Manufacturing Engineer

Fairbanks Morse Defense•Pascagoula, MS

23d

About The Position

Bird Johnson, a Fairbanks Morse Defense Company, manufactures precision propulsion components for U.S. Navy vessels. The Manufacturing Engineer turns sophisticated designs into proven machining processes for propulsion systems used across multiple ship classes, including surface combatants and cutters. The role takes processes from model to machine, developing multi-axis toolpaths, proving out programs with machinists, and resolving technical challenges in production. Components include controllable-pitch propeller blade castings 4 to 12 feet tall and weighing 1 to 10 tons, as well as monoblock propeller castings up to 21 feet in diameter and 50 tons. The engineer works in an integrated Siemens NX CAM and Teamcenter PLM environment, developing fully associative CNC programs and maintaining a digital thread from model to machine. The role collaborates with CGTech and external Siemens NX engineering partners to shape workflows, programming standards, and manufacturing resources. A planned plant expansion in Pascagoula will add two multi-axis gantry CNC machines, and the engineer will help bring these capabilities online. The core technology environment includes Siemens NX CAD/CAM; Teamcenter PLM; Siemens SINUMERIK 840D PL/SL and SINUMERIK ONE controls; VERICUT and internal NX CSE simulation; Third Wave Systems Production Module; Renishaw, Siemens, and Blum probing; NX Post Configurator and custom lights-out post environments; and scripting tools including Python, MATLAB, C#, and PowerShell/Batch. The position splits time between an engineering office and active shop floors across multiple factory buildings, under standard machine shop conditions. Occasional travel for vendor coordination or training is expected. Applicants must be U.S. Persons under 22 CFR §120.62; U.S. citizenship is required, and applicants must be eligible for a DoD confidential clearance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related discipline; alternatively, an associate’s degree in a technical discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience; or no degree with 10+ years of progressive Manufacturing Engineering and CNC programming experience demonstrating equivalent technical depth and breadth.
Proficiency or demonstrated aptitude with Siemens NX CAM, including fully associative programming linked to managed CAD data, or ability to learn rapidly.
VERICUT digital simulation experience, or ability to learn rapidly.
Experience or strong foundational knowledge of Siemens 840D controls.
Working knowledge of Teamcenter PLM, or ability to learn rapidly.
Ability to interpret GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and apply it to machining process development.
Strong technical writing ability.
U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a DoD confidential clearance; applicants must be U.S. Persons under 22 CFR §120.62.
Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 35 lbs.
Ability to competently perform the essential duties, with or without reasonable accommodation, demonstrate commitment to effective customer service, and work productively as part of a team or work group.

Nice To Haves

Teamcenter Rich Client and Active Workspace experience.
Exposure to Renishaw and/or Siemens on-machine probing.
Experience in aerospace, defense, or naval propulsion manufacturing with mature PLM-integrated programming workflows.

Responsibilities

Develop, prove out, and maintain fully associative Siemens NX CAM programs for 3- through 5-axis milling, turning, and mill-turn operations on Siemens 840D-controlled machines.
Create complex drive geometries, auxiliary surfaces, and containment boundaries using advanced NX curve and surface techniques for components with compound curvature.
Validate toolpaths with NX CSE and VERICUT before machine prove-out, including gouge detection, collision checking, and full-environment machine simulation.
Program Renishaw and Siemens on-machine probing cycles for automated setup, in-process verification, and offset management.
Develop, maintain, and troubleshoot customized lights-out post processors for unattended machining across multiple machine configurations.
Follow and contribute to the proprietary Master Model Concept using structured stage models and manufacturing method assemblies.
Work with CGTech to build and improve VERICUT machine simulation models, including kinematics, fixtures, tooling, and controller behavior.
Collaborate with external Siemens NX and Teamcenter engineering partners on Post Configurator development, NX CAM environment customization, template standardization, and workflow automation.
Own manufacturing data in Teamcenter, including revision control, release workflows, and traceability from design through manufacturing.
Build and refine Manufacturing Resource Library structures, classification, and workflows in Teamcenter Rich Client and Active Workspace Client.
Develop Active Workspace-based search and visualization workflows to improve shop-floor access to manufacturing data.
Apply Third Wave Systems Production Module for physics-based feed optimization and tool-life prediction.
Perform tool tap testing and cutting-force analysis to characterize machine dynamics and eliminate chatter in difficult alloys.
Optimize machining processes for specific materials; drive tooling selection, cutting parameter development, and cycle-time reduction.
Author and maintain technical instructions with operation sequencing, tooling callouts, and quality requirements.
Develop pre-flight checklists for CNC setups, prove-outs, and first-article runs.
Provide technical support to machinists and operators during prove-outs, troubleshooting, and process adjustments.
Support machine tool alignment, calibration, and qualification for multi-axis equipment.
Collaborate with quality and metrology on first-article inspections and CMM correlation.
Investigate machining-related non-conformances, author rework procedures, and provide support.
Help bring new multi-axis gantry CNC capabilities online as part of the planned Pascagoula plant expansion.