Production Support Engineer

Arete Associates•Niwot, CO

7d•$75,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Areté, we are on the forefront of developing innovative solutions, with great minds from all backgrounds, to help solve the nation’s most complex security challenges. We strive for an inclusive, collaborative team environment that approaches differences as opportunities for innovation and excellence. As an employee-owned company, we foster an atmosphere that propels diverse career opportunities and professional growth. Discover your future with us. We are seeking a highly skilled Production Support Engineer to design manufacturing processes, procedures, and production layouts for assemblies, equipment installation, processing, and material handling. Develop sequences of operations for assemblies and specified procedures for the fabrication of tools, equipment, and other functions that impact product performance. Support mechanical design, environmental validation, and production sustainment of ruggedized electro-optical and laser-based systems. This role works closely with Senior Mechanical Engineers, Optical Engineers, Production, Quality, and Program Management to ensure mechanical integrity, alignment stability, and environmental robustness of hardware across development and production phases. This position is based at our Niwot, CO office and is a supervisory, exempt, full-time position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, or a related field and 2+ years of experience in a production, manufacturing, or process engineering role
Experience reading drawings and creating process flow based on a product’s drawing tree
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, lean manufacturing principles, and process improvement methodologies
Ability to create and document work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and training materials
Ability to implement hardware solutions from concept development to delivery
Strong problem-solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset
Proficient use of standard MS Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) including ability to organize and efficiently process data in Excel
Occasional lifting of hardware as required
Ability to obtain security clearance

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting electro-optical or laser-based systems in defense or aerospace environments.
Experience operating vibration (shaker table) systems and executing environmental test protocols.
Comfortable in adapting to support a wide variety of roles to support various product development and production projects.
Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles.
Experience transitioning product from prototype to production.
Intellectual curiosity and desire for continuous learning.
Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
Proficient in CAD software and ERP/MRP systems.
Strong work ethic.
Detail oriented and organized.
2+ years of experience in the defense industry.
Experience with optical systems.

Responsibilities

Supports mechanical design improvements and develops fixtures and tooling to improve repeatability and robustness of production hardware.
Works with the Systems Engineering team to make sure all testing requirements are met for prototype and production products.
Supports transition of products from prototype development to full-scale production, with emphasis on mechanical robustness, manufacturability, and repeatability.
Inspects equipment and tools to verify their efficacy and determine their preventative maintenance schedule and calibration requirements.
Serves as the primary operator and driver of shaker table testing, executing sine, random vibration, and shock profiles in accordance with MIL-STD-810 or customer-specific requirements.
Develops vibration test setups and mounting strategies that accurately replicate field boundary conditions.
Collects, analyzes, and documents vibration and shock test data to evaluate mechanical stability, fastener retention, optical alignment integrity, and structural performance.
Assists with scheduling Manufacturing Orders.
Exports, processes and analyze data from ERP software tools.
Creates, documents, and refines standardized work procedures for all assembly processes to ensure consistency and efficiency. Develops and refines mechanical assembly procedures related to torque, staking, bonding, and retention features to ensure hardware reliability.
Participates in assembly operations to gain familiarity with the production process. Provides hands-on production support, troubleshooting mechanical issues on the manufacturing floor and working directly with technicians to resolve hardware concerns.
Leads mechanical root cause investigations for hardware non-conformances, including loose components, alignment shifts, vibration-induced failures, or retention issues, working cross-functionally with the MRB team (Quality, Production, Program Management).
Ensures mechanical designs and assemblies meet environmental, structural, and durability requirements in production hardware.
Works cross-functionally with design, engineering, and quality teams to address production challenges and drive continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with safety regulations and promotes a culture of workplace safety
Provides feedback to design engineering on mechanical robustness and manufacturability improvements based on test results and production experience.
Analyzes current production processes and implements strategies for continual process improvement, reducing waste and increasing efficiency using methodologies such as Lean tools and Six Sigma.