Automation & Process Engineer – TPS Materials (ES4)

Amentum•Huntsville, AL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Non‑Metallic Materials and Space Environmental Effects Team is seeking an automation‑focused Process Engineer to modernize, optimize, and support manufacturing processes associated with aerospace Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials. This role emphasizes workflow design, digital manufacturing execution, MES configuration, automation readiness, and cross‑disciplinary coordination. The engineer will partner closely with TPS engineers, technicians, project teams, and quality organizations to ensure manufacturing workflows, work orders, and digital travelers are efficient, accurate, and aligned with engineering intent. While not a supervisory role, this position works hands‑on with technicians throughout all manufacturing steps to drive process consistency, quality, and automation integration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Mechanical, Materials, Chemical, Aerospace, or related field) from an ABET accredited university and experience working with materials, coatings, or manufacturing processes.
A minimum of 10 years’ experience of some combination of the following skills: automation programming, manufacturing planning, process engineering, materials processing, or aerospace production environments.
Ability to follow and develop detailed procedures, process plans, and engineering documentation.
Strong communication skills with demonstrated ability to coordinate across engineering, quality, and technician groups.
Familiarity with polymer‑based materials, coatings, adhesives, or TPS‑related processes, or willingness to learn.
Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, process flows, and configuration‑controlled documentation.
Must be a US Citizen and have a STAR ID

Nice To Haves

Experience with robotics (Fanuc preferred) or willingness to develop proficiency.
Experience developing or managing manufacturing plans, travelers, or process instructions in an aerospace environment.
Experience utilizing Solumina or a similar manufacturing process software
Familiarity with TPS materials including foams, coatings, adhesives, and other non‑metallic aerospace systems.
Experience in environments involving coatings/paint, surface prep, or materials processing activities.
Previous involvement in coordinating cross‑functional teams or serving as a technical liaison between engineering and manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary workflow and MES process‑planning focal for TPS manufacturing, developing efficient, well‑structured routing steps, digital travelers, and automated work sequences.
Build, configure, and maintain TPS process plans, job travelers, checklists, and MES logic within Solumina (or similar systems) to guide technicians through foam spraying, coatings, pour‑foam operations, adhesive bonding, surface preparation, and related tasks.
Identify automation opportunities—improving task sequencing, reducing manual data entry, integrating equipment data, and enhancing digital traceability.
Support the programming, troubleshooting, and operation of automated equipment; experience with robotics (Fanuc preferred) or willingness to develop proficiency.
Collaborate with technicians and TPS engineers on the manufacturing floor to resolve workflow issues, improve process readiness, and support real‑time troubleshooting.
Monitor the progress of ongoing TPS work, communicating schedule risks, resource constraints, MES issues, and material availability to engineering and project leadership.
Document process deviations, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities; drive corrective actions and digital process updates.
Participate in design reviews, manufacturing readiness reviews, and process planning meetings as the TPS manufacturing representative.
Work with TPS engineers to evaluate new materials, equipment, robotics, or process changes; translating them into updated MES workflows.
Support the development and revision of fixtures, tools, and automation related manufacturing aids for TPS operations.
Facilitate alignment between engineering intent, automation/MES configurations, technician execution, quality requirements, and customer expectations.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the TPS lab and manufacturing areas.