Director Chief Manufacturing Engineer (Onsite)

Prattwhitney; Riverside (CA); On-site; USD 234,000 - 389,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Three weeks of vacation

401(k) plan with employer matching

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance and disability coverage

Relocation assistance

Job summary

RTX in Riverside, CA, seeks a Chief Manufacturing Engineer for Composite Materials to define and scale advanced manufacturing processes for high‑rate aerospace structures. You will lead cross‑functional teams, establish standards, and drive maturation of AFP/ATL/RTM/OOA technologies from concept to production.

The role requires 10+ years in composite manufacturing, expert knowledge of resin transfer molding, automated fiber placement, autoclave operations, and robust SPC and DFx practices.

Qualifications

• STEM degree with 12+ years aerospace composite experience.
• 10+ years in composite materials manufacturing and new process development.
• Experience with AFP, ATL, RTM, OOA curing, autoclave operations and NDI.
• Experience with process qualification, statistics, and production transition.
• Lean/Six Sigma certification.

Responsibilities

• Develop the manufacturing process strategy and roadmap for composite structures.
• Lead design, development, and validation of end-to-end composite processes for high-rate production.
• Establish and maintain manufacturing standards and best practices for composite fabrication.
• Partner with design to optimize part configurations for manufacturability and cost.
• Drive process maturity using PFMEA, DFM/A, SPC, and root cause analysis.
• Lead evaluation and implementation of new composite technologies and digital tools.

Skills

Composite fabrication

Statistical process control

Process qualification

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional leadership

Education

STEM degree

Advanced degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-08-07 Country: United States of America Location: US-CA-RIVERSIDE-8200B1 ~ 8200 Arlington Ave ~ BLDG B1 Position Role Type: Onsite U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the company’s immigration sponsorship now or in the future. The company will not offer immigration sponsorship for this position. The company will not seek an export authorization for this role. Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required Security Clearance Status: Not Required

About the Company

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Role Overview

The Chief Manufacturing Engineer for Composite Materials is responsible for defining, developing, and validating new innovative manufacturing processes for advanced composite structures. This role will lead the technical strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of advanced composite fabrication methods to support high-rate program requirements related to quality, cost, and schedule. The position provides cross‑functional technical leadership, ensuring robust manufacturability, production readiness, and long‑term capability growth across the enterprise.

What You Will Do:

• Develop the manufacturing process strategy and roadmap for composite structures, including material selection, layup methods, tooling approaches, cure processes, and inspection technologies including full automation for future industrialization.
• Lead the design, development, and validation of end‑to‑end composite manufacturing processes from concept through full-rate production demonstrating statistical process control to be able to enter high-rate manufacturing for future aircraft platforms.
• Establish and maintain manufacturing standards, specifications, and best practices for composite fabrication, ensuring alignment with engineering requirements and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with design engineering to optimize part configurations for manufacturability, cost efficiency, and long‑term production stability.
• Drive process maturity using PFMEA, DFM/A, statistical process control, and robust root cause analysis methodologies.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of new composite technologies, automation solutions, digital manufacturing tools, and advanced materials.
• Oversee tooling strategy, including tool design requirements, tool qualification, and long‑term tool capability management.
• Provide technical leadership to engineers, suppliers, and production teams; mentor staff in composite processing fundamentals and advanced techniques.
• Ensure processes meet all quality, regulatory, and safety requirements, including qualification and certification activities.
• Serve as the technical authority/ signatory for composite manufacturing development, transition to production, rate increases, and field support.
• Provide technical leadership and training to develop a competent future workforce.
• Work across global engineering team to create supply of quality parts.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 14 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 12 years of experience.
• 10+ years of experience in composite materials manufacturing and new process development, within aerospace or high-performance structures.
• Technical expertise in composite fabrication processes such as hand layup, automated fiber placement (AFP), automated tape laying (ATL), resin transfer molding (RTM), out‑of‑autoclave (OOA) curing, autoclave operations, and NDI methods.
• Experience with composite materials behavior, prepreg systems, adhesives, sandwich construction, tooling materials, and cure kinetics.
• Experience with process qualification, statistical methods, and production transition.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Master’s degree in related field.
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional engineering teams and influence manufacturing strategy.
• Experience with digital manufacturing, automation systems, or model‑based engineering.
• Prior experience supporting large‑scale aerostructures or defense/commercial aerospace manufacturing programs.
• Lean/Six Sigma certification.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance
• Home and auto insurance
• Additional life and accident insurance
• Critical illness insurance
• Group legal
• ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

This role may be eligible for relocation.

The salary range for this role is 204,800 USD - 389,200 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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RTX is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.