Job Description Summary
The Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Plastics is accountable for driving supplier performance, capability, and industrialization readiness across the Southeast Asia plastics supply base supporting aerospace programs. This role serves as the regional plastics Subject Matter Expert (SME) and is responsible for supplier recovery, new supplier development, should-cost evaluation, and manufacturing risk mitigation. A key focus is pre-FAI review and approval, process optimization, and lead time reduction to ensure suppliers meet Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD) targets while aligning to aerospace regulatory and customer requirements. The individual must be highly execution-focused, technically strong in plastics processing, and capable of influencing supplier leadership teams to achieve measurable results.
Key responsibilities
Pre-FAI Review & Approval
- Lead pre-FAI reviews to verify supplier readiness and documentation completeness.
- Approve process plans, PFMEA, control plans, and tooling specifications prior to FAI submission.
- Reduce FAI rejections and turnbacks by ensuring all technical requirements and customer specifications are met.
Plastics Manufacturing Technical Authority
Provide hands-on technical leadership in:
- Injection molding (thermoplastics and thermosets)
- High-performance aerospace polymers (PEEK, PEI, PPS)
- Thermoforming and composite plastics
- Tooling validation and mold flow optimization
- Secondary operations, bonding, and finishing
Responsibilities include:
- Optimizing processes to reduce lead time and cost
- Validating process capability (Cp/Cpk)
- Leading root cause investigations (8D, RCCA)
- Ensuring robust process control and documentation discipline
New Supplier Development, Sourcing & APQP
- Identify and assess new plastics suppliers within Southeast Asia.
- Conduct technical capability assessments (process maturity, tooling, capacity, quality systems).
- Lead Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) with suppliers for new projects to ensure robust industrialization and risk mitigation.
- Support supplier onboarding, process validation, and industrialization readiness.
- Partner with Sourcing to evaluate should-cost, production capability, and supplier competitiveness.
Supplier Performance & Recovery
- Work with Supplier Performance team on on-site recovery efforts for underperforming suppliers.
- Drive measurable improvements in:
- On-Time Delivery (OTD)
- First Pass Yield (FPY)
- Scrap and rework reduction
- Implement structured recovery plans with defined KPIs and milestone tracking.
- Escalate systemic manufacturing risks impacting program delivery.
Lead Time Reduction & Process Optimization
- Analyze manufacturing processes to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
- Implement process improvements to reduce cycle time and increase throughput.
- Collaborate with suppliers to improve operational effectiveness and responsiveness.
- Monitor progress with measurable KPIs for cycle time, yield, and delivery.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, or related). Master’s degree is preferred.
- Proven experience in pre-FAI review and approval, process optimization, lead time reduction, and APQP leadership.
- Expertise in injection molding, thermoplastics, thermosets, and aerospace-grade polymer materials.
- Drives measurable supplier performance improvement
- Operates with urgency and ownership
- Influences without direct authority
- Strong cross-cultural communication skills
- Data-driven and financially aware
- Comfortable operating in high-visibility program environments
- 8+ years of plastics manufacturing experience in aerospace or regulated industries.
