Manufacturing Engineer (Production Systems, Throughput, Automation)

Location: Onsite – Leander, TX Engagement: Full-Time Reports to: Senior Leadership

Company Overview

Wild West Systems is rapidly moving and growing early-stage American defense technology company with the mission to equip the civilized world with superior and affordable arms and advanced technologies – to dominate the battlefield of present and future threats, in a new era of asymmetrical warfare. We fuse versatile domain experience with novel approach and creativity to change the paradigm of defense – both for military arenas and civilian soft targets.

Position Overview

Expectations for this position are simple and demanding. You would make production work and then make it scale. Wild West Systems is building production in real time. Processes are incomplete systems are evolving, and problems show up daily. This role solves those problems; The selected candidate will own production performance across all product lines. They will identify issues, implement solutions into standard processes that scale. If something slows production, you fix it, if defects occur, you eliminate the root cause, if processes are unclear or inefficient, you redesign them.

What You Own (End-to-End)

Production performance across the shop
Throughput improvement
First pass yield
Cycle time reduction
Process design and refinement
Work instructions and process documentation
Fixturing and tooling design
DFM feedback into engineering

What You Actually Do

Work on the shop floor daily to identify and solve production problems
Own issues end-to-end from root cause through implementation and validation
Design and refine assembly and machining processes to improve flow and efficiency
Increase throughput by simplifying processes, removing waste, and introducing practical automation where it makes sense
Improve first pass yield by eliminating sources of variation and rework
Design and build fixturing and tooling to support in assembly, machining, and inspection
Support CNC and manual machining operations by improving setup, flow, and consistency
Integrate 3D printing into production workflows where it adds value (fixtures, tools, rapid iteration)
Develop and maintain work instructions, SOP's, and process documentation
Train operators and technicians on new processes and ensure adoption
Hold production accountable to defined processes and standards
Partner with design engineering to drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) improvements
Work across production, engineering, quality, and automation to ensure alignment and execution
Operate in an environment where processes are evolving and structure must be built in real time

Who You'll Bring

You solve problems and see them through to completion
You are comfortable in working in a shop environment with operators and machines
Experience revamping unreliable processes into clean, repeatable systems
Mentality to move fast and iterate on fly, not waiting for perfect conditions
Experience balancing speed with discipline
Ability to build and scale structure where none exist
Comfortable challenging designs when manufacturing is hindered
Day to day ownership of ecosystem. This is not a support function

Technical Qualifications

Manufacturing engineering fundamentals
Process design and optimization in both assembly & machining
Fixturing and tooling design (CAD required – SolidWorks, Onshape, etc.)
Experience with CNC and manual machining environments
Understanding of production flow, cycle time, and bottleneck analysis
Ability to implement practical automation
Experience working with 3D printing in production environments
Process documentation and standard work creation
Experience utilizing root cause analysis & problem solving

Minimum Qualifications

5+ years of manufacturing or production engineering experience
Experience improving throughput, yield, and process efficiency
Background working in either aerospace manufacturing, defense production, automotive or relative scaling production environments
Experience solving difficult production problems and implementing lasting solutions
ITAR Eligibility: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. Citizen or National, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR

What Success Looks Like

Production bottlenecks identified and resolved quickly
Throughput increases without proportional labor increases
First pass yield improves and rework decreases
Processes become standardized, repeatable, and documented
Operators understand and follow clear work instructions
Designs improve based on manufacturing feedback
Production transitions from reactive to controlled and scalable

Benefits Overview:

We are always looking for good people! Wild West Systems is committed to providing its employees with competitive salaries and benefits in order to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

Health Insurance:100% coverage for employees, 90% for spouse/family

Vision and Dental: 100% Coverage

401K with 4% match

Important Information:

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.

As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to our Talent Team at [email protected]

This company uses E-Verify to confirm each employee's work authorization

Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K