Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Paint & Process Automation

Archer; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is building an in-house paint/finish capability for a high-volume eVTOL program in Santa Clara, CA. The Staff Manufacturing Engineer – Paint will lead the end-to-end paint process, commission the line, and develop scalable paint recipes that can be replicated across future production sites.

You will collaborate with Industrial Design, Design Engineering, Materials & Processes, and external suppliers to deliver production-ready solutions while meeting safety, quality, and regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Aerospace, Materials Engineering, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience developing and running industrial paint/coating processes in aerospace and/or automotive manufacturing.
• Experience specifying and commissioning paint booths, pretreatment lines, ovens, robotics, and paint application equipment, including FAT/SAT with suppliers.
• Strong background in SPC, FMEA, control plans, root-cause problem solving, and NPI-to-production ramp.
• Knowledge of coating chemistries, VOC controls, and paint booth airflow design.
• Proficiency with 2D/3D CAD to generate layouts, models, and drawings.
• Ability to manage projects and lead supplier tech integration.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of paint and coating processes for aircraft structures.
• Define paint line concepts and procure equipment specifications.
• Translate design requirements into manufacturable paint solutions with Design teams.
• Qualify coatings and surface prep, ensuring compatibility with bonding and assembly.
• Lead supplier selection, FAT/SAT, installation oversight, and production handoff.
• Develop control plans, work instructions, SPC charts, and poka-yoke for ops.
• Design automation to improve throughput and scalability.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Process control (SPC, FMEA)

Root-cause analysis

Supplier management

Technical specifications

Travel up to 10%

CAD familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Aerospace, Materials Engineering, or equivalent

Tools

Paint booths

Pretreatment lines

Ovens

Robotics

Paint application equipment

NX CAD

PLM, MES, ERP systems

Job description

Archer is building an in-house paint/finish capability for a high-volume eVTOL program in Santa Clara, CA. The Staff Manufacturing Engineer – Paint will lead the end-to-end paint process, commission the line, and develop scalable paint recipes that can be replicated across future production sites.

You will collaborate with Industrial Design, Design Engineering, Materials & Processes, and external suppliers to deliver production-ready solutions while meeting safety, quality, and regulatory