Process Engineer

Express Employment Professionals - Cincinnati East; Sun Valley (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Valley, CA-based manufacturing firm is seeking a Process Engineer with extensive aerospace plating expertise to own special processes and translate customer specs into robust production methods. You will improve yield and develop standard work, routings and documentation for repeatable results.

The role requires hands-on capability with plating operations, process control, PFMEA, and cross-functional collaboration on the shop floor to ensure manufacturability and quality across all parts.

Qualifications

• Aerospace manufacturing experience is mandatory with direct plating knowledge.
• 5+ years in process/manufacturing engineering for metal finishing or related aerospace processes.
• Hands-on with plating facilities and precision machined parts, tolerances and post-process needs.
• Ability to interpret aerospace specs, drawings and customer requirements.
• Structured root-cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.
• Experience developing routings, sheets and controlled manufacturing docs.

Responsibilities

• Own aerospace plating processes (hard chrome, cadmium, electroless nickel) and related operations.
• Translate drawings and specs into master routings, sheets and parameters.
• Develop robust methods for masking, racking and plating thickness control.
• Collaborate with machinists, QA, planning and ops to resolve issues.
• Lead investigations of adhesion, thickness, pitting, contamination and other defects.
• Improve first-pass yield and process stability via chemistry, controls and data.

Skills

Aerospace experience

Metal finishing / electroplating

Root-cause analysis

Process control / PFMEA

Documentation and routings

Shop floor collaboration

Education

Bachelors in Engineering

Tools

Rectifiers

Plating line equipment

Tank controls

Job description

Process Engineer

Sun Valley, CA

Full time - Temp to hire

Monday through Friday - 8am to 5pm

$95k to $120k a year depending on experience

Busy manufacturing company, specializing in plating for the aerospace and aircraft overhaul industries, is looking for a Process Engineer to join their team in Sun Valley.

Summary: Seeking an experienced Process Engineer with mandatory aerospace experience and direct knowledge of plating/chemical-processing operations and precision machined parts. This individual will provide hands-on technical ownership of special processes, translate customer and industry specifications into robust production methods, improve first-pass yield and process capability, and develop controlled routings, technique sheets and standard work that reduce dependence on tribal knowledge.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical process ownership for aerospace hard chrome, cadmium, electroless nickel and related chemical-processing operations; support passivation, chem-film, cleaning, masking, baking, blasting and associated inspection requirements as applicable.
• Review customer drawings, purchase orders and governing specifications and translate requirements into controlled master routings, technique sheets, work instructions and process parameters.
• Develop robust processing methods for precision machined components, including masking, racking, current-density/rectifier considerations, plating thickness, dimensional build-up, runout, post-plate machining/grinding interfaces and protection of critical features.
• Work directly with machinists, platers, maskers, Quality, NDT, Planning and Operations to resolve technical issues and ensure manufacturable, repeatable process sequences.
• Lead root-cause investigations for adhesion failures, thickness variation, burns, pitting, roughness, contamination, dimensional nonconformance, salt-spray failures, hydrogen-embrittlement concerns and other plating defects.
• Analyze tank chemistry, operating parameters, agitation, filtration, rectification, anode condition, racking and process controls to improve first-pass yield and process stability.
• Support qualification, validation, periodic testing and customer/Nadcap audit readiness; ensure technical documentation remains aligned with current specification revisions.
• Create and maintain process control plans, PFMEAs, capability studies, validation plans, engineering trials and structured improvement actions where appropriate.
• Evaluate new customer work for technical feasibility, process risk, tooling/racking needs, capacity and special requirements before production release.
• Support Estimating with accurate process assumptions, cycle times, masking complexity, tooling needs and technical risk for new RFQs.
• Develop fixtures, racks, masking concepts and process improvements that increase throughput while protecting part quality and dimensional requirements.
• Lead technology transfer and operator training so critical process knowledge is documented, standardized and repeatable across technicians and shifts.
• Support capital-equipment and facility improvement projects involving tanks, rectifiers, filtration, agitation, ovens, process controls and other plating infrastructure.

Qualifications:

• Aerospace manufacturing experience is mandatory; candidates without direct aerospace experience will not be considered.
• Minimum 5 years of process/manufacturing engineering experience supporting metal finishing, electroplating, chemical processing or closely related aerospace special processes.
• Hands-on experience with plating facilities and precision machined parts, including understanding of dimensional tolerances, surface condition, masking, plating build-up and post-process requirements.
• Working knowledge of aerospace specifications and customer-controlled processing requirements; experience interpreting engineering drawings and specifications.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot plating defects using structured root-cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Experience developing routings, technique sheets, work instructions, process parameters and other controlled manufacturing documentation.
• Strong understanding of process control, chemistry/parameter discipline, validation, measurement systems and data analysis.
• Ability to work effectively on the shop floor with technicians while communicating technical issues clearly to customers, Quality and leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical, Manufacturing or related Engineering discipline.
• Experience with hard chrome and cadmium plating of aerospace landing-gear, actuator, hydraulic, fastener or other precision machined components.
• Nadcap Chemical Processing experience and familiarity with AS9100 quality systems.
• Lean Six Sigma / DOE / SPC / PFMEA experience.
• Experience with plating line equipment including rectifiers, agitation, filtration, tank controls and process monitoring.