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Lead Manufacturing Engineer, DFMA - Avionics

Mach Industries · Huntington Beach, CA

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Level
Manager
Team
Manufacturing
Experience asked
8+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
15 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management manufacturing role at Mach Industries (aerospace & defense) in Huntington Beach, CA. Co-develop new components, processes and equipment with suppliers, contract manufacturers, equipment makers, universities and national labs.

They ask for
8+ years
Tools it names
OEE, Root cause, FMEA, DOE, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Automation

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

It asks for 8+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone on the team first.

At a glance

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  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Mach Industries

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  2. 2

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  3. 3

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    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
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    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

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  5. 5

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About the role

The Role

Great hardware balances performance, manufacturability and serviceability. Mach is building unmanned defense systems at a rate the traditional defense industrial base was never designed for. That takes designs that are built to be built: fast, right the first time, at the lowest cost, and easy to maintain in the field.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role with direct reports. As Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Avionics, you'll be Mach's go-to expert on designing electronics, harnesses and avionics boxes so they can be built, tested, installed and maintained quickly and without errors. You'll write Mach's Avionics DFMA guide. You'll push the field forward through research and development (R&D) on new materials, hardware and processes.

requirements

in RFQ packages for contract manufacturers and help evaluate supplier quotes.

Required Qualifications

  • ✓BS in Electrical, Mechanical, Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent.
  • ✓8+ years in avionics, PCBA or harness manufacturing or design engineering. This includes taking hardware from design into production at rate in aerospace, defense, automotive or consumer electronics.
  • ✓Working knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001 and IPC/WHMA-A-620.
  • ✓Experience with SMT processes, box build and electrical test.
  • ✓A track record of writing design standards, guides, process specs.
  • ✓Strong manufacturing and industrial engineering fundamentals: cycle time analysis, OEE, process capability (Cp/Cpk), gauge R&R, DOE, error proofing,
Show full description ↓

About Mach Industries

Founded in 2023, Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. At the core of our mission is the commitment to delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems that enhance the strategic capabilities of the United States and its allies. With a workforce of approximately 350 employees, we operate with startup agility and ambition.

Our vision is to redefine the future of warfare through cutting-edge manufacturing, innovation at speed, and unwavering focus on national security. We are dedicated to solving the next generation of warfare with lethal systems that deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.

Own the Avionics DFMA guide

  • •Write, publish and maintain Mach's Avionics DFMA guide. It should cover:
  • •design rules, with the reasoning and test data behind them
  • •preferred components, connectors, wire and processes
  • •standard features and tolerances
  • •worked examples and review checklists
  • •Write design-for-manufacturing, assembly and test rules (DFM, DFA, DFT) for PCBAs, wire harnesses, connectors and avionics enclosures (box build).
  • •Set connector retention and mate-assurance standards:
  • •two-stage connector position assurance (CPA) clips that ship pre-staged
  • •terminal position assurance (TPA) locks to confirm every terminal is fully seated
  • •audible, tactile and visual full-mate indicators, such as color-coded CPAs
  • •limits on mating and CPA engagement force (for example, per SAE/USCAR-25)
  • •Define how each connection is checked at the station: push-pull-push checks, CPA position checks by vision, and electrical continuity or mate-detect tests.
  • •Define the DFMA sign-off criteria for design gates and hold programs to them.
  • •Set and track DFMA metrics for each program, such as part count, unique connector count, assembly and test time, first-pass yield and cost.
  • •Keep the guide current with test results, production lessons and supplier input. Train design and manufacturing engineers to apply it.

Shape designs early

  • •Review vehicle and electrical architecture at concept, before designs lock: box placement, harness layout and connector strategy.
  • •Lead static and kinematic assembly studies (virtual builds) before hardware exists. Check harness routing, install paths, and hand and tool access to mate each connector and seat its CPA. Set harness routing, retention and installation rules.
  • •Drive content reduction (fewer connectors, wires and boards), simpler assembly, build-in-quality and ergonomic access. Push for features that suit automation.
  • •Define avionics poka-yoke standards, for example:
  • •connector keying and clocking
  • •a unique connector per interface
  • •two-stage CPA clips and TPA locks
  • •blind-mate or tool-less installation
  • •Lead value engineering on released designs: challenge assumptions and take out cost.

Enable trade studies and make vs. buy

  • •Build should-cost, cycle-time and rate models that show how design choices affect cost, capital investment, schedule and quality.
  • •Write the manufacturing

Lead R&D

  • •Lead R&D on automated harness fabrication, flex and rigid-flex circuits that replace harnesses, simpler interconnects, and faster-curing potting and coatings.
  • •Develop connector and CPA designs that confirm a full mate automatically, through vision or electrical mate detection.
  • •Plan and run designed experiments (DOE). Build test articles, test to failure, analyze results with sound statistics, and publish findings.
  • •Co-develop new components, processes and equipment with suppliers, contract manufacturers, equipment makers, universities and national labs.
  • •Lead manufacturing trials during prototype / validation builds to prove new processes.

Support production and suppliers

  • •Assess contract manufacturers, harness shops and connector suppliers on site, and push them toward best practices and lower investment.
  • •Work with connector suppliers on CPA and TPA design and qualification.
  • •Bring avionics expertise to design and process FMEAs (DFMEAs and PFMEAs). Maintain a library of known failure modes and proven controls.
  • •Lead root cause analysis on escapes and repeat defects, e.g. partially mated connectors, solder defects, miswires / connector damage. Feed fixes into the guide.
  • •Mentor engineers and help build Mach's DFMA function.

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