, ASME Y14.5, and ply books.
• Experience with FMEA, SPC, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Strong communication and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and maintain composite manufacturing processes for structural components.
• Design tooling, fixtures, templates, and assembly aids for manufacturing efficiency.
• Create manufacturing plans, work instructions, routers, and SOPs per DoD and company standards.
• Develop and qualify composite materials and tooling per MIL-STDs and OEM specs.
• Develop layup, bonding, trimming, machining, curing, and assembly processes.
• Evaluate drawings, CAD models, and specs for manufacturability and DFM/DFA.
• Collaborate across Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, PM, suppliers and customers.
• Lead root cause investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Support MRB, FAI, process qualification, and ECO activities.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety, quality, cost, and productivity.

Skills

Composite manufacturing

Root cause analysis

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering or related

Tools

Siemens NX

CATIA

SolidWorks

Job description

Our client is seeking an experienced Composite Manufacturing Engineer with a strong background in composite materials, production processes and Department of Defense program requirements to join our team.

Job Function:

Responsibilities:

• Develop, optimize, and maintain manufacturing processes for composite structural components and assemblies, including hand layup, resin infusion, RTM, autoclave curing, and out-of-autoclave processes.
• Design, develop, and validate composite tooling, fixtures, templates, and assembly aids to support efficient manufacturing.
• Create and maintain manufacturing plans, work instructions, routers, process specifications, and standard operating procedures in accordance with customer, DoD, and company requirements.
• Develop and qualify composite materials, manufacturing processes, and tooling in compliance with MIL-STDs, aerospace OEM specifications, and program requirements.
• Develop layup, bonding, trimming, machining, drilling, curing, and assembly processes for composite structures.
• Evaluate engineering drawings, CAD models, and technical specifications to ensure manufacturability and support Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) initiatives.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Program Management, suppliers, and customers to support product development, production readiness, and process improvements.
• Lead root cause investigations and implement corrective actions for manufacturing issues, quality concerns, discrepancies, and nonconforming material.
• Support Material Review Board (MRB), First Article Inspection (FAI), process qualification, production readiness, and Engineering Change Order (ECO) implementation activities.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, cost reduction, manufacturability, and production efficiency.

Job Requirement:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting composite materials in the aerospace or defense industry.
• Strong knowledge of composite manufacturing processes, including prepreg processing, hand layup, vacuum bagging, resin infusion, autoclave curing, out-of-autoclave curing, adhesive bonding, trimming, machining, and composite assembly.
• Experience using CAD software such as Siemens NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or similar.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T (ASME Y14.5), MIL-SPECs, technical specifications, process standards, and ply books.
• Experience with manufacturing process development, tooling design, process validation, and production documentation.
• Knowledge of quality engineering principles, including FMEA, Statistical Process Control (SPC), root cause analysis, corrective actions, and failure analysis.
• Strong analytical, technical problem-solving, communication, and project management skills.
• Experience working in cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), military aerospace, or defense prime contractor programs.
• Experience supporting low-rate initial production (LRIP) and/or full-rate production environments.
• Experience with aerospace customer specifications such as Boeing BAC, Airbus AIPS, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX (Raytheon), or similar.
• Knowledge of AS9100 Quality Management Systems, NADCAP special processes, and AS9102 First Article Inspection (FAI).

The salary range is $100,000-$200,000.

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