Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Packaging

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

2d•$140,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company founded in 2023, with approximately 350 employees. It develops autonomous defense platforms and the factories that produce them at scale. The Lead Packaging Engineer owns how components and raw materials arrive at factories, move through them, and move between sites. The role covers supplier packaging, returnable containers, line-side presentation, and inter-plant material movement. This is a hands-on technical leadership position responsible for setting inbound, in-plant, and inter-plant packaging strategy and standards, designing and validating packaging, and mentoring a growing team to support production ramps while maintaining quality, safety, and cost goals. The role works across product lines and factories, partnering with design and manufacturing engineering, supply chain, material flow, quality, EHS, suppliers, and leadership. It leads packaging projects from concept through validation and launch; creates production-ready CAD and drawings; establishes packaging requirements, validation practices, master data, and cost models; and drives supplier performance and continuous improvement. The position may require extended hours and weekends as needed, and travel up to 25%. Candidates must meet U.S. Person requirements under ITAR or be eligible to obtain required authorizations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Packaging, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, or equivalent experience.
At least 7 years of packaging engineering experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, or other hardware manufacturing, including leading projects end to end.
Hands-on experience designing racks, returnable containers, dunnage, expendable packaging, and material handling solutions.
Proficiency in 3D CAD such as Siemens NX, SolidWorks, CATIA, or similar, including GD&T and tolerance stack-ups.
Strong knowledge of packaging materials including steel, aluminum, plastics, foams, corrugated materials, and wood, and related processes such as welding, sheet metal, machining, thermoforming, injection molding, and foam fabrication.
Experience validating packaging to ISTA and ASTM standards.
Experience with PFEP, material flow mapping, packaging cost modeling, and supplier management.
Ability to manage multiple projects and aggressive timelines in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
Strong communication and negotiation skills, and comfort presenting to operators, suppliers, and senior leadership.
Willingness to travel up to 25%.
Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR, or eligible to obtain required authorizations under applicable U.S. export regulations.
Availability to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Nice To Haves

Automotive packaging engineering experience.
Experience with inbound packaging for lithium batteries or hazardous materials, and DOT or IATA hazmat certification.
Experience with ESD-protective packaging, including ANSI/ESD S20.20 or S541.
Experience with virtual packaging evaluation tools such as Pack Studio or PackAssistant, or FEA for rack and container design.
Experience with a startup, greenfield factory launch, or rapid production ramp.
Experience leading or mentoring engineers.
Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) credential.
Experience with Teamcenter or similar PLM and ERP systems.
Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma training, including lean material flow and line-side presentation.
An active security clearance, or the ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

Own the packaging engineering roadmap for inbound, in-plant, and inter-plant packaging across Mach product lines and factories.
Lead packaging projects from concept through validation, supplier production, plant trials, and launch in line with NPI and production-ramp milestones.
Partner with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Material Flow, Quality, and EHS to define packaging requirements early in product development; review engineering drawings and specifications to set packaging, quality, safety, and material requirements.
Design custom racks, returnable containers, dunnage, kitting carts, and expendable packaging to protect parts, maximize pack density, and support ergonomic line-side presentation.
Release production-ready CAD designs and drawings, including tolerance stack-ups.
Use virtual packaging evaluation tools to import part CAD, define orientation and protection requirements, and compare packaging options before prototyping or capital commitments.
Define and conduct packaging validation, including ISTA, ASTM D4169, drop, vibration, and compression testing.
Apply UN, safety, ergonomic, and sustainability requirements, including requirements for inbound lithium batteries, hazardous materials, and ESD-sensitive electronics.
Own PFEP (Plan for Every Part) and packaging master data; map material flow within and between plants to improve handling, storage, and replenishment.
Evaluate returnable versus expendable packaging using total cost of ownership, including freight, storage, handling, repair, and disposal.
Build packaging cost models and capital forecasts for new programs, and present cost drivers and recommendations to leadership.
Select and manage packaging suppliers; communicate packaging requirements to component suppliers; approve designs and first articles; resolve nonconformances; and support Purchasing on quotes and negotiations.
Establish packaging standards and supplier packaging requirements; track damage rate, pack density, cost per part, and cube utilization; and drive continuous improvement, including conversions from expendable to returnable packaging.
Mentor packaging engineers and technicians, and help hire and build the team.
Travel up to 25%.
Work extended hours and weekends as needed.