Senior Specialist, Manufacturing Engineer
L3Harris · Waco, TX
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 6+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at L3Harris (aerospace & defense) in Waco, TX. Evaluate, develop, implement, and optimize manufacturing processes for complex aerospace and defense products.
- They ask for
- 6+ years · degree required · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, Value stream mapping, Root cause
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Texas: typical posted base $85k–$132k.
Median of the low and high ends of 44 live postings that list pay, out of 206 manufacturing engineer openings in Texas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Texas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 205 other live manufacturing postings in Texas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (6+ vs 5+)
Typical $85k–$132k, from 44 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 51%
- ✓ Root cause 47%
- ✓ Lean 40%
- Automation 38%
- New product launch 38%
- ✓ Six Sigma 26%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Black Belt, Green Belt, Value stream mapping, GD&T, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at L3Harris
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: L3Harris in Waco
4 other open roles at this site.
- Director, Aerospace Engineering · Manufacturing · Director+
- Facilities Technician B · Reliability · Technician
- Manufacturing Technician B · Manufacturing · Technician
- Senior Specialist, Quality Engineer · Quality · Senior
Senior Specialist, Manufacturing Engineer at L3Harris in other locations
L3Harris lists this title in 3 places. Pick the plant you can get to.
Full description from L3HarrisAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
into robust production processes, solve complex problems, and lead initiatives that improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
Essential Functions
- ◆Evaluate, develop, implement, and optimize manufacturing processes for complex aerospace and defense products.
- ◆Provide technical leadership from design transition through production, sustainment, and process improvement.
- ◆Review engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, and configuration
requirements
for manufacturability.
- ✓Create and maintain manufacturing plans, work instructions, routings, tooling requirements, and process documentation.
- ✓Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions using structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, 5 Whys, and fishbone analysis.
- ✓Support nonconformance resolution, material review activities, and production issue escalation.
- ✓Collaborate with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Production Planning to implement improvements, resolve cross-functional issues, and ensure compliance with aerospace industry standards, regulations, and site safety protocols.
- ✓Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives, including waste reduction, process standardization, cycle-time reduction, and capacity improvement.
- ✓Design, develop, and validate tooling, fixtures, equipment, and production aids.
- ✓Support production readiness reviews, first-article inspections, process qualification, and customer or regulatory audits.
- ✓Analyze process data and performance metrics to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- ✓Mentor and provide technical guidance to less-experienced manufacturing engineers.
- ✓Coordinate with suppliers and operations partners to resolve manufacturing and quality issues.
- ✓Ensure compliance with applicable company procedures, quality standards, safety requirements, and export-control regulations.
- ✓Communicate technical status, risks, recommendations, and recovery plans to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in STEM with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience or Graduate Degree with a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience
- ✓Experience supporting production in an aerospace, defense, electronics, aircraft, or other highly regulated manufacturing environment.
- ✓Demonstrated experience of manufacturing processes, engineering drawings, GD&T, configuration management, and production documentation.
- ✓Demonstrated experience with root-cause analysis, corrective action, and continuous-improvement methods.
- ✓Experience interpreting technical
requirements
and communicating effectively with engineering, production, quality, and leadership teams.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.
L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.
Job Title : Senior Specialist, Manufacturing Engineer
Job Location: Waco, TX
Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days- totaling 80 hours worked- and have every other Friday off
Job Description
L3Harris is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to support the advanced manufacturing operations at our Waco, Texas site. This position will provide technical leadership for complex manufacturing processes, drive continuous improvement, and partner with operations, quality, design engineering, supply chain, and program teams to deliver high-quality products on schedule and within budget.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing professional who can translate engineering
Preferred Additional Skills
- +Experience in aerospace, defense, electronics, or another high-reliability or regulated manufacturing environment.
- +Lean or Six Sigma certification, such as Green Belt and Black Belt.
- +Experience with product-line layout, facility or work-cell design, value stream mapping, line balancing, capacity planning, production scheduling, or discrete-event simulation.
- +Experience with manufacturing KPIs, labor standards, standard work, ergonomics, and production system design.
- +Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, ESD controls, FOD prevention, and other aerospace or defense quality practices.
- +Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, Minitab, JMP, FlexSim, Plant Simulation, or CAD is a plus.
- +Familiarity with AI-enabled productivity and data-analysis tools, including Claude, Codex, or comparable tools, is also desirable.
- +Experience facilitating cross-functional teams, training production personnel, or leading improvement projects.