An Aerospace Engineering Manager oversees engineering and technical design of aerospace engineering projects, such as airplane or rocket components. Manages communication and coordination among different types of engineers working on a project. Supervises project schedule, budget, and communications with stakeholders.
A Day in This Role It's just before 7:00 AM in Camarillo, CA. You grab a coffee, review your project board, and step onto a production floor humming with about 35 CNC machines across three buildings. By 7:15, you're checking in with your tight-knit engineering team—mentoring, unblocking, prioritizing. By mid-morning, you're deep in SolidWorks, refining a complex assembly, applying smart DFM decisions, and tightening up GD&T to ensure the drawing is crystal clear for manufacturing and inspection. After lunch, you're translating a customer's latest feedback from the weekly engineering call into actionable updates, setting up a smooth handoff to production, and guiding inspection on CMM fixture strategies. You wrap the day aligning with Quality on validation steps and documenting changes to keep ISO requirements and revision control spotless. About Us We've been crafting precision components for a household name in the automotive industry since 1967. With roughly 60 employees operating out of three facilities in Camarillo, CA , our team blends hard-earned know-how with modern manufacturing to deliver reliable, production-ready parts—every time. What You'll Lead Own new product introduction (R&D to production) and the launch of engineering changes, reporting directly to the Owner. Coach a small, growing team of engineers and interns through technical direction, feedback, and career development. Run 5-15 active projects at once, tracking milestones, risks, and deliverables to keep launches on schedule. Model, design, and revise mechanical components/assemblies in SolidWorks with rigorous documentation and revision discipline. Apply DFM to elevate manufacturability, reduce cost, and safeguard quality from the start. Partner with Production, Quality, Inspection, and Manufacturing to support both new launches and sustaining work. Develop tooling and fixtures—including CMM inspection fixtures—to enable efficient builds and reliable inspections. Review drawings for proper GD&T and ensure downstream teams have what they need to execute flawlessly. Participate in weekly engineering meetings with customers; turn requirements and feedback into clear engineering outputs. Collaborate with vendors and suppliers to unblock technical issues and accelerate development. Support validation activities and collaborate closely with Quality to confirm performance and compliance. Maintain documentation aligned to ISO practices; drive continuous improvement across engineering processes. Provide hands-on support to the floor—debugging, implementing ECOs, and guiding product transitions. Schedule Standard 40-50 hour workweek starting around 7 AM Every other Friday off What You Bring (Required) Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field. 5+ years of professional SolidWorks experience with expert-level proficiency. Strong foundation in mechanical design and end-to-end product development. Proven track record managing projects from concept through production ramp. Leadership experience mentoring or supervising engineering talent. Deep familiarity with DFM and practical application on machined components. Proficiency in GD&T and creation/maintenance of detailed drawings with revision control.
Comfort using precision metrology:
calipers, micrometers, gauges. Excellent communication, organization, and project leadership skills. Ability to juggle competing priorities in a fast-moving manufacturing setting. Nice to Have Automotive or aerospace sector experience. Knowledge of ISO-based quality systems and supporting documentation. ERP familiarity—ideally Epicor. Experience defining manufacturing methods, routers, and setup instructions. Background in tooling design and CMM fixture development. Understanding of validation plans and production support best practices. Leadership DNA Hands-on and collaborative; you lead from the bench and the whiteboard. Analytical problem-solver with strong critical thinking. Committed mentor for early-career engineers. Clear, respectful communicator across functions and with customers. Customer-obsessed, continuous improvement mindset. Comfortable balancing technical depth with people and project leadership. Core Proficiencies Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Mechanical Design & Engineering Engineering Degree
