Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Program Lead

Job description

At Layup Parts, we're developing the technology that will build the future. We're a manufacturing technology company replacing months of lead time with days, using proprietary software, automation, and advanced manufacturing systems built for speed. Our customers are inventing what's next, in aerospace, defense, robotics, and beyond. To keep up with them, manufacturing has to change. That's what we're building. As a Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Program Lead, you’ll take end-to-end ownership of complex customer programs, leading them from initial technical evaluation and process development through tooling, qualification, production launch, and steady-state manufacturing. This is more than an individual contributor engineering role. You’ll serve as the technical and program lead for the work you own, coordinating across customers, manufacturing, quality, production, supply chain, software, and other engineering teams to keep programs moving. You’ll own the technical solution while also driving schedules, identifying risks, resolving roadblocks, and ensuring we deliver what we committed to. We’re looking for an experienced manufacturing engineer who knows how to turn an ambiguous customer requirement into a production-ready process and can lead others through the execution required to get there. ### What You'll Do - Lead complex customer programs from initial technical evaluation and DFM through tooling, process development, qualification, production launch, and steady-state manufacturing. - Own program execution across multiple workstreams, driving technical plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, and priorities while identifying risks early and keeping programs on track against customer commitments. - Develop and own the manufacturing strategy for your programs, including tooling concepts, material and process selection, ply documentation, work instructions, equipment requirements, inspection strategy, and production readiness. - Work directly with customers to translate requirements into executable manufacturing plans, communicate technical tradeoffs, provide DFM and cost-down recommendations, and drive technical issues to resolution. - Coordinate across Manufacturing, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Software, and other engineering teams to ensure the people, equipment, materials, tooling, and documentation are ready when the program needs them. - Lead builds on the production floor, troubleshoot manufacturing issues, close gaps between design intent and production reality, and develop repeatable processes that can scale with volume. - Mentor less-experienced engineers, establish engineering best practices, and help develop the processes, tools, and manufacturing capabilities that allow Layup to take on increasingly complex programs. ### What We're Looking For - **Be awesome! Be the kind of person you want to work with!** - 10+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, ideally in aerospace, defense, automotive, motorsports, or another environment producing complex hardware. - Demonstrated experience leading complex manufacturing programs from development through production, with ownership beyond an individual engineering workstream. - Deep composites manufacturing expertise, including significant experience with prepreg processes, tooling design, ply development, debulking, adhesive films, intensifiers, caul plates, core splicing, and complex multi-piece molds. - Strong technical foundation in CAD and manufacturing documentation, with the ability to independently develop tooling, drawings, processes, and production solutions while reviewing and guiding the work of others. - Strong program leadership and communication skills, with experience coordinating across engineering, production, quality, supply chain, and customers to manage priorities, resolve issues, and deliver against schedule. ### Bonus Points - Experience launching new aerospace or defense programs from prototype or development builds into rate production. - Experience with machining, additive manufacturing, VARTM, compression molding, trapped rubber molding, wet layup, or other advanced manufacturing processes. - Experience developing new manufacturing capabilities, production lines, equipment, or automation in a rapidly scaling environment.