Senior Manufacturing Engineer, New Product Introduction (NPI)

Firestorm • San Diego, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Firestorm is hiring a Senior Manufacturing Engineer, New Product Introduction (NPI) to help transition early designs into production-ready systems and scale products from prototype builds to low-rate production. This hands-on role works with senior engineers and cross-functional teams to develop manufacturing processes, tooling, and documentation. It involves significant time on the production floor supporting process setup, debugging, and practical problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or an equivalent degree.
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined by 22 CFR § 120.62, including a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual with asylee or refugee status.
• At least 3 years of experience working in a manufacturing or production engineering environment.
• Experience scaling from prototype to first-run production.
• Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Experience with common manufacturing processes such as machining, fabrication, assembly, or composites.
• Experience working with 2D and/or 3D CAD software.
• Experience creating effective work instructions.
• Experience working cross-functionally with engineering, quality, and/or operations teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the defense or aerospace industry.
• Experience with SolidWorks.
• Exposure to aerospace or defense manufacturing standards such as AS9100, AS9102, or MIL-STD.
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing principles and basic Six Sigma concepts.
• Experience with ERP, MRP, or PLM systems such as Arena or SAP.
• Hands-on experience with measurement tools such as CMMs, calipers, or micrometers, or with test equipment.
• Experience with Python, Power BI, or similar tools for manufacturing metrics and data analysis.
• Exposure to AI or LLM tools for documentation or engineering workflows.
• IPC-A-610 or IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification, or willingness to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Support design for manufacturability and design for assembly reviews by analyzing drawings and 3D models and flagging tolerance, material, or process concerns.
• Develop and maintain clear visual work instructions with step-by-step procedures and acceptance and rejection criteria.
• Assist in designing assembly fixtures and jigs focused on repeatability and error-proofing.
• Support production-floor process setup, debugging, and hands-on problem-solving.
• Support First Article Inspection activities per AS9102, including balloon drawings and documentation.
• Contribute to process FMEA and control plan development as part of the NPI team.
• Help develop and execute test procedures for production acceptance and functional verification.
• Collect and analyze manufacturing data, including cycle time, yield, and defects, to support continuous improvement.
• Assist with root cause analysis of manufacturing nonconformances using structured problem-solving methods.
• Maintain ITAR and CUI compliance across manufacturing documentation and data.
• Perform other duties as required.

Benefits

• Meaningful equity grant.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan.
• Unlimited PTO.
• Company holidays, including holiday hiatuses in July and December.
• Parental leave.
• Lifestyle Spending Account.
• FSA, DCFSA, and HSA.
• Hospital indemnity insurance.
• Critical illness insurance.
• Accident insurance.
• Basic life/AD&D and short- and long-term disability insurance, covered 100% by Firestorm.
• Option to purchase additional life insurance for employees and their families.
• Free 24/7 mental health resources, including therapy.
• Free legal and financial support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior