Lead Manufacturing Engineer, DFMA - Tooling Design

Mach Industries • Huntington Beach, CA

23h

About The Position

Mach Industries is hiring a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to lead tooling design and design for manufacturing and automation (DFMA). This hands-on technical leadership role includes direct reports and makes the successful candidate the company’s subject-matter expert on tooling design and designing parts for automated handling, locating, and assembly. The engineer will research and develop materials, hardware, and processes; design experiments; build test articles; work with suppliers; and move proven approaches into production.

The role owns Mach’s Tooling and Design-for-Automation guide, standards, metrics, metrology and verification practices, and DFMA sign-off criteria. It shapes vehicle and component designs early through data-backed DFMA studies, assembly simulations, value engineering, and trade studies. It also leads a tooling and automation R&D roadmap, develops and qualifies prototype processes, and manages critical tools from feasibility and design through supplier buyoff, production handoff, and ongoing support.

The position also supports tooling and automation sourcing decisions, develops cost and rate models, writes RFQ requirements, and mentors engineers while building Mach’s DFMA function. Applicants must meet the stated U.S. export-control eligibility requirements for access to controlled information. The listed base salary range is $140,000–$180,000 USD, with equity and benefits described in the posting.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• At least 8 years designing production tooling, fixtures, or end effectors for automated or high-rate assembly in aerospace, automotive, defense, or consumer electronics.
• Expertise in GD&T (ASME Y14.5), datum schemes, tolerance stack-ups across parts and tooling, and dimensional variation analysis.
• Experience integrating tooling with robots and automated cells, including equipment selection and ROI justification.
• A track record of writing design standards, design guides, or process specifications.
• Strong manufacturing and industrial engineering fundamentals, including cycle-time analysis, OEE, process capability (Cp/Cpk), gauge R&R, DOE, error-proofing, ergonomics, and ROI.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD such as NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or similar.
• First-principles approach, bias for action, and ability to challenge assumptions with data.
• Comfort working on the production floor and in a lab.
• Clear writing and ability to influence design decisions.
• Availability to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
• Meet U.S. export-control eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, qualifying refugee or asylee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

• Journeyman Tool and Die Maker certification or equivalent toolmaker background.
• Master’s degree in Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering or a related field.
• Experience with both aerospace assembly tooling and automotive assembly automation.
• Familiarity with PLCs, robot programming, and machine safety standards.
• Large-scale metrology experience.
• Experience with formal DFMA methods such as Boothroyd Dewhurst, should-cost modeling, and value engineering programs with measured savings.
• Experience with assembly and robot simulation tools such as Siemens Process Simulate or DELMIA.
• Experience leading DFMEAs and PFMEAs.
• Patents, publications, or processes developed and put into production.
• Experience in an AS9100 or defense production environment.
• Lean or Six Sigma certification.

Responsibilities

• Write, publish, maintain, and update Mach’s Tooling and Design-for-Automation guide, including design rules, test data, preferred tooling components and materials, automation approaches, locating features, tolerances, examples, and review checklists.
• Develop tooling standards for datum and locating strategy, modular fixture components, clamping, materials, and documentation.
• Establish design-for-automation rules for gripping and locating features, part presentation, feeder compatibility, and robot and tool access.
• Set metrology and tooling verification standards using laser trackers, CMMs, and vision systems, and oversee checking fixtures and gauges.
• Define and enforce DFMA sign-off criteria at design gates; set and track program metrics such as part count, assembly time, automation rate, tooling cost and lead time, and first-pass yield.
• Train design and manufacturing engineers to apply DFMA guidance and standards.
• Review vehicle architecture and material choices early, run DFMA studies at part, assembly, and system levels, and provide data-backed feedback to design teams.
• Lead static and kinematic virtual assembly studies to assess robot reach, tool access, clearances, and installation paths.
• Drive content reduction, simpler assembly, build-in-quality, ergonomic access, wider tolerances where performance permits, and automation-suitable features.
• Lead value engineering on released designs and challenge assumptions to reduce cost.
• Provide tooling and automation cost, lead-time, capital, and rate data for manual, semi-automated, and fully automated trade studies and make-versus-buy decisions.
• Build should-cost and rate models showing how design and automation decisions affect cost, capital investment, schedule, and quality.
• Write tooling and automation requirements for RFQ packages and help evaluate supplier quotations.
• Set and execute a tooling and automation R&D roadmap focused on faster, less expensive, and more reliable production.
• Lead R&D in reconfigurable and low-cost fixturing, additive tooling, fixtureless and vision-guided assembly, and robotic drilling and fastening.
• Plan and run designed experiments, build test articles and prototype cells, analyze results statistically, and publish findings.
• Capture inventions and work with Legal on patenting them.
• Design and deliver prototype tooling for development and validation builds, lead manufacturing trials, and release proven processes to production.
• Write process specifications, define qualification and acceptance criteria, demonstrate process capability (Cp/Cpk) and measurement capability (GR&R), and establish inspection methods with Quality.
• Own the lifecycle of critical tools from feasibility and simulation through design, build, supplier buyoff, delivery, and production handoff.
• Design and oversee the build of critical fixtures, jigs, end effectors, and assembly tooling; conduct tool design reviews and supplier buyoffs.
• Provide tooling expertise for DFMEAs and PFMEAs, maintain a library of failure modes and controls, and lead root-cause analysis of tooling-related escapes and recurring defects.
• Mentor engineers and help build Mach’s DFMA function.

Benefits

• Healthcare, dental, and vision plans.
• Retirement savings plans.
• Paid time off.
• Performance-based bonus structure tied to individual and company performance.
• Stock options or equity participation; highly competitive equity grants are included in most offers.
• Funds for continuing education, training, and career growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior