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ground · defense-manufacturing

Manufacturing Engineer

$95k – $155k
Skills at a glance

Courses for this role

1

Foundations

5 months

Manufacturing processes, lean principles, and the GD&T fluency that makes you useful in a defense production environment.

Skill
🛠 SkillManufacturing processes (CNC, additive, sheet metal)
essentialFree

You cannot improve a process you do not understand.

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🛠 SkillLean manufacturing
essentialFree

Defense production runs lean — value stream mapping is the daily language.

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🛠 SkillGD&T reading & application
essentialFree

Engineering drawings drive everything on the line.

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Course
🎓 CourseLean Six Sigma Green Belt· ASQ / Coursera
important40hintermediate$250

Standard credential in production environments.

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2

Build the stack

8 months

Fixture design, line balancing, and the MES tooling that defense manufacturers run their floors on.

Skill
🛠 SkillFixture & tooling design
essentialFree

A bad fixture creates rework on every part forever.

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🛠 SkillProcess planning & line balancing
essentialFree

Where the throughput gains actually come from.

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🛠 SkillManufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
importantFree

MES is the floor's operating system.

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🛠 SkillERP fluency (SAP, Oracle EBS) for defense plants
importantFree

Defense factories run on ERP — work orders, BOM revs, MRP, traceability. Mech engineers who can read and edit ERP transactions ship faster than those who route through analysts.

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Course
🎓 CourseDesign for Manufacturing & Assembly· Udemy
important22hintermediate$49

DFMA principles applied to high-mix defense work.

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Knowledge
📖 KnowledgeAS9100 / ISO 9001 for floor work
essentialFree

The QMS standards every defense shop runs against.

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3

Field experience

12 months

AS9100 audits, MRB experience, and the scale-up realities that determine whether a defense program ships at rate.

Skill
🛠 SkillYield improvement & process capability (Cpk)
essentialFree

Statistical process control as practiced.

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Knowledge
📖 KnowledgeMaterial Review Board (MRB) process
essentialFree

Disposition of non-conforming material — every shop runs this.

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📖 KnowledgeITAR / EAR on the factory floor
importantFree

Defense manufacturing is export-controlled end to end.

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Certification
📜 CertificationLean Six Sigma Black Belt· ASQ
recommendedFree$1,500

Senior credential for production engineering.

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