Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer
Job Description
The Manufacturing Engineer translates complex engineering designs into manufacturable products, with a primary focus on metal fabrication for aerospace structures, assemblies, and integrations. This role reviews and interprets engineering drawings and GD&T, ensures components can be produced from raw materials, coordinates with machine shops and suppliers, and manages production workflows from released drawings through manufacturing into inventory. The position supports multiple long-term aerospace programs and plays a key role in maintaining quality and compliance with industry standards such as AS9100.
Responsibilities
- Review and interpret engineering drawings, including detailed GD&T, to ensure designs are fully understood and manufacturable.
- Assess and confirm that components can be manufactured from raw materials, with an emphasis on metal fabrication processes for aerospace structures and assemblies.
- Coordinate with machine shops and external suppliers to source and produce piece parts in alignment with engineering specifications and program requirements.
- Verify manufacturing requirements and specifications to ensure parts and assemblies meet design intent, quality standards, and regulatory expectations.
- Manage and track production workflows, including line balancing, to optimize efficiency, throughput, and resource utilization in the manufacturing process.
- Take parts from released engineering drawings through the complete manufacturing cycle and into inventory, ensuring accurate documentation and configuration control.
- Support aerospace manufacturing activities within structure, assembly, and integration environments, collaborating closely with technicians, quality representatives, and assembly engineers.
- Apply AS9100 quality management principles to manufacturing processes, contributing to compliance and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Engage with program teams across multiple spacecraft and satellite programs, serving as a dedicated owner throughout the program lifecycle.
- Collaborate with test and environmental teams to ensure manufactured components are compatible with spacecraft environmental testing, including thermal vacuum and EMI/environmental tests.
Essential Skills
- Hands-on manufacturing engineering experience, preferably in aerospace environments focused on structures, assembly, and integration.
- Strong ability to review, understand, and interpret engineering drawings, including comprehensive knowledge of GD&T.
- Experience with metal fabrication processes and machine shop operations, including working with suppliers and internal shops to produce precision piece parts.
- Knowledge of bills of materials (BOM) and their role in managing configurations, manufacturing workflows, and inventory.
- Practical understanding of AS9100 standards and their application in aerospace manufacturing and quality management.
- Familiarity with aerospace manufacturing processes, particularly for spacecraft or satellite structures and assemblies.
- Ability to verify manufacturing requirements and specifications and ensure parts meet design, quality, and performance criteria.
- Capability to manage and track production workflows and line balancing to support efficient, repeatable manufacturing operations.
- Ability to obtain a security clearance, including meeting all eligibility requirements associated with working on sensitive or classified programs.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience supporting long-term aerospace programs, serving as a dedicated engineering owner over multi-year program lifecycles.
- Background working on spacecraft or satellite programs, such as weather systems, NASA missions, or similar space-based platforms.
- Comfort collaborating with multidisciplinary teams that include technicians, quality representatives, and assembly engineers in a production facility.
- Understanding of environmental and EMI testing considerations for spacecraft hardware and how manufacturing decisions impact test outcomes.
- Strong communication and coordination skills for working with internal teams and external suppliers.
- Detail-oriented mindset with a focus on quality, documentation accuracy, and adherence to engineering and industry standards.
Work Environment
The role is based in an approximately 8,200 sq. ft. spacecraft manufacturing facility designed to support advanced aerospace programs. The facility includes thermal vacuum chambers and EMI/environmental test chambers, enabling in-house spacecraft environmental testing capabilities. Manufacturing activities support spacecraft up to roughly 1,500 kilograms, with close collaboration among a team that currently includes technicians, a quality manufacturing representative, and an assembly engineer. The environment is highly technical and program-driven, with engineers often serving as dedicated owners on programs that span 1–2 or more years, including NASA missions, weather satellite systems, internal research and development efforts, and anticipated future classified programs. The setting emphasizes precision, quality, and adherence to aerospace standards, with access to specialized equipment and close coordination between manufacturing, assembly, and test functions.
Job Type & LocationThis is a Permanent position based out of Centennial, CO.
Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $150000.00 - $180000.00/yr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
benefits available upon request
Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Centennial,CO.
Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Sep 22, 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.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
Posting ID: JP-006270927