Manufacturing Engineer – Radar Systems

Location: Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Employment Type: Full-Time
Work Arrangement: On-Site
Clearance: U.S. Citizenship and eligibility for a DoD security clearance required

About the Opportunity

An advanced aerospace and defense technology company is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to serve as a key technical leader supporting the production and integration of sophisticated radar and electromechanical systems.

This is a highly hands-on role focused on the production floor, where you will work directly with technicians, quality, test, design engineering, and supply chain to keep builds moving, resolve technical issues, improve manufacturing processes, and increase production yield.

The ideal candidate is comfortable moving between engineering documentation and hands-on hardware troubleshooting and enjoys solving problems in a fast-moving production environment.

What You'll Do

Production & Integration Support

• Provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support for radar assembly, integration, and test operations.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and RF-related integration issues during production.
• Rapidly identify and resolve build issues, test failures, and production constraints.
• Develop containment and corrective actions for manufacturing escapes.
• Partner with Quality and Design Engineering to disposition nonconformances and resolve recurring issues.
• Develop and improve rework and repair processes.
• Support production readiness and rate ramp activities.

Yield & Process Improvement

• Analyze production yield, test results, environmental testing, and manufacturing failure trends.
• Identify recurring defects and systemic process weaknesses.
• Lead structured root-cause investigations using methodologies such as 8D, RCCA, and Fishbone analysis
• Develop and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive measurable improvements in:
  • First-pass yield
  • Cycle time
  • Rework rates
  • Throughput
  • Production quality
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturability and reduce production variability.

Manufacturing Process Development

• Develop, maintain, and improve:
  • Work instructions
  • Assembly process flows
  • Integration sequences
  • Standard work
  • Manufacturing documentation
• Apply design-for-manufacturability and assembly (DFMA) principles to production hardware.
• Design and improve fixtures, tooling, and test interfaces.
• Implement error-proofing and poka-yoke techniques.
• Identify opportunities to introduce automation where it can improve quality, throughput, or consistency.
• Interpret engineering drawings, schematics, and manufacturing requirements and translate them into practical production processes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with production technicians to resolve day-to-day manufacturing challenges.
• Partner with Quality, Test, Design Engineering, and Supply Chain teams on production issues.
• Support supplier-related manufacturing problems affecting production.
• Participate in daily production reviews and manufacturing readiness discussions.
• Communicate production risks, constraints, and improvement opportunities to engineering and operations leadership.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM discipline
• Approximately 3–7+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, or other complex electromechanical manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience providing hands-on manufacturing engineering support on a production floor.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across mechanical and electronic assemblies.
• Experience applying DFMA principles to real production hardware.
• Experience creating and maintaining manufacturing documentation, including:
  • mBOMs
  • Work instructions
  • Process flows
  • Standard work
• Working knowledge of:
  • GD&T
  • Engineering drawings and schematics
  • Root-cause analysis
  • 8D / RCCA / Fishbone methodologies
  • Process capability and manufacturing performance metrics
• Strong ability to work directly with technicians and engineers to diagnose and resolve production problems.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment with changing production priorities.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.

Particularly Relevant Experience

Experience with the following is especially valuable:

• Radar or other RF systems.
• Complex electronic or electromechanical assemblies.
• Production integration and environmental testing.
• RF troubleshooting fundamentals.
• PCBA integration.
• Harnesses, connectors, and cable assemblies.
• Thermal interface materials and structural assembly practices.
• Low-rate initial production (LRIP) and production rate ramps.
• Manufacturing environments transitioning from prototype builds toward higher-rate production.
• MES, PLM, or ERP systems.
• Formal Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) assessments.
• SOLIDWORKS or comparable CAD tools.
• IPC standards or certification.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, you will be expected to quickly become a trusted manufacturing engineering resource on the production floor.

Success will include:

• Resolving production issues quickly enough to maintain build schedules.
• Improving first-pass yield and reducing recurring manufacturing defects.
• Establishing clear, repeatable assembly and integration processes.
• Reducing rework and cycle time through process improvements.
• Improving the quality and usability of manufacturing documentation.
• Identifying manufacturing risks before they affect production schedules.
• Helping engineering and production teams successfully transition hardware through increasing production rates.
• Establishing scalable processes that support future production growth.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to work directly on complex aerospace and defense hardware while having a tangible impact on how that hardware is manufactured.

Rather than focusing exclusively on documentation or long-term process planning, this role sits close to the hardware and the people building it. You will have the opportunity to diagnose problems in real time, influence engineering decisions, improve production processes, and help scale sophisticated systems toward higher production rates.

The role is particularly well suited to a Manufacturing Engineer who enjoys hands-on problem solving, production-floor ownership, and continuous improvement

Compensation & Benefits

Target base salary range: $110,000–$160,000, depending on experience, technical qualifications, and other relevant factors.

The company offers a competitive benefits package, equity participation, and relocation assistance for qualified candidates.

This is a full-time, on-site position in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.