Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Production Automation

About the role

As the Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Production Automation, you will own the design, development, and scale-up of an entirely new production line at Apex, from inception through full rate production. You'll act as the technical lead and driving force behind this line, defining the process architecture, selecting and integrating automation equipment, and partnering with design engineering to ensure the product is manufacturable at scale.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end development of a new production line, from process architecture definition through full rate production
• Design, specify, procure, and integrate automated manufacturing equipment, including SMT, pick-and-place, reflow, inspection, and associated material handling and test systems
• Develop process flows, work instructions, and tooling to support a highly automated, low-touch production environment
• Partner with design engineering to drive DFM/DFA feedback early in the product development cycle, ensuring manufacturability, testability, and yield at scale
• Lead process qualification, first article inspection, and validation activities to bring the line from prototype through production release
• Define and drive key production metrics including first pass yield, cycle time, takt time, and line utilization, and execute continuous improvement efforts against them
• Troubleshoot complex process, equipment, and quality issues on the production floor, and lead root cause and corrective action investigations
• Develop the hiring plan, training materials, and operational cadence needed to grow and sustain the line as throughput scales
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across production, quality, supply chain, and test to resolve manufacturing issues and support new product introductions
• Ensure compliance with safety regulations and best practices throughout the manufacturing and integration processes

Requirements

• U.S. Persons status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Electrical, Industrial, or related field)
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering within aerospace, electronics, medical device, automotive, or other complex hardware environments
• Demonstrated experience standing up a new production line or major production capability from the ground up, including equipment selection, process development, and ramp to rate
• Strong working knowledge of automated electronics assembly processes, including SMT, pick-and-place, reflow soldering, AOI, and ICT/functional test integration
• Prominent track record of implementing process improvements that resulted in measurable gains in quality, efficiency, or cost reduction
• Strong project management skills with ability to drive strategic initiatives from concept to execution across multiple concurrent workstreams
• Strong technical communication skills with ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, including design, quality, and supply chain
• Proven track record of leading root cause and corrective action investigations
• Able to operate effectively in fast-paced, hardware-intensive environments with a high degree of ambiguity

Preferred Requirements

• Experience specifying, procuring, and commissioning capital equipment for electronics or precision assembly lines
• Experience in spacecraft, launch vehicle, or other high-reliability aerospace manufacturing
• Experience scaling a production line from new product introduction to rate production
• Familiarity with IPC standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001) and high-reliability electronics workmanship requirements
• Familiarity with AS9100 or other high-reliability aerospace quality systems
• Familiarity with MES/ERP/MRP systems and digital production tracking
• Leverage Lean manufacturing, value stream mapping, or process optimization experience
• Tooling and fixture design experience for automated or semi-automated assembly