Principal Manufacturing Engineer

A leading aerospace and defense manufacturer is seeking a hands-on Principal Manufacturing Engineer to lead manufacturing and process engineering in a build-to-print, AS9100 production environment. This is a floor-facing, execution-focused leadership role for an engineer who enjoys standing up and standardizing manufacturing processes — not a strategic, corporate, or multi-site oversight role.

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, the Principal Manufacturing Engineer owns day-to-day technical execution across CNC machining, metallic forming, tooling, and production engineering. The right person thrives close to the floor — establishing process controls, standardizing work, and improving manufacturability within a streamlined Lean / AS9100 operation. The role carries hands-on exposure to capital equipment planning and CNC programming, partnering with programmers, operations, and quality to keep build-to-print production stable, repeatable, on-spec, and on schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Lead hands-on manufacturing and process engineering for build-to-print production across CNC machining, metallic forming, and tooling.
• Stand up, document, and standardize manufacturing processes, work instructions, routings, and process controls in an AS9100 / Lean environment.
• Drive process stability and continuous improvement — cycle time, repeatability, setup reduction, yield, and manufacturability.
• Support spin forming, bump forming, brake forming, and large structural metallic operations with sound process and tooling decisions.
• Collaborate technically with CNC programmers on tool paths, speeds/feeds, and cycle time — programming exposure, not necessarily writing code.
• Support tooling and fixture strategy, process validation, and distortion / quality control for complex metallic components.
• Contribute to capital equipment planning — justification, selection, and implementation of new machines and capability.
• Partner day-to-day with Operations, Quality, and Manufacturing Engineering to execute to drawing, spec, schedule, and cost.
• Mentor and develop engineers and programmers; manage workload, priorities, and performance across the team.
• Maintain AS9100 process discipline and support ERP / MRP accuracy and manufacturing data integrity.

Required Qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or a related engineering field.
• 8\+ years in aerospace, defense, or precision metallic manufacturing within a build-to-print production environment.
• 3–5\+ years of engineering leadership / management with direct reports.
• Hands-on expertise in CNC machining and metallic forming; proven ability to stand up and standardize manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of CNC programming and CAD/CAM (Mastercam, CATIA, NX, or similar) — able to engage programmers at a technical level.
• Experience operating in an AS9100 and Lean / continuous-improvement environment.
• Exposure to capital equipment planning, justification, and implementation.
• U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct spin forming, bump forming, or brake forming experience.
• Background with large aluminum or titanium structural components.
• Lean Six Sigma or structured continuous-improvement certification.
• Experience supporting missile, launch vehicle, or hypersonic build-to-print programs.

Salary:

$160,000 - $175,000