Manufacturing Process Engineer — Aerospace & Defense

Divergent; Long Beach (CA, NM); On-site; USD 92,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity plan

Bonus opportunities

Paid vacation

Parental leave

Health benefits

Learning & development reimbursement

Job summary

Divergent is seeking a Manufacturing Process Engineer to lead day-to-day operations of machining, automated assembly, anodize, inspection, and cleaning work centers in a fast-paced aerospace/defense environment.

You will drive process improvements, scale production, and collaborate with design, manufacturing, and software teams to reduce cycle times while maintaining high reliability and quality across programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 8+ years of experience in aerospace or defense industries.
• Hands-on experience with advanced manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing, robotics, coatings, and inspection/quality.
• Direct experience with machining, additive manufacturing, coatings, and inspection/quality.
• Proficiency in CAD/CAM software (e.g., Siemens NX, AutoCAD).
• Advanced knowledge of CNC machining, structure assembly, GD&T, tooling, and metrology.
• Experience evaluating, selecting and commissioning machines to meet manufacturing capabilities.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to innovate in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work on multiple projects in parallel.

Responsibilities

• Own daily production execution with the production floor to resolve issues and ensure steady throughput.
• Develop and implement best practices, processes, strategies, and calibration procedures to improve operational capacity.
• Monitor utilization and WIP flow through the work centers and align with production targets.
• Act as the technical bridge between design/manufacturing engineering and production teams.
• Lead development, execution, and continuous improvement of machining, automated assembly, automated anodize, inspection, and cleaning centers.
• Collaborate on programming for 3-axis, 3+2, and 5-axis CNC mills using Siemens NX CAM.
• Provide feedback using GD&T, tooling, feeds/speeds, and fixturing knowledge.
• Introduce standardized strategies, programming conventions, and setup documentation to improve consistency and reduce cycle times.
• Leverage metrology and inspection expertise to drive quality assurance in production.
• Lead efforts to integrate new machines, equipment, tools, and fixturing into production; support commissioning.
• Co-drive DFM conversations with Manufacturing engineering to improve part manufacturability.
• Develop and implement fixturing strategies for complex geometries (including additive manufactured ones).
• Support automation integration to enhance scalability and precision.
• Analyze data to identify trends, inefficiencies, and root causes of scrap or delays; implement corrective actions.
• Create and maintain detailed documentation for consistency across shifts and teams.
• Collaborate with software and data teams to integrate production metrics into real-time dashboards.

Skills

Aerospace/Defense

CNC Machining

GD&T

Metrology

Additive Manufacturing

Robotics

Tooling/Fixturing

Cross-functional Collaboration

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering

Master's degree (preferred) in mechanical/manufacturing/aerospace engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

AutoCAD

Job description

Divergent is seeking a Manufacturing Process Engineer to lead day-to-day operations of machining, automated assembly, anodize, inspection, and cleaning work centers in a fast-paced aerospace/defense environment.

You will drive process improvements, scale production, and collaborate with design, manufacturing, and software teams to reduce cycle times while maintaining high reliability and quality across programs.