Contamination Control Engineer

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) designs and manufactures first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS’ expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions support critical fleet, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and process and monitoring applications for defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide.

About the role

With limited direction, the Contamination Control Engineer is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining contamination control strategies that ensure the successful manufacture, integration, and testing of high-reliability aerospace hardware and optical systems. This role serves as the subject matter expert for contamination control and cleanroom operations to establish and maintain contamination control requirements throughout the product lifecycle. This position also supports the design, development, and implementation of new and revised production processes to ensure the efficient and economical fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing of flight hardware in compliance with customer, regulatory, and industry standards.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain contamination control plans, procedures, and work instructions for manufacturing and integration activities.
• Establish contamination control requirements for cleanrooms, assembly areas, thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing, and precision cleaning operations.
• Define and monitor cleanliness levels including particulate, molecular contamination, and Non-Volatile Residue (NVR) requirements.
• Develop, implement, and maintain methods, operation sequence and processes in the manufacture or fabrication of parts, components, sub-assemblies, and final assemblies.
• Lead contamination risk assessments through product design, manufacturing, transportation, and environmental testing.
• Support precision cleaning, bake-out, packaging, storage, and handling requirements for flight hardware.
• Manage contamination monitoring programs including airborne particle counts, surface cleanliness inspections, witness samples.
• Design the arrangement of manufacturing equipment to ensure most efficient and productive layout.
• Design the sequence of production operations, specifying procedures for the fabrication of applicable tools and equipment, and adapting machinery.
• Interface and collaborate with design engineering in coordinating the release of new products.
• Provide guidance to product design engineering on technical specifications that will best utilize equipment and manufacturing techniques.
• Work with Facilities to maintain cleanroom certification, filtration systems, and environmental controls.
• Ensure that production processes and procedures are in compliance with regulations.
• Maintain records and reporting systems for coordination of manufacturing operations.
• Develop appropriate documentation of findings and implemented solutions and communicate results to staff.
• May be required to make technical presentations to staff.
• May provide direction to less experienced professionals, design staff or technicians.
• Maintain the strict confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Typically requires a bachelor's in engineering or a related technical field as well as nine or more years of manufacturing engineering experience. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
• Experience supporting ISO Class 5–8 cleanrooms or equivalent controlled environments.
• Knowledge of particulate contamination, molecular contamination, NVR, precision cleaning, and contamination monitoring techniques.
• Demonstrates an extensive technical expertise and application of manufacturing engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice with the ability to organize, plan, schedule, conduct, and coordinate workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones with some experience in project leadership.
• Must possess the ability to understand new concepts quickly and apply them accurately throughout an evolving environment.
• Customer focused, formulates plans based on the development of innovative new designs in resolving extremely complex manufacturing engineering problems.
• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills are required enabling an effective interface with other departments and/or professionals, and capable of representing the organization as a prime technical contact, as well as providing leadership and guidance to less experienced professionals.
• Must be able to work both independently and in a team environment. Able to work extended hours as required.

Pay

Salary range: $98,100 - $171,398