Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer
Location: Bertram, TX
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Industry: Aerospace & Defense
Compensation: $135K - $155K/year.
Schedule: 40 hours/week
About the Opportunity:
- As part of a small, fast-paced, and passionate team you will lead the machine shop manufacturing engineering function responsible for driving rocket component production at scale.
- You will lead a team of manufacturing engineers who serve as the critical link between the machine shop floor and the engineering team.
- You will be accountable for developing, optimizing, and scaling CNC machining processes for 3-, 4-, and 5-axis machines that produce critical components for Alpha, Eclipse launch vehicles and Blue Ghost and Elytra spacecraft.
- Input provided by your team can determine the success or failure of individual components, assemblies, and ultimately our production ramp.
Why You'll Love Working Here:
- Supportive, team-driven culture that values collaboration, transparency, and accountability.
- Opportunity to grow your career with a global workforce solutions leader serving multiple industries.
- People-first environment that encourages employees to bring their authentic selves to work.
- Strong focus on partnership, innovation, and delivering meaningful results for clients and candidates.
Why This Opportunity is Exciting:
- This role offers the chance to join a company that prioritizes both people and performance-where your contributions directly impact client success while giving you room to grow and develop professionally.
About Acara Solutions
- Acara is a premier recruiting and workforce solutions provider-we help companies compete for talent. With a legacy of experience in various industries worldwide, we partner with clients, listen to their needs, and customize visionary talent solutions that drive desired business outcomes. We leverage decades of experience to deliver contingent staffing, direct placement, executive search, and workforce services worldwide.
Sound like a good fit?
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What You'll Do:
- Lead and mentor a team of manufacturing engineers supporting machine shop operations and act as the primary liaison between the machine shop and the engineering team.
- Translate engineering design requirements into formal manufacturing process documentation including raw material definition, fixturing/tooling development, CNC programming strategies, inspection planning, and finishing requirements.
- Provide feedback to responsible engineers and ensure the most time-efficient and cost-efficient method of producing components.
- Drive continuous process development and improvement with the aim of radically increasing production rate and substantially reducing cost through data analysis, application of best practices, and innovative solutions.
- Ensure on time delivery of rocket components from CAD models to tangible components/assemblies ready for testing.
- Develop and implement digital work instructions and inspection sheets to guide operators and integrate with quality management systems (QMS).
- Lead the development, test, and qualification of new machining processes and drive equipment commissioning.
- Mentor members of the team through investigations of process failures, troubleshooting machining challenges, and drive corrective actions to closure.
- Work with Tooling and Programming teams to ensure job readiness and optimize CNC programs using machining modeling and analysis tools.
- Manage lookaheads for long lead tasks and work closely with production teams to manage build schedules.
- Research new manufacturing methods, production related processes, and materials for improved production efficiency and final product performance.
- Be fully accountable for hardware sets and establish clear ownership within the team.
- Improve processes and cycle times, implement quick changeover improvements, and drive strategic initiatives to ensure team is operating with the most innovative manufacturing capabilities.
- Establish and implement standards for tooling and fixturing design, review, and commissioning.
- Own and maintain Manufacturing controls within the client's Enterprise Resource Planning software.
- Participate in design reviews to drive design-for-manufacturing initiatives, ensure manufacturability of components, and implement lessons learned.
- Participate in the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) by developing and validating manufacturing processes and tooling.
- Identify issues, work with quality assurance to provide and execute corrective actions, and establish standards for manufacturing readiness reviews and production hand off.
- Provide direct floor-support to machine shop for continuous production and train shop floor personnel on new procedures.
What You'll Bring:
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering.
- 7+ years of experience working in a machine shop environment implementing the aforementioned responsibilities.
- 7+ years of professional work experience with CNC machining and manufacturing complex components.
- 3+ years of engineering leadership experience.
- 3+ years of experience developing CNC machining programs for metal parts on multi-axis machines.
- 3+ years of experience working with Inconel and other difficult to machine materials.
- 3+ years of experience with CAD software such as Pro-E, CATIA, Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, or NX.
- 3+ years of experience with tasks needing extreme attention to detail and prolonged mental concentration.
- 3+ years of experience writing machining procedures, work instructions, and test plans.
What Sets You Apart:
- Expert level understanding of GD&T and familiarity with ASME Y14.5.
- Strong knowledge of CNC machining processes, high-speed machining techniques, cutting tool technology, and machine tool capabilities.
- Ability to develop CAD models and create engineering drawings per international drawing standards.
- Able to read and interpret technical drawings and manufacturing documentation.
- Proven mechanical aptitude and hands-on problem-solving skills in a production environment.
- Exceptional people interaction skills and strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
- Must be a team player.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- A passion for creating, building, and making things happen.
- Ability to thrive in high stakes, stressful, short deadline environments.
- Critical thinking and strong decision-making ability.
- Demonstrated results with scaling up business operations.
- Proven demonstration of acting as process-oriented change agent.
- Familiarity with AS9100 or ISO 9001 quality standards.
- Proven experience leading teams and providing mentorship in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience with modern manufacturing principles, such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, PFMEA, and SPC.
- Experience with CAM software (Mastercam, Siemens NX, or similar).
- Experience with program validation tools such as CGTech Vericut or CIMCO Edit.
- Direct experience with process development in casting, forging, metallic 3D printing, and sheet metal.
- Experience programming and setting up CNC machines.
- Experience with Vertical Turn Lathes.
- Experience Macro programming.
- Experience with digital manufacturing tools, Industry 4.0 technologies, and electronic work instructions.
- Knowledge of data analysis packages (Python/high level Excel).
- Experience with shop floor process monitoring, data collection, and adaptive methods.
- Experience with budgetary and schedule planning, and capacity planning.
- Demonstrated working knowledge of manufacturing ERP, MRP, or similar manufacturing software systems.
- Startup experience.
- Aerospace or space systems manufacturing experience.
Additional Information:
- Upon offer of employment, the individual will be subject to a background check.
After you apply, you may receive a call or message from our AI Talent Scout about this role or other opportunities that match your skills and preferences.
AI agent role is to help speed up your hiring process by answering questions, confirming basic information, and identifying whether there's a mutual fit.
The call or chat may be recorded so that our recruiting team can review it - they make all final hiring decisions, while
AI agent simply helps move you forward faster. The best part?
They are available 24/7, so you can connect whenever it's convenient for you.
By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Acara Solutions and its affiliates, and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy at Website Privacy Policy | Acara
Aleron companies (Acara Solutions, Aleron Shared Resources, Broadleaf Results, Lume Strategies, TalentRise, Viaduct) are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Race/Color/Gender/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Veteran.
Applicants for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position does not meet the employment requirements for individuals with F-1 OPT STEM work authorization status.
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Aleron
Sep 03, 2026