The posting
Manufacturing Engineer / Process Engineer
Location: Palo Alto, CA; On-site 5 days per week
Annual Salary (Exempt): $80K to $110K
Are you the type of engineer who wants to be on the production floor and not sit behind a desk trying to solve manufacturing problems from a spreadsheet? This role may be for you.
At Microwave Power Products (MPP), you’ll troubleshoot real manufacturing problems, work hands-on with operators and technicians, evaluate materials and processes, and turn what you learn on the floor into better, more capable manufacturing processes.
This is an opportunity for a Manufacturing, Materials, or Mechanical Engineer who enjoys figuring out why something failed, determining what needs to change, and working with a team to make the fix stick.
We’re looking for an engineer with approximately 3 years of experience who has:
- A Mechanical, Manufacturing, Materials, or related engineering background
- Hands-on manufacturing or production experience
- Strong mechanical aptitude and curiosity about how things are built
- Experience troubleshooting problems and improving processes
- An interest in materials and the relationship between material properties, manufacturing processes, and product performance
- Strong project management, organization, communication, and technical writing skills
Experience with brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, metallurgy, or other specialized manufacturing processes is highly beneficial—but we can teach our specific processes to the right engineer.
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.*
Microwave Power Products, Inc. (MPP), headquartered in Palo Alto, California, 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 production-floor engineering role for someone who likes solving problems at the source.
You’ll support manufacturing across MPP's business units, working directly with production teams to troubleshoot defects, understand process variation, evaluate materials, and improve the way products are built. You won't be limited to reviewing drawings or analyzing data from an office—you'll be close to the hardware, the processes, and the people doing the work.
Our manufacturing environment uses a wide range of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other specialized materials, along with processes such as brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and precision assembly.
When something goes wrong, you'll help answer questions like:
What happened? Why did it happen? Is the problem the material, the process, the tooling, the documentation, the equipment, or something else? What should we change—and how do we know the change worked?
You'll then work with the broader team to implement and sustain the solution.
WHAT YOU'LL DO (Responsibilities)
- Provide hands-on 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 specialized manufacturing processes including brazing, soldering, welding, coatings, machining, and related joining and finishing processes
- Evaluate metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, and other materials used in manufacturing and help determine how material characteristics affect process performance
- Identify root causes and implement practical corrective actions that improve quality, yield, reliability, and process consistency
- Improve and advance manufacturing processes through process characterization, standardization, and continuous improvement
- Support tooling and fixture development, troubleshooting, and improvement for mechanical assemblies and production processes
- Develop, update, and improve manufacturing procedures, work instructions, drawings, specifications, and process documentation
- Support operator training, process qualification, and certification activities
- Conduct or support process audits and follow up on identified deficiencies
- Work with Quality to investigate nonconformances, disposition rejects, and implement corrective actions
- Partner with Product Engineering to resolve product/process issues and improve manufacturability
- Lead or contribute to productivity, yield, quality, and process improvement projects
- Collaborate with Purchasing and suppliers to resolve material, component, and process issues
- Use data and engineering judgment to identify recurring problems and opportunities for improvement
- Manage assigned projects from problem definition through implementation, validation, and follow-up
- Support other related manufacturing engineering activities as assigned
YOU ARE A STRONG FIT FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE THESE PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor's degree in Materials, Mechanical, Manufacturing, 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 performing root cause analysis or troubleshooting manufacturing defects and implementing corrective actions
- 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 translate an ambiguous production problem into a structured investigation and practical solution
- Strong project management skills and the ability to independently organize and drive assigned work
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create clear technical documentation
- Comfortable working directly with operators, technicians, engineers, Quality, suppliers, and other cross-functional partners
- Hands-on, mechanically inclined, curious, and willing to learn unfamiliar processes
The ideal candidate needs to know how to learn a manufacturing process, understand why it works, recognize when it isn't working, and methodically figure out how to make it better.
WHY ENGINEERS CHOOSE MPP
- Work on rare and highly specialized manufacturing challenges involving advanced materials and precision processes
- Stay close to the hardware and production rather than working exclusively behind a desk
- Build expertise across materials, joining, coatings, machining, assembly, and process engineering
- Work on problems where engineering judgment directly affects quality, yield, productivity, and product performance
- Partner closely with Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain
- Develop broad manufacturing expertise while gaining depth in specialized processes
- 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.
- 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.
