
Senior Advanced Research Engineer
Wichita, KSJob$123–188K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago
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At a glance
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Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
Spirit AeroSystems seeks a Senior Advanced Research Engineer to support metallic fabrication research and development for commercial aerostructures. The role focuses on industrializing additive metal manufacturing, advancing welding technologies, developing material properties and design allowables, and supporting multifunctional teams. The engineer also reviews drawings, analyzes prototypes and failures, and helps ensure designs and processes meet customer, company, and regulatory requirements.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Overview
This role is at Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, supporting Spirit’s Commercial Business Units (“Spirit Commercial”). Spirit Commercial designs and builds commercial aerostructures, including for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, one of Boeing’s three business units and the premier manufacturer of commercial jetliners for decades. Spirit Commercial’s core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components, with a focus on innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions.
Responsibilities
Position Responsibilities:
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Appl y knowledge of aerospace mechanical/structural component fabrication technologies to support metallic fabrication research and development strategies and plan s
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Industrialize and scale additive metal manufacturing processes for new aerostructure applications, with a focus on high temperature metal alloys
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Define engineering requirements, qualification plans, and compliance approaches up front for design for metal additive manufacturing and advance welding technologies
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Support multi-functional teams in the above effort s , coordinate the identification and capture of cost and time savings, and assist in strategic technology planning.
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Develop, analyz e, and appl y material properties and design allowables , processing methods , and quality engineering specifications and standards to metallic fabrication projects.
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Review engineering drawings and documents for part conformance and assist in resolving part failure analysis for fabrication, assembly and in service problems.
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I mplement concepts and designs, analyze prototype systems, equipment, and processes, and verify compliance with customer requirements, company policy, procedures and guidelines, and governmental regulations.
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Assist with trade studies for design and/or process al ternatives
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience):
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Bachelor’s degree from an ABET accredited program in Engineering
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4+ years of related e xperience with automation and fabricati on technology
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4+ years of related e xperience in a manufacturing environment
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Experience with CATIA or other equivalent CAD programs
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Engineering and technical drawing interpretation knowledge
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Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
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Experience utilizing various Microsoft Office Suite applications, such as Office 365 and Microsoft Project, Power Point, Excel, Word, Teams and Visio
Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience):
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Knowledge of aerospace manufacturing processes, procedures and specifications
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Experience in cross-functional project management
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Experience with hard metal machining , high temperature alloys
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Experience using 3D modeling software slicing software for additive manufacturing
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Knowledge and experience with metal additive manufacturing technologies including laser powder bed fusion and various direct energy deposition processes
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Understanding of metallurgical terminology and concepts
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Experience with Catia V5 highly preferred
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Experience working with a multi-functional team on technical manufacturing projects
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Experience working in a research and development environment
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Ability to take initiative and seek creative metallic fabrication solutions
Union:
This is a union-represented position.
Drug Free Workplace:
We are a Drug Free Workplace where post offer applicants and employees are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies.
Pay & Benefits:
We strive to deliver a Total Rewards package that will attract, engage and retain the top talent. Elements of the Total Rewards package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.
We also provide eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work.
The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.
Pay is based upon candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.
Summary Pay Range: $122,650 - $188,050
Kansas Tax Credit: Join Spirit AeroSystems’ Kansas team and you may be eligible for a $5,000 state of Kansas Aviation tax credit for up to five years. Click here for more information on the tax credit.
How this job compares
Set against the 1,193 open Research Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$123–188K/yr
- US median$147–257K/yr867 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $155K, is 27% below the US median midpoint ($213K) — in the middle half of Research Engineer salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 1,193 open Research Engineer jobs across the US. 6% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most across the US
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory101 open
- OpenAI49 open
- Google42 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Research Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years at the median (672 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 406 of the 1,193 open Research Engineer jobs (34%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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