Principal Manufacturing Engineer, Additive

Beehive Industries•Knoxville, TN

About The Position

Beehive Industries is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineer with a strong additive manufacturing background to support production operations through process development, industrialization, continuous improvement, and technical problem solving. The role focuses on hands-on additive manufacturing processes, including Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and/or Metal Binder Jetting (MBJ), as well as build preparation, process parameter control, powder handling, post-processing, equipment troubleshooting, and production scale-up. Aerospace manufacturing experience is strongly preferred. The position works closely with production, quality, supply chain, maintenance, and Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering to establish safe, capable, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes. The engineer owns process execution, capability, and production readiness for assigned areas, processes, products, or components, and supports implementation from NPI transfer through sustained production and rate ramp. Responsibilities also include process documentation, qualification and validation, direct technical support to Operations, engineering change implementation, production performance improvement, and participation in cross-functional manufacturing forums. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant engineering or technical field and 12 or more years of manufacturing engineering experience. Strong CAD skills, production process development and qualification experience, knowledge of manufacturing methods and GD&T, and cross-functional experience are required. The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government-issued security clearance is required; U.S. citizenship is required for eligibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
12+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, propulsion, turbomachinery, additive manufacturing, machining, assembly, or complex mechanical systems environments.
Strong CAD skills; Siemens NX and Teamcenter environments are preferred.
Experience developing, implementing, qualifying, and sustaining manufacturing processes in a production environment.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes such as tight-tolerance machining, assembly, additive manufacturing, welding, inspection, or related advanced manufacturing methods.
Working knowledge of GD&T and the relationship between engineering requirements, manufacturing processes, and inspection methods.
Experience supporting products through NPI, production transition, and sustained production environments.
Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management teams.
Demonstrated experience improving manufacturing performance, including yield, cycle time, scrap, throughput, quality, or process stability.
Strong problem-solving, technical communication, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced development and production environment.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government-issued security clearance.
U.S. citizenship, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with aerospace propulsion systems or rotating machinery.
Experience in additive manufacturing and/or tight-tolerance machining environments.
Experience working within APQP-based manufacturing systems.
Experience scaling manufacturing processes from prototype or low-rate production into higher-rate production.
Experience with takt-time analysis, capacity modeling, OEE, line balancing, or manufacturing constraint management.
Experience implementing tooling, automation, mistake-proofing, or manufacturing equipment improvements.
Experience supporting AS9100 / IATF16949 manufacturing environments.
Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System, Theory of Constraints, or similar production-system methodologies.
Prior experience in a high-growth or fast-paced engineering and manufacturing organization.

Responsibilities

Own manufacturing process execution, capability, and production readiness for assigned manufacturing areas, processes, products, or components.
Translate manufacturing strategy, process intent, and technical requirements from Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering into capable, repeatable, and scalable production processes.
Develop, implement, qualify, and continuously improve manufacturing processes across additive manufacturing, machining, assembly, inspection, post-processing, and related advanced manufacturing operations.
Lead process implementation and production-readiness activities from NPI transfer through sustained production and rate ramp.
Partner with Lifecycle Manufacturing Engineering to translate manufacturing requirements, product characteristics, process intent, and technical risks into site-level manufacturing controls.
Lead development and maintenance of Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEAs, Control Plans, work instructions, standard work, routings, and other production process documentation.
Ensure critical and key product characteristics are created, controlled, measured, and verified within the manufacturing process.
Lead manufacturing process qualification, capability studies, and production validation before release into sustained production.
Provide direct technical support to Operations for manufacturing issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, cost, yield, or throughput.
Own implementation of engineering and configuration changes at the manufacturing site, including updates to tooling, programming, routings, work instructions, inspection requirements, qualification activities, and operator training.
Monitor and improve manufacturing performance, including first-pass yield, scrap, rework, cycle time, takt attainment, throughput, process capability, and equipment effectiveness.
Support low-rate initial production and production ramp while ensuring processes transition into stable, controlled, and sustainable production systems.
Represent site manufacturing engineering on Manufacturing Program Teams, production-readiness reviews, and other cross-functional manufacturing forums.
Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, process capability, throughput, and manufacturing scalability.