Manufacturing Engineer - Process & Materials

Manufacturing Engineer - Process & Materials (Palo Alto, CA)

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Pay: $80K to $110K annual salary depending on experience and leveling

We're looking for a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer with approximately 3+ years of experience who enjoys solving problems where materials, processes, and production meet. This role puts you directly on the production floor, troubleshooting real manufacturing problems, improving processes, and working with production and engineering teams to make specialized products better.

At Microwave Power Products (MPP), you'll work with metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, joining processes, coatings, machining, and mechanical assemblies while partnering directly with production teams to understand why problems occur and how to prevent them.

This is not a role where you'll spend most of your time behind a desk. Approximately 75% of the role supports production and 25% focuses on process improvement and engineering projects.

What makes this Engineering role different:

• Work directly on the production floor solving manufacturing problems at the source
• Troubleshoot issues involving materials, processes, tooling, fixtures, documentation, training, and mechanical assemblies
• Apply engineering fundamentals to metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other specialized materials
• Support specialized manufacturing processes including brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and precision assembly
• Take problems from failure root cause corrective action improved process
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and suppliers
• See your engineering work directly improve quality, yield, productivity, and process capability

We're hiring at the Engineer I or Engineer II level, with the Engineer II profile generally aligning with candidates who have approximately 3+ years of applicable hands-on experience. Exceptional early-career candidates with strong hands-on manufacturing experience may be considered at Engineer I.

We're Hiring at Two Levels

Engineer I

• Early-career engineer with a B.S. in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Relevant hands-on experience through internships, school projects, research, manufacturing, robotics, or similar technical work
• Strong mechanical aptitude and demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and solve technical problems
• Interest in manufacturing processes, materials, and continuous improvement

Engineer II

• Approximately 3+ years of applicable manufacturing, process, materials, or mechanical engineering experience
• Hands-on experience supporting production, troubleshooting manufacturing issues, or improving processes
• Experience with root cause analysis, process characterization, corrective action, manufacturing documentation, or related activities
• Ability to independently manage projects and work cross-functionally with Production, Engineering, Quality, and suppliers

Experience with brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, metallurgy, failure analysis, or other specialized manufacturing processes is highly beneficial.

This position may involve access to information subject to U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR). Access to certain controlled information may be limited to individuals who qualify as "U.S. persons" (generally U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals). Non-U.S. persons may still apply; however, eligibility for access to controlled information may require U.S. government authorization.

Agency Notice: We do not accept unsolicited candidate submissions from staffing agencies, search firms, or third-party recruiters.

MPP is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and is a global manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems focused primarily on communications and defense markets. With a heritage of technological excellence that spans decades, MPP develops, manufactures and globally distributes innovative and reliable technology solutions used in the generation, amplification, transmission and reception of microwave signals for commercial and military applications. MPP serves customers in the communications, defense, medical, industrial and scientific markets.

YOUR DAY TO DAY (Role Summary)

This is a hands-on manufacturing engineering role supporting production and process improvement. You'll work directly with operators, technicians, and engineers to troubleshoot problems, improve processes, and implement practical solutions. MPP manufactures highly specialized electronic components and subsystems using metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other engineered materials, with processes including brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and precision mechanical assembly.

When a production problem occurs, you'll be expected to go beyond identifying that something failed. You'll help determine:

• What happened?
• Why did it happen?
• Was the cause related to the material, process, tooling, fixture, documentation, equipment, or another factor?
• What corrective action will prevent it from happening again?
• How do we validate and sustain the improvement?

You'll then work with the appropriate teams to implement and document the solution.

This is an excellent role for a Manufacturing, Materials, or Mechanical Engineer who wants broad exposure to specialized manufacturing while developing deeper expertise in process engineering and materials.

WHAT YOU'LL DO (Responsibilities)

• Provide hands-on manufacturing engineering support directly on the production floor across MPP's business units
• Troubleshoot manufacturing defects, rejects, process variation, and production issues involving materials, processes, tooling, fixtures, documentation, training, personnel, and mechanical assemblies
• Investigate material and process deficiencies using failure analysis, materials evaluation, metallurgy, chemical analysis techniques, process controls, process mapping, and other appropriate engineering methods
• Support and improve specialized manufacturing processes including brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and related joining and finishing processes
• Evaluate metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other engineering materials and help determine how material characteristics affect manufacturing and product performance
• Perform root cause analysis and implement corrective actions that improve quality, yield, reliability, and process consistency
• Characterize, standardize, and improve manufacturing processes to increase capability, efficiency, and productivity
• Support troubleshooting and improvement of tooling, fixtures, equipment, and mechanical assemblies
• Develop, update, and improve manufacturing procedures, work instructions, drawings, specifications, and other technical documentation
• Support operator training, process qualification, and certification activities
• Conduct or support process audits and address identified process deficiencies
• Work with Quality to investigate nonconformances, disposition rejects, and implement corrective actions
• Partner with Product Engineering to resolve product and manufacturing issues and improve manufacturability
• Lead or contribute to yield, productivity, quality, and process improvement projects
• Collaborate with Purchasing and suppliers to investigate and resolve material, component, and process-related issues
• Analyze manufacturing and process data to identify trends, recurring problems, and opportunities for improvement
• Manage assigned engineering projects from problem definition through implementation, validation, and follow-up
• Support other related manufacturing engineering activities as assigned

Your work will directly affect how efficiently, consistently, and reliably our products are built.

YOU ARE A STRONG FIT FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE THESE PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Approximately 3 years of relevant engineering or manufacturing experience
• Hands-on experience working in a production or manufacturing environment
• Experience with manufacturing processes, process documentation, assembly, or process improvement
• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing defects or production problems through structured root cause analysis
• Working knowledge of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, or other engineering materials
• Experience or exposure to brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, or other specialized manufacturing processes
• Experience evaluating process variation, yield, rejects, or manufacturing performance
• Familiarity with mechanical assemblies, tooling, fixtures, or production equipment
• Ability to investigate an ambiguous production problem, identify likely root causes, and develop a practical corrective action
• Strong project management skills with the ability to organize and drive assigned projects to completion
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create clear technical documentation
• Ability to collaborate effectively with operators, technicians, engineers, Quality, suppliers, and other cross-functional partners
• Strong mechanical aptitude and comfort learning unfamiliar processes
• A hands-on, practical, curious mindset and willingness to spend significant time working directly with manufacturing

Candidates with experience in one or more of the following will be especially interesting:

• Materials engineering or metallurgy
• Manufacturing/process engineering
• Failure analysis
• Brazing or soldering
• Welding
• Coatings
• Machining
• Joining or finishing processes
• Process characterization and qualification
• Tooling and fixture design
• Manufacturing process documentation
• Corrective action / root cause analysis
• Yield or productivity improvement

You do not need to know every process we use today. We're looking for an engineer who understands how to learn a process, understand the materials and variables involved, troubleshoot problems methodically, and turn what they learn into a better manufacturing process.

Early-career candidates

Engineer I candidates may also be considered with a strong Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Materials Engineering foundation and meaningful hands-on experience through internships, school projects, research, robotics, manufacturing, or other applied technical work.

WHY ENGINEERS CHOOSE MPP

Work on rare and highly specialized manufacturing challenges involving advanced materials and precision processes

Spend significant time on the production floor working directly with hardware

Build expertise across materials, joining, coatings, machining, assembly, and process engineering

Solve problems where engineering decisions directly affect quality, yield, productivity, and product performance

Work closely with Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, and suppliers

Gain broad exposure to specialized manufacturing while developing deeper technical expertise

Work in a technically deep environment where engineers have visible impact

Stability and investment backed by a global aerospace organization, without losing site-level agility

WHAT WE OFFER

Salary: $80K-$110K depending on experience and leveling. Candidates with approximately 3+ years of applicable hands-on manufacturing or process engineering experience will generally align toward the higher end of the range and Engineer II level. Final leveling will be based on relevant experience, technical depth, hands-on capability, and demonstrated scope of responsibility.

• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous 401(k) match
• Commuter benefits within the Stanford Research Park
• Complimentary EV charging
• Paid time off and holidays
• Training and opportunities for skill development and growth

OUR WORKPLACE COMMITMENT

We value the unique and diverse skills, qualities, and backgrounds that each employee brings to MPP, and we respect each employee as an integral member of our growing team. MPP is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all current and prospective employees, as well as to promoting a culture of inclusion and respect for everyone. We celebrate the innovation that diversity creates in the work environment, and we recognize that each employee brings their own unique capabilities, experiences, and perspectives to the organization. It is this variety that adds value to our teams, as well as to our stakeholders. We welcome and encourage applicants to reach their full potential with us.

MPP is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics.