Senior Aerospace Prototyping Engineer — CNC Mastermind

Amazon Inc.; California, Northern (MO, KY); Hybrid; USD 137,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Kuiper Manufacturing Enterprises LLC seeks a Senior Prototyping Engineer to own the most complex aerospace prototype builds end-to-end on multi-axis mills, lathes, and mill-turn equipment. You will set the machining strategy, mentor machinists, and influence hardware manufacturability from early design to final production.

This role requires expert CNC knowledge, leadership in continuous improvement, and the ability to balance risk, cost, quality, and schedule across concurrent programs

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or an equivalent field.
• Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team.
• 10+ years machine shop experience operating complex CNC equipment machining precision aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability hardware.
• Expert-level knowledge of HyperMILL, ESPRIT, or equivalent CAM systems, including multi-axis programming.
• Expert knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• 4+ years overseeing continuous improvement initiatives by establishing processes and ownership.
• Must be able to visually inspect and distinguish fine detail in precision components.
• Must be able to frequently move lab equipment weighing up to 40 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Own the most complex, highest-risk aerospace prototype builds end-to-end on multi-axis mills, lathes, and mill-turn equipment.
• Define the lab's advanced machining strategy and standardize it for quality and repeatability at scale.
• Partner with design engineering early to drive design-for-manufacturability and influence decisions.
• Set machining quality and throughput standards and lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase throughput and reduce cycle time.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to machinists and prototyping engineers.
• Make independent technical judgments on ambiguous parts balancing risk, cost, quality, and schedule.
• Troubleshoot complex quality issues and drive corrective actions to root cause.

Skills

Mentor / tech lead

10+ years machine shop experience

CAM systems expertise

GD&T

Continuous improvement

Visual inspection

Heavy lifting

Education

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

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Amazon Kuiper Manufacturing Enterprises LLC seeks a Senior Prototyping Engineer to own the most complex aerospace prototype builds end-to-end on multi-axis mills, lathes, and mill-turn equipment. You will set the machining strategy, mentor machinists, and influence hardware manufacturability from early design to final production.

This role requires expert CNC knowledge, leadership in continuous improvement, and the ability to balance risk, cost, quality, and schedule across concurrent programs