Manufacturing Research Engineer, America Makes
As a Manufacturing Research Engineer, you will be part of a diverse team that is collaborating to grow and mature adaptive and additive manufacturing supply chains. The Manufacturing Research Engineer will be responsible for executing a variety of activities which may include:
- Facilitating meetings and workshops
- Documenting technical details, aggregating information, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, identifying trends, and summarizing information
- Supporting or leading the drafting of manuscripts, reports, and presentations
- Public speaking - programmatic and technical information
- Maintaining an understanding of the America Makes program including the role, function, goals, and merits of the program's essential components (pillars)
- Maintaining an understanding of manufacturing technology and engineering principles including all or some of the following: systems engineering, logistics/acquisition, standards/specification development, design, materials, processing, testing, inspection, data analytics, statistical methods, artificial intelligence/machine learning, digital engineering, digital twins, business case/cost analysis, qualification, and certification
- Maintaining familiarity with defense acquisition frameworks including manufacturing technology development and manufacturing/technology readiness level progression
- Maintaining a minimum understanding of risk management principles
- Maintaining an understanding of manufacturing operations, quality assurance practices/protocols, and quality management systems
- Maintaining an understanding of data management principles and common practices
- Maintaining a minimum competency of technoeconomic (cost drivers) factors influencing manufacturing technology industrialization using data, surveys, published materials, and guidance from subject matter experts
- Developing, sharing, and following instructions/procedures
- Leading group discussions
- Developing and maintaining a robust professional network including strategic partnerships
- Maintaining awareness of subject matter experts, associated industries/fields, and their respective supply chain roles
- Developing plans/schedules which establish time-based programmatic and/or professional development goals
The ideal candidate is a collaborative and creative team player with a passion for advanced manufacturing technologies and a desire to advance domestic manufacturing competitiveness. Characteristics of candidates well suited for this role include:
- Strong time management skills - be willing to make a plan, stick to it, and communicate changes effectively
- Ability to lead discussions if or when necessary - recognize you and your voice matter, we get there as a team
- Willingness to ask questions when matters are unfamiliar, unknown, or unclear - recognizing everyone's understanding is important
- Willingness to learn, share ideas and observations, and question matters which are not clear or are ambiguous
- Willingness to seek feedback, address challenges, and achieve clarity - we operate in an environment where even when we believe we understand; there is much to still learn
- Strong communication skills concerning the following: goals, outcomes, project plans, work breakdown structures, risk, and technical details
- Exhibit a passion for knowledge and willingness to learn in a fast-paced collaborative environment - the pursuit of knowledge is more important than being the person who is right and we will get there together is the culture of this team (maintaining alignment is critical!!!)
- Great note taker and ability to retain knowledge quickly
- A desire to keep team members (internal and external) informed of plans, logic, and goals - we will get there together
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor narrative to align with internal and external stakeholders' interests
- Experience in collaborative work environments, working in teams, leading updates/project plan tracking/engagement with various stakeholders including external and internal customers
- Demonstrate a passion for professional growth and learning which benefits organizational and customer needs/requirements
- Candidates who exhibit a service mentally are most likely to succeed and quickly become leaders and/or critical team members in this role
- Candidates who are able to think strategically and execute tasks systematically to plan are most suitable for this role - how to establish priority, operate intentionally (be strategic), and execute to plan is very important
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Materials Science, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field
- 3+ years of experience in additive manufacturing or advanced manufacturing
- Experience managing technical projects or engineering programs
- Experience supporting or leading diverse and multi-disciplinary teams
- Working knowledge of AM technologies and manufacturing processes
- Strong communication, organization, and stakeholder coordination skills
- Strong time management skills - understand yourself and your productivity, be willing to make a plan, deliver to it, and communicate changes to plan effectively
- Proficient with Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, OneNote, etc.)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in defense industry
- Experience in developing, scaling, demonstrating, and qualifying manufacturing technology
- Experience in product development
- Experience in a manufacturing start-up environment
- Strong awareness of existing state of the art in manufacturing technology
- Drive value creation of the research portfolio through promoting the tenants of effective technical communications - goals, objectives, motivations, approach, success metrics, data management, and reporting
- Technical writing - prior publication record (peer reviewed journals)
- Experience with government contracting (IP, export, and data management) and proposal writing and review
- Experience developing manufacturing specifications and/or standards
- Experience with government funded research consortia
