Advanced Manufacturing - Senior Engineer

About POWERTECH

POWERTECH is a center of excellence for propulsion technologies, specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of combustion engines, expendable turbojet engines, and turbofan engines for a wide range of aerospace, defence, and autonomous applications, including fixed- and rotary-wing UAVs and other advanced platforms.

Purpose

The Advanced Manufacturing Senior Engineer is a senior technical and team-leading role responsible for driving manufacturing process development, industrialization, and NPI execution for Powertech’s propulsion programs, including turbofan, microjet, and piston engines.

This role acts as a technical authority and team leader, supporting greenfield manufacturing setup, advanced machining and fabrication process development, and design-to-manufacture activities. The Principal Engineer works closely with the Manufacturing Engineering Manager, design engineering, partners, suppliers, and equipment vendors, while providing day-to-day technical leadership to engineers within the team.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Process Development & Industrialization

• Lead the development, qualification, and continuous improvement of advanced machining and fabrication processes for rotating and structural engine components.
• Provide technical leadership in advanced manufacturing processes such as precision turning, milling, multi-axis machining, airfoil machining, broaching, grinding, inertia welding, EB welding, forming, and other fabrication processes.
• Define and review manufacturing routings, work instructions, control plans, and inspection strategies.
• Lead or support process validation activities including FAI, PPAP/industrial qualification, and capability studies.

NPI & Program Execution

• Lead manufacturing engineering activities during New Product Introduction (NPI) from prototype through production readiness.
• Support industrialization planning, make/buy decisions, and production ramp-up activities.
• Act as the manufacturing focal point for assigned engine modules or component families.

Design-to-Manufacture & Concurrent Engineering

• Actively support concurrent engineering with design teams to influence part design for manufacturability, quality, and cost.
• Provide manufacturing inputs during design reviews, tolerance definition, material selection, and trade studies.
• Identify and mitigate manufacturing risks early in the development cycle.

Supplier & Partner Technical Support

• Technically support external suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Lead supplier process reviews, technical alignment, and improvement initiatives.
• Support technology transfer activities from partners to in-house manufacturing.

Technical Leadership & Team Support

• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and day-to-day guidance to manufacturing engineers.
• Support capability development, training, and standardization within the manufacturing engineering team.
• Contribute to best-practice development and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• 6+ years of experience in aerospace or propulsion manufacturing.
• Strong hands-on expertise in advanced machining and/or fabrication of rotating and structural engine components.
• Proven experience supporting NPI, industrialization, and production ramp-up activities.
• Proficiency in CAD/CAM systems and hands-on experience in CNC programming for manufacturing process definition, toolpath development, and manufacturability assessment.
• Working knowledge of machining simulation and optimization software, such as Vericut, Third Wave, CutPro, or equivalent, for collision checking, cycle time optimization, and process validation.
• Practical knowledge of cutting tools, inserts, tool holders and cutting strategies for aerospace alloys (e.g., titanium, nickel-based superalloys, aluminum, steels).
• Understanding of fixture concepts, work-holding methods, and shop-floor best practices.
• Experience leading technical activities, mentoring engineers, and providing day-to-day technical guidance.
• Ability to work effectively with design, quality, supply chain, partners, and equipment vendors in a concurrent engineering environment.

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