Lead UAS Manufacturing Engineer

COLSA•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

Assists with the development, stand-up, and optimization of manufacturing operations for a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) production facility. Responsible for establishing production processes, building and leading an engineering team, and ensuring efficient, scalable manufacturing of aircraft systems and components. Applies broad engineering expertise, including additive manufacturing, machining, digital design tools, and configuration management practices, to support facility design, production readiness, and ongoing operational excellence.

Responsibilities

Assists with the stand-up and operational readiness of a UAS manufacturing facility, including layout, workflow design, equipment selection, and production line implementation.
Develops, implements, and optimizes manufacturing processes to align with AS9100 for UAS platforms, subassemblies, and components, including additive manufacturing processes such as SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling).
Establishes and manages additive manufacturing workflows, including part design considerations, build preparation, machine operation, and post-processing for both SLS and FDM technologies.
Determines appropriate use cases for additive manufacturing (prototype, tooling, end-use parts) and integrates them into production and engineering workflows.
Implements and supports configuration management processes to ensure proper control of product structures, revisions, and engineering changes across manufacturing.
Ensures alignment between engineering designs and production builds through effective use of PDM/PLM systems, maintaining accurate BOMs, revision control, and as-built vs. as-designed traceability.
Supports engineering change management (ECO/ECN), ensuring timely and accurate implementation on the production floor.
Builds, mentors, and leads a manufacturing engineering team to support production, process improvement, and new product introduction (NPI).
Collaborates with design engineering using SolidWorks and PDM systems to ensure manufacturability (DFM/DFA) and proper configuration control of components and assemblies.
Develops and maintains manufacturing documentation including work instructions, process flows, and production routers.
Drives manufacturing readiness activities including process validation, First Article Inspection (FAI), and production ramp-up.
Identifies, analyzes, and resolves complex manufacturing and production issues using data-driven methods and engineering best practices.
Implements lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement initiatives, and cost reduction strategies.
Oversees selection, installation, and qualification of manufacturing equipment, tooling, and test systems, including additive manufacturing equipment.
Develops and maintains production metrics, KPIs, and reporting systems to track performance, throughput, and quality.
Partners with supply chain and logistics teams to ensure material availability, kitting strategies, and production flow alignment.
Ensures compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements applicable to aerospace/UAS manufacturing.
Provides technical leadership and guidance to junior engineers and production staff.