Composite Technician

Skyeton • Fayetteville, NC

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Skyeton USA Manufacturing is establishing a new aerospace composite manufacturing cell in Fayetteville, NC, focused on producing airframe parts for the Raybird, a long-endurance, fixed-wing UAS. The cell utilizes a wet-layup process with established Skyeton molds, tooling, and process documentation. The company is seeking composite technicians to perform tasks such as laying up, bagging, post-curing, demolding, trimming, finishing, and sanding airframe parts. Trainees will receive instruction on the Skyeton process and work alongside senior composite foremen from Ukraine for the initial six months of production, serving as mentors. This role offers a unique opportunity to learn the craft from experienced professionals and be involved from the beginning of US-based production. The Composites Lead supervises the technicians, with the Composite Engineer providing work instructions, the Quality Manager overseeing inspections, and the Plant Manager running the facility. Technicians will be a key part of the largest production team.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent (GED).
• Ability to read and follow written work instructions, drawings, and checklists in English.
• Manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and the patience for repeatable, careful hand work over a full shift.
• Comfort working in an industrial environment with chemical, dust, and noise hazards.
• Comfort wearing a fit-tested organic-vapor respirator, gloves, Tyvek, and safety glasses for extended periods.
• Reliable attendance, punctuality, and a strong work ethic.
• Color vision sufficient to identify resin/catalyst color change, color-coded labels, and surface defects.
• Willingness to learn the Skyeton wet-layup process, including instruction from Ukrainian foremen.
• US person status (US citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee).
• Ability to pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen.
• Ability to be approved on a respirator-fit-test medical evaluation.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and crawl for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience laying up composite parts (aerospace, marine, wind, automotive, motorsport, or skilled craft/shop work).
• Prior aerospace, marine, or DoD production-floor experience.
• Prior experience working under AS9100, AS9102 first-article inspection, or a comparable quality system.
• Trade-school or community-college coursework in composites, materials, machining, fabrication, welding, or auto-body.
• US military veteran experience, especially in aviation maintenance, fabrication, or hangar trades.
• Familiarity with the NC / Sandhills / Fort Bragg-area labor market and regional aerospace/marine/motorsport composite work.

Responsibilities

• Lay up fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcements into molds, wetting out with epoxy resin, per the Skyeton work instructions and the layup checklist.
• Build vacuum bags, including peel ply, perforated release film, breather, sealing tape, and bag film; pull vacuum, verify and hold vacuum to specification, and troubleshoot vacuum leaks when necessary.
• Move parts into and out of the cure room, record cure-cycle data, and adhere to the ramp, soak, and cool program.
• Demold parts cleanly, trim flash, and sand and finish surfaces to meet the workmanship standard.
• Assist with in-mold paint preparation (when the paint booth is operational) and post-paint finishing.
• Maintain mold-release discipline, including application of release agent, mold storage, and in-service mold logs.
• Follow ESD-safe and FOD-safe practices in the layup area.
• Maintain a clean, organized, 5S workstation and restock consumables.
• Maintain hand tools, vacuum manifolds, and bagging supplies.
• Perform mix-and-dispense of resin and catalyst according to work instructions, respecting pot life, and recording mix-batch traceability.
• Wear required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times, including safety glasses, hearing protection, an organic-vapor cartridge respirator (fit-tested), nitrile or solvent-resistant gloves, a Tyvek suit or shop coat, and steel-toed footwear.
• Support process trials and first-article builds, communicating effectively with the Composites Lead, Composite Engineer, and QA Tech regarding any issues.
• Cross-train across multiple composite operations (layup, bagging, post-cure, demold, trim, finish, sand) to ensure cell resilience.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Composites Lead and Skyeton USA leadership.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED