Lead Manufacturing Engineer, DFMA - Joining

Mach Industries; Huntington Beach (CA); In loco; USD 120.000 - 180.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Mach Industries is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to own joining strategies and DFMA standards for vehicle assembly. You will manage torque tooling and adhesion processes, ensuring weld-free or hybrid joints meet strict quality.

This role is hands-on with direct reports and cross‑functional collaboration across Design, Manufacturing, and Quality teams. You will drive DFMA improvements, design-for-assembly, and supplier collaboration to ramp production.

Competenze

• BS in Mechanical, Materials or Manufacturing Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years hands-on experience in fastener engineering, adhesive bonding or joining process engineering (automotive).

Mansioni

• Own the Joining DFMA guide: write, publish, maintain, cover design rules, fasteners, adhesives, tolerances, review checklists.
• Own preferred fastener and adhesive lists; assign part numbers and drive program commonality.
• Define joint design rules: preload/torque, edge distance, thread engagement, inserts, locking methods; ensure galvanic compatibility.
• Set standards for automated fastening and dispensing: torque-angle monitoring, auto-feed, bead geometry, in-process inspection.
• Define DFMA sign-off criteria for design gates and hold programs to them.
• Set and track DFMA metrics per program: part count, unique fastener count, assembly time, first-pass yield, cost.
• Keep the guide current with test results and supplier input; train engineers to apply it.
• Own torque tooling procurement: write specs, choose vendors, manage lead times and budget.
• Deploy tools on the floor: set up tool programs and torque strategies; connect controllers to MES.
• Build torque mistake-proofing into each station; run calibration and residual torque checks with Quality.
• Shape designs early: review architecture for joining suitability; run DFMA studies; drive content reduction.
• Lead R&D: plan DOE experiments, test to failure, publish findings; release proven processes to production.

Conoscenze

Fastener engineering

Adhesive bonding

Joining process engineering

DFMA

Torque tooling

Formazione

BS in Mechanical, Materials or Manufacturing Engineering

Strumenti

MES (Manufacturing Execution System)

DOE

Descrizione del lavoro

About Mach Industries

Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.

About Mach Industries

Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition. Our vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.

The Role

As Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Joining, you'll be Mach's go‑to expert on how our vehicles are held together: when to bolt, rivet, bond, or combine methods. You'll own torque tooling and adhesive dispense standards in Mach's prototype factory. That means selecting, buying and deploying the tools our technicians use to build every vehicle, and making sure each joint is tightened right, every torque curve is reported, and every bead of adhesive meets profile inspection criteria.

You’ll push the field forward through research and development (R&D) on new materials, hardware and processes; from designing experiments, to building test articles, partnering with suppliers and moving what works into production. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role with direct reports. This role will work closely with Design Engineering, Vehicle Assembly ME, Prototype Factory operations, Quality, Supply Chain and Production to achieve overall production ramp goals across Mach’s factories.

Key Responsibilities

Own the Joining DFMA guide

• Write, publish and maintain Mach's Joining DFMA guide. It should cover:
• design rules, with the reasoning and test data behind them
• preferred fasteners, adhesives and joining processes
• standard joint features and tolerances
• worked examples and review checklists
• Own Mach's preferred fastener and adhesive lists. Cut unique part numbers and drive commonality across programs.
• Define joint design rules:
• fasteners: preload and torque, edge distance and pitch, thread engagement, inserts and locking methods
• galvanic compatibility
• bondlines: overlap, thickness control and surface prep
• Set standards for automated fastening and dispensing: torque-angle monitoring, auto-feed fasteners, bead geometry and in-process inspection.
• Define the DFMA sign-off criteria for design gates and hold programs to them.
• Set and track DFMA metrics for each program, such as part count, unique fastener count, assembly time, first-pass yield and cost.
• Keep the guide current with test results, production lessons and supplier input. Train design and manufacturing engineers to apply it.

Own torque tooling in the prototype factory

• Own torque tooling procurement: write tool specs, choose vendors, run quotes, manage lead times and own the tooling budget.
• Deploy tools on the floor:
• set up tool programs and torque strategies (torque, torque-angle, yield control)
• connect tool controllers to the production tracking system (MES) so every result is recorded
• Build torque mistake-proofing into each station, such as socket selectors, fastener count checks, and interlocks that run the right tool program for each joint.
• Run the torque tool calibration and maintenance program. Verify tool capability on real joints and set residual (audit) torque checks with Quality.

Shape designs early

• Review vehicle architecture and material choices at concept, before designs lock, with an eye to how parts will be joined.
• Run DFMA studies at the part, assembly and system level, and give design teams specific feedback backed by data.
• Drive content reduction, simpler assembly and build-in-quality. Push for wider tolerances where performance allows, and for joints that suit automation.
• Lead value engineering on released designs: challenge assumptions and take out cost.

Enable trade studies and make vs. buy

• Set the rules for choosing adhesive, mechanical or hybrid joints. Develop the data, cost models and decision criteria for adhesive‑vs‑fastener and other trade studies.
• Build should‑cost, cycle‑time and rate models that show how joining choices affect cost, capital investment, schedule and quality.

Lead R&D

• Set and run a joining R&D roadmap aimed at faster, cheaper, more reliable production.
• Plan and run designed experiments (DOE). Build coupons and test articles, test to failure, analyze results with sound statistics, and publish findings.
• Release proven processes to production. Write process specs, and define qualification and acceptance criteria.

Required Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical, Materials or Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of hands‑on experience in fastener engineering, adhesive bonding or joining process engineering. This includes taking hardware from design into production at rate in automotive