Manufacturing Engineer

Ambient Recruiting is partnered with a leading aerospace manufacturer to identify a Manufacturing Engineer for its Whitehall, MI operation. This onsite opportunity is ideal for an engineering professional who enjoys problem-solving, continuous improvement, and developing innovative solutions to improve manufacturing performance.

Responsibilities:

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• Develop and implement manufacturing methods that consistently meet or exceed customer requirements.
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• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing production yields, reducing labor costs, and improving operational efficiency.
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• Identify and implement cost-reduction opportunities and process improvements.
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• Investigate customer quality issues, identify root causes, and develop corrective action plans.
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• Collect and analyze production data to support technical requests and manufacturing decisions.
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• Develop material, scrap, and labor cost estimates for quotations.
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• Participate in new product introduction (NPI) meetings and provide input on bills of materials (BOMs), routings, and project timelines.
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• Support tooling, fixture, and die development.
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• Develop manufacturing processes for prototypes and support process documentation and data analysis.
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• Troubleshoot, validate, and qualify manufacturing equipment.
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• Conduct time studies and develop standardized work, cell layouts, and labor standards.
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• Analyze scrap, production yields, labor efficiency, and process performance to identify improvement opportunities.
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• Conduct regular production floor walkthroughs to identify issues and support daily operations.
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• Evaluate manufacturing processes and implement tooling or equipment changes to improve cycle times, productivity, and workflow.
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• Review scrap and nonconforming parts to support appropriate disposition decisions.
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• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement safe, ergonomic, and scalable manufacturing solutions.
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Qualifications:

Required

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• Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
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• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
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Preferred

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• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering, or Manufacturing Technology.
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• Experience with Kaizen, continuous improvement, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
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• Strong analytical, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to develop standard operating procedures.
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• Experience conducting time studies and establishing standardized work and labor standards.
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• Ability to develop capacity analysis tools using machine cycle times, workloads, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
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• Experience implementing manufacturing process improvements, including equipment selection, vendor quotes, budgeting, installation, startup, and project management.
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• Experience with manufacturing cell layouts, plant layouts, and ergonomic workstation design.
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• Familiarity with export control regulations.
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• Experience identifying non-value-added activities, reducing cycle times, and improving material and product flow.
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• Ability to provide technical leadership and collaborate with cross-functional manufacturing teams.
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• Ability to read and interpret blueprints.
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• Experience with 2D and/or 3D CAD software.
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Ambient Recruiting - an entirely employee-owned company - is the largest independent employer in West Michigan. Our mission is to match people with meaningful, long-lasting, and enjoyable careers, not just a job. Since 1988, we've helped match over 300,000 people just like you with top employers across West Michigan.