Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Focus

Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Focus

Taylor Defense Products, LLC

107 Thompson Street

Louisville, MS 39339

Taylor Defense Products was established in 2017 as part of the Taylor Group of Companies. Our mission is to provide the U.S. Military, its allies, and the U.S. government with the longest-lasting, best-supported, and lowest total cost material handling, construction, engineering, and logistics products. Taylor Defense has been rewarded for our performance and has continued to capture additional work which is now ramping up. Current contracts will provide a steady base of work for the next 7 years as we continue to grow. Taylor Defense operates in a culture of high expectation and high personal responsibility where our team approach and support within a flat organizational structure allows for rewarding results and supports rapid advancement. Like our customers, we are looking for a few good men and women to join our team.

Bring your skills and your character to make us a better performing team.

We are seeking an entry-level Manufacturing Engineer with a strong interest in Quality Control and hands-on manufacturing. This position is designed for a recent graduate or early-career engineer who wants to develop practical experience in quality, manufacturing processes, and continuous improvement while working directly with production teams on the shop floor.

The Manufacturing Engineer - Quality Focus will support inspection, process control, quality documentation, problem solving, and manufacturing improvement activities across Taylor Defense operations. The position will work closely with Quality, Engineering, Production, Welding, CNC, Assembly, and Supply Chain personnel to help ensure products meet drawing, specification, customer, and process requirements. The role will also provide exposure to fabrication processes including cutting, forming, machining, welding, straightening, assembly, and finishing.

This is a developmental engineering position. The successful candidate is not expected to arrive with extensive quality or defense-industry experience. Taylor Defense is looking for a technically capable individual with strong attention to detail, mechanical aptitude, a willingness to learn, and the ability to work effectively with people throughout the manufacturing organization.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Support Quality Control activities throughout manufacturing, including dimensional, visual, and in-process inspection.
• Assist in interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, GD&T, and customer acceptance requirements.
• Support the development and maintenance of inspection plans, control plans, work instructions, process documentation, and other quality records.
• Assist with PPAP and APQP activities, first-article inspections, process validation, and the collection and organization of objective quality evidence.
• Support the identification, documentation, and disposition of nonconforming material and manufacturing issues.
• Participate in root cause analysis, corrective actions, and follow-up activities to prevent recurrence of quality problems.
• Collect, organize, and analyze manufacturing and quality data to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Learn and support the use of inspection and measurement equipment appropriate to Taylor Defense manufacturing processes.
• Work directly with production personnel to resolve manufacturing and quality issues while maintaining product requirements.
• Support process development and improvement activities for cutting, bending, machining, welding, assembly, and finishing operations.
• Assist with manufacturing process studies involving workflow, material handling, workstation layout, tooling, process capability, and productivity.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, safety, cost, throughput, and waste reduction.
• Assist Engineering and Production with prototype builds, new product introduction, and implementation of design or process changes.
• Help ensure manufacturing documentation and information flow are clear, accurate, current, and usable by production personnel.
• Provide instruction or training on processes and quality requirements as knowledge and experience are developed.
• Give full consideration to safety practices and follow Taylor Defense policies and procedures in all engineering and quality activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related technical field.
• New graduates and candidates early in their engineering careers are encouraged to apply.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and interest in hands-on manufacturing and quality control.
• Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to documentation and problem solving.
• Ability to read engineering drawings or demonstrated ability and willingness to develop this skill.
• Basic computer skills and ability to work with manufacturing data, spreadsheets, reports, and technical documentation.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with production and technical personnel.
• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks while keeping supervision informed of progress, issues, and results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Internship, co-op, coursework, military, or hands-on experience involving manufacturing, quality, fabrication, welding, machining, or assembly.
• Exposure to dimensional inspection, GD&T, measurement equipment, or manufacturing quality systems.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001:2015, PPAP, APQP, root cause analysis, corrective action, or continuous improvement concepts.
• Interest in developing additional qualifications in quality engineering, welding inspection, GD&T, NDT, AWS CWI, or related technical disciplines.
• Experience or coursework involving CNC machining, welding, metal forming, fabrication, or heavy equipment manufacturing.

Development Opportunities

• Hands-on development in Quality Control and Manufacturing Engineering within a defense manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to customer quality requirements, PPAP/APQP processes, ISO 9001:2015, military specifications, and production quality systems.
• Opportunities to develop skills in dimensional inspection, process capability, corrective action, welding quality, manufacturing process development, and continuous improvement.
• A growth path toward broader Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, or technical leadership responsibilities as experience and capability develop.

Compensation

Competitive salary based on education, experience, and qualifications, along with a benefits package including healthcare, retirement plans, and paid time off.

Benefits:

• Medical/Prescription
• Dental
• Vision
• Vacation
• 10 Holidays
• 401K
• Company Paid Life Insurance