Manufacturing Engineer I-II, Machining

Antares•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$90,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Antares, our long-term mission is to make clean energy abundant from Earth to the Asteroid Belt. We’re fueled by the belief that advanced nuclear energy can strengthen our military, solve the climate crisis, elevate global living standards, and expand humanity's presence in outer space. To achieve our mission, we’re building mass-producible, inherently safe, deployable microreactors that can be used terrestrially, underwater, and in space. As a member of the Antares R&D team, you will be an expert on manufacturing and assembly of cutting edge nuclear reactors. You will be an instrumental member developing Antares’ first R&D facility, inclusive of layout, special processes, hazardous material handling, and machine procurement and commissioning. You will help develop and document key special processes, requirements, and workflow that enable rapid product iteration. On the design side, you will be responsible for working with all teams regularly to ensure parts and assemblies are manufacturable and integrable, focusing on the system architecture level. As the product matures from concept to prototype and beyond, you will be responsible for leading the manufacturing planning process and will assist with in-house manufacturing vs. outsourcing trades and vendor selection. The ideal candidate will have experience with special processes such as welding, brazing, heat treatment, hazardous materials, non-destructive inspections, coatings, or other typical processes used with super-alloys. They should be able to confidently identify (or know how to research) appropriate manufacturing methods and establish a process control plan to monitor process health. Additionally, they will have design for manufacturing experience, with a proven track record of improving both design and processes. You will ultimately be responsible for growing our production capabilities from the prototype phase through serialized production of multiple nuclear reactor sub-systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or physics
2+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: special process manufacturing, process qualification, aerospace/nuclear super alloys, handling hazardous materials (i.e. acids, alkali metals), manufacturing/production engineering, reliability engineering, work instruction creation, project/research-based student experience
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and find solutions to challenges faced during a hardware manufacturing based project
Experience creating work instructions and tracking BOM components from suppliers
Experience defining requirements for or designing tools and assembly fixtures using CAD systems. Experience implementing this tooling using internal and external tooling suppliers.
Knowledge of PLM, ERP, MES, and other related manufacturing planning and management systems.

Nice To Haves

Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, enthusiasm for problem solving, and desire to optimize modern nuclear design and operation
Master's degree or 5+ years of professional experience in mechanical or aerospace engineering
Demonstrable experience developing, testing, qualifying, and maintaining manufacturing processes; especially systems containing complex special processes (i.e. welding, brazing, heat treatments, additive manufacturing, coatings, hydroforming, NDT)
Experience creating factory layouts based on production demand and process requirements
General knowledge of GD&T as it relates to assembly and fabrication processes
Experience using CAD software (NX) as it relates to creating work instructions
Demonstrated track record of high impact / ROI contributions
Strong project management skills and effective communication of technical concepts across multi-disciplinary teams
Hands-on experience with fluid, gas, or high voltage systems
Leadership experience on a project or research team
Experience using test instrumentation and control components (e.g. pressure transducers, thermocouples, strain gages, relays, solenoid valves, etc.)
Experience with various part inspection methods and technologies (micrometers, CMM, white light, etc.)

Responsibilities

Own and develop manufacturing processes for critical sub-systems with the Antares reactor that require both conventional manufacturing and special processes
Mature processes from prototype to production by establishing standard processes, workflows, and qualification plans
Participate in design reviews and analyze parts/assemblies to assess and influence their form/fit to make them more manufacturable, based on achievable process tolerances and inspection capabilities
Collaborate with design, materials, and manufacturing team members to ensure designs are compatible with process capabilities and to drive DFM improvements
Analyze and disposition manufacturing discrepancies and lead multi-disciplinary teams on root cause analysis and corrective actions
Develop new and evaluate existing manufacturing processes and equipment to reduce non-conformance frequency/severity and reduce operating costs
Identify and execute design-for-manufacturability improvements which have system-wide improvements to the department
Communicate daily with supporting departments such as production, machining, maintenance, quality, and design engineering to ensure that product is delivered on time and to specifications
Train technicians, engineers, and leaders on best-in-class operations practices by driving process improvement workshops; providing training and information briefs on key topics; and demonstrating solutions in the area
Participate in root cause investigations that arise in development, production, test, integration, and field operation to implement corrective actions to prevent repeat failures.