Manufacturing, NPI Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the NPI funnel, overseeing the process from RFQ through prototype development, qualification builds, and production ramp-up.

• Conduct structured design-for-manufacture reviews to identify issues related to manufacturability.

• Establish transitions from prototype tooling to production tooling and develop strategies for tooling-cost amortization.

• Collaborate with customer engineering teams on inquiries related to design, materials, and process trade-offs.

• Build and manage Jiga’s First Article Inspection process effectively.

• Define protocols for qualification, including sample sizes, inspection cadence, and criteria for reduced inspections.

• Create control plans and inspection plans, ensuring verification of supplier execution.

• Lead engineering initiatives for supplier audits driven by customer requirements, addressing and resolving findings.

• Implement configuration control, manage revisions, and oversee ECN/ECO processes.

• Ensure consistency among customer drawings, supplier documentation, and shipped parts.

• Manage technical programs from start to finish, including timelines, gate reviews, and updates for stakeholders.

• Lead investigations into root causes and implement corrective actions for production challenges.

• Cultivate engineering relationships with manufacturing partners.

• Align suppliers and customers on process choices, tolerances, inspection methods, qualifications, and defect management.

• Facilitate knowledge transfer between customers, suppliers, and Jiga.

• Participate in supplier qualification visits, audits, root-cause investigations, and ramp-to-volume checkpoints.

• Enhance Jiga’s platform as the authoritative system for revisions, FAI status, control plans, and qualification data.

• Develop playbooks, templates, and improvements to the platform to mitigate recurring engineering issues.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 6 years of practical experience in manufacturing engineering, NPI, or production engineering within a contract manufacturer, OEM, or hardware company, focusing on transitioning products from prototype to production.

• Proven experience managing a genuine NPI program from DFM through PPAP/FAI/qualification to ramp-to-volume.

• Direct experience with configuration control and revision management practices.

• Proficient in FAI, control plans, inspection plans, and quality protocols such as AS9102, PPAP, or ISIR.

• Ability to interpret mechanical drawings and CAD formats, including PDF, STEP, and SolidWorks.

• Strong proficiency in GD&T.

• Familiarity with CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, casting, and additive manufacturing processes.

• Technical project management capabilities, encompassing timelines, gate reviews, RAID logs, stakeholder coordination, and executive updates.

• Located in the US and willing to undertake occasional domestic and international travel.

• Fluent in English.

• A degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or industrial engineering is beneficial but not mandatory.

• ITAR-eligible / US person status is advantageous.

• Experience in defense, aerospace, medical device, or other regulated manufacturing environments is a plus.

• Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and basic ITAR/export-control regulations is desirable.

• Six Sigma, Lean, or similar process-improvement training is beneficial.

🏝️ Benefits

• Fully remote team structure.

• Async-first work culture.

• High-trust, flexible working environment without hour tracking.

• Weekly online gaming sessions.

• Annual company offsite events.

• Occasional travel to customer and supplier locations.

• A cashflow-positive, fully funded company atmosphere.