Tooling Engineer - Composites | Manufacturing Engineering

BETA Technologies•South Burlington, VT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

At BETA Technologies, we apply our intellectual curiosity, passion for aviation, and commitment to sustainability toward a shared mission of revolutionizing electric aviation. Regardless of the position one holds, each team member brings their talent and desire to positively impact the environment and lives of others in a refreshing, vibrant, and inclusive culture. The Composites Tooling Engineer designs, validates, and continuously improves the molds, fixtures, cure tooling, and supporting equipment that enable safe, repeatable, and scalable composite-part production. This hands-on role partners with Composites Manufacturing, Design Engineering, Quality, and suppliers to translate product requirements into robust production tooling and clear manufacturing documentation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline; equivalent relevant experience will be considered
3+ years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, including design and delivery of production tooling, fixtures, or composite manufacturing equipment
Proficiency in professional CAD and creation of engineering drawings; experience with NX, CATIA, SolidWorks, or equivalent tools, including surface modeling workbenches
Demonstrated ability to independently design and deliver complex, multi-piece tooling from requirements through production use
Working knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and datum strategy for tooling and part interfaces
Ability to interpret part models, engineering drawings, composite ply definitions, and manufacturing requirements
Experience supporting aerospace composite structures or another high-reliability, regulated manufacturing environment
Familiarity with dimensional inspection methods, including CMM, laser scanning, or geometric/scan-data analysis
Strong communication skills across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers
Ability to manage multiple priorities, take ownership of ambiguous technical problems, and work safely in a hands-on manufacturing environment

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of composite processes such as prepreg layup, resin infusion/VARTM, compression molding, wet layup, or out-of-autoclave curing
Experience with machining, CNC programming considerations, additive manufacturing, and fabrication methods for composite tooling
Experience designing tooling for high-temperature cure processes and managing coefficient-of-thermal-expansion effects
Familiarity with PLM/PDM, configuration control, change management, and manufacturing-document release processes
Working knowledge of Python, MATLAB, VBA, or other automation tools used for engineering workflows, inspection analysis, or manufacturing data

Responsibilities

Design and release composite manufacturing tooling, including molds, trim and drill fixtures, assembly fixtures, inspection fixtures, caul plates, and handling equipment
Develop tooling concepts and detailed designs that account for part geometry, tolerances, thermal behavior, demold strategy, ergonomics, durability, inspection access, and production rate
Own tooling from requirements capture through concept selection, CAD design, drawing release, supplier support, first-article validation, production handoff, maintenance, and continuous improvement
Partner with Design Engineering to provide design-for-manufacturability feedback, including tooling splits, draft, ply drops, core transitions, bondline control, and access for layup, cure, trim, and inspection
Work directly with technicians on the production floor to observe tooling use, resolve issues rapidly, reduce variation and cycle time, and improve safety and ergonomics
Create and maintain tooling drawings, bills of material, usage instructions, inspection criteria, and maintenance requirements
Define and support tooling acceptance activities, including dimensional verification, scan-to-CAD comparison, fit checks, first-part inspection, and capability improvements
Coordinate with internal shops and external suppliers on fabrication approach, quoting, inspection, delivery, and tooling changes
Support composite process development and scale-up across layup, debulk, cure, bonding, trimming, drilling, and assembly operations
Identify cost, capacity, quality, and throughput opportunities; develop technical requirements and business cases for new tooling and equipment capability
Contribute to standardized tooling design practices, reusable design solutions, lessons learned, and corrective-action activities for tooling-related issues