Manufacturing Research Engineer – 018-26 (Youngstown, OH)

Manufacturing Research Engineer, America Makes

About America Makes

America Makes is the Nation’s leading public-private partnership for Additive Manufacturing technology and education. Our members from industry, academia, government, workforce, and economic development organizations, work together to accelerate the adoption of AM and the nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness, focusing on three core missions - Technology Development, Education and Workforce Development, and Ecosystem.

About the role and team

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

About NCDMM

NCDMM delivers innovative and collaborative manufacturing solutions that enhance our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness. NCDMM has extensive knowledge and depth in commercial and defense manufacturing areas to continually innovate, improve, and advance manufacturing technologies and methodologies. Our experienced team specializes in identifying the needs, players, technologies, and processes to attain optimal solutions for our customers. We connect the dots. That’s the NCDMM methodology. With seven locations nationwide, NCDMM manages America Makes, The Youngstown Innovation Hub, and El Paso Makes and is a subsidiary of the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group, Inc. (MTDG). Learn more at ncdmm.org.

NCDMM is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. 

NCDMM, as a government contractor, is required to verify all employees through the E-Verify system to confirm eligibility to work in the United States.