Composite Manufacturing Engineer Jobs in California

Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer

Job Description

The Manufacturing Engineer supports production operations by developing, improving, and troubleshooting manufacturing processes within a fast-paced aerospace and composites environment. This highly hands-on role works closely with shop floor personnel to drive efficiency, quality, and throughput across composite and metal assemblies for defense, space, and aircraft applications. The position offers significant exposure to advanced manufacturing processes and a strong opportunity to lead continuous improvement initiatives while collaborating closely with operations, quality, and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day production activities by providing hands-on shop floor troubleshooting and resolving manufacturing issues in real time.
• Develop, document, and maintain manufacturing processes, including detailed work instructions and standard work to ensure consistency and quality.
• Design and improve tooling and fixtures using SolidWorks to enhance manufacturability, safety, and efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on Lean principles, waste reduction, process optimization, and overall operational excellence.
• Collaborate closely with operations, quality, and engineering teams to identify root causes of production issues and implement robust corrective actions.
• Assist with process validation activities to ensure manufacturing processes meet quality, reliability, and regulatory requirements.
• Support production readiness activities and contribute to successful new product introduction (NPI) by developing and refining manufacturing processes.
• Improve manufacturing efficiency by reducing cycle times, optimizing workflows, and enhancing product quality across composite and metal assemblies.
• Provide hands-on support for composite manufacturing operations such as lay-up, tape wrapping, machining, bonding, and assembly.
• Work with CNC machining centers and other production equipment to support machining processes, troubleshoot issues, and refine process parameters.
• Contribute to project management efforts related to process engineering, tooling implementation, and production improvement initiatives.
• Ensure all processes and documentation align with quality standards and support compliance with aerospace manufacturing requirements.

Required:

• 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, composites, or similar
• Hands-on shop floor support experience (troubleshooting + process improvement)
• Experience with composite manufacturing (lay-up, bonding, assembly)
• Experience with machining / CNC processes
• Experience creating work instructions and process documentation
• Ability to design tooling/fixtures (SolidWorks or similar)
• Strong process improvement / Lean experience

Preferred:

• Experience working under AS9100 or ISO9001
• Exposure to NPI and production readiness

Work Environment

The role operates in a fast-paced aerospace manufacturing environment that supports complex composite and metal assemblies for defense, space, and aircraft applications. The position is highly hands-on in a shop-floor setting, with regular exposure to composite manufacturing processes such as lay-up, tape wrapping, machining, bonding, and assembly. The Manufacturing Engineer works alongside large-scale production equipment, including CNC machining centers, presses, autoclaves, ovens, and automated processing systems. The environment is highly collaborative, with close interaction across operations, quality, and engineering teams to meet production, quality, and delivery targets. The organization maintains a quality-driven culture operating under AS9100 and ISO9001 standards, with a strong emphasis on precision, compliance, performance, and rigorous process control. The work involves supporting technically complex, mission-critical products that require tight tolerances, advanced materials, and disciplined manufacturing practices.

This is a Permanent position based out of Santa Fe Springs, CA.

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $135000.00/yr.

Company Benefits Health insurance (medical coverage offered) Paid time off (PTO) / vacation policy Sick days Compensation-related perks Quarterly bonuses tied to company performance No weekends for many roles Optional overtime in some departments Company culture & team environment

This is a fully onsite position in Santa Fe Springs,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 14, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

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