About 600 Arizona Jobs Are Coming With Honeywell Aerospace's $500 Million Tempe Plant

Aerospace and defense company Honeywell Aerospace will build a new $500 million, 300,000 square foot Tempe, Arizona facility that will create approximately 600 jobs, under plans released on October 28. The plant will sit near the company's global headquarters in Phoenix and is scheduled to open in late 2028, so those roles are a future plan rather than vacancies you can apply for this week. Construction of the facility will also support more than 1,000 local jobs. For Metaintro readers in the Phoenix area, this guide covers what the plant will make, why the company is expanding, what its current Tempe listings ask for, and how to get ready for the hiring that follows.

What Exactly Did Honeywell Aerospace Announce in Tempe?

The plant is one new building on the company's existing Tempe campus. The company is making a major expansion of its manufacturing facilities there rather than opening in a new city.

The job promise has two parts that should not be added together. The plant figure covers roles inside the finished facility, while the construction jobs come from construction of the facility itself, not from work inside the plant.

No breakdown of the plant roles by job type or pay, and no construction start or hiring schedule, has been published. The one detail given is that the plant will increase the company's engineering depth and its skilled workforce.

What Will the New Plant Build?

The new facility will create supply chain resilience by adding internal complex machining capability, a key area of the supply base that is currently constrained.

It will also set up a more vertically integrated production system for the next generation of products including Assure advanced actuation systems and Attune vapor cycle cooling subsystems. The Assure line includes missile maneuverability actuation and electronic control systems used for interceptor, tactical and other strategic high-performance missiles.

The facility will include an integrated digital production system, modular robotics, automated inspection, digital twins, and be powered by an end-to-end digital thread. Digital twins let engineers virtually model and test products, while a digital thread tracks information about those products throughout the manufacturing process.

The new plant will also add capacity, lean manufacturing, automation, and supply-chain resilience to support current Control Systems production, recent wins, and next generation platforms.

Why Is Honeywell Aerospace Expanding Now?

Chief executive Jim Currier pointed to demand for its technologies, which continues to accelerate across both commercial and defense markets. The plant will support customers' growth on current programs, $15 billion in Control Systems new program wins, and the future of aviation.

Third quarter results released the same day showed sales of $4.6 billion were up 2% year over year, and backlog grew to $19.3 billion at quarter end, up 12% from the prior year.

Supply limits are the other half of the story. The company presented root causes and actions underway for the constraints from a small number of mechanical suppliers currently limiting output growth at a September investor conference, and its commercial aftermarket sales rested on healthy underlying demand limited by mechanical component availability.

Orders are rising too. Trailing twelve-months orders were up 9%, led by Defense and Space, and Commercial Original Equipment sales were up 7% on a reported basis as commercial air transport build rates and selectable equipment volumes increased. Year to date, the company has secured more than $20 billion in new wins (estimated lifetime value), including over $2 billion in new awards to provide its advanced navigation and RF systems for several missiles and munitions programs. Closer to Tempe, the City of Phoenix Aviation Department signed an agreement with Honeywell Aerospace to study its Surface Alert (SURF-A) technology for ground vehicle operators on tarmacs, taxiways, and runways at three local airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor International.

Arizona has been at the heart of our innovation and manufacturing operations for decades, Honeywell Aerospace CEO Jim Currier said in October, according to the Honeywell Aerospace release.

How Does the March Defense Agreement Fit In?

The plant is partly a defense project. The expansion will also provide critical capacity growth to support priority production of critical defense technologies included in the supplier framework agreement the company signed with the Department of War in March.

That agreement dates from March 25, 2026, when Honeywell Aerospace signed a supplier framework agreement with the U.S. Department of War (DoW) to rapidly increase the production of critical defense technologies. It includes a $500 million multi-year investment to upgrade the company's production capacity. Whether the Tempe plant is part of that March commitment or a separate sum has not been made public.

Under the March agreement, the company will ramp production of navigation systems, Assure actuators and Electronic Warfare solutions. The company said it was among the first Tier 1 suppliers to sign a framework agreement of this nature with the DoW.

Is Honeywell Aerospace Now a Separate Company?

Yes. Honeywell Aerospace began trading as an independent company on June 29, 2026, following the completion of its spin-off from Honeywell International Inc., which now goes by Honeywell Technologies. It trades on Nasdaq under the ticker HONA, while Honeywell Technologies continues to trade under HON and now operates as a pure-play automation company.

That matters for job seekers because the Tempe jobs belong to the aerospace company, with its own careers site. The company employs more than 36,000 people globally and supports more than 10,000 customers.

Currier tied the plant to the split, calling it "an example of how our recent spin into an independent, publicly-traded Honeywell Aerospace allows us to make decisions and investments that support our growth." Before the spin-off, the Phoenix-based aerospace business was one of Arizona's largest employers with more than 7,000 employees, in a March AZFamily story carried by KOLD.

The company runs three business areas. Electronic Solutions develops the avionics, navigation systems, sensors and electromagnetic defense technology, Engines & Power Systems provides the propulsion, auxiliary power and electrical systems that keep those aircraft flying, and Control Systems supplies the thermal and motion control systems that support takeoff, landing and the safety of everyone on board.

What Tempe Jobs Is Honeywell Aerospace Posting Right Now?

While the new plant is still a plan, the existing Tempe campus is hiring on the Honeywell Aerospace job site's Tempe search, with roles posted in late October including these.

• Assembly & Test Tech, including a swing shift version of the role
• Manufacturing Engineer II and Advanced Manufacturing Engineer Senior
• Aerospace Systems Engineer II, Lead Test Engineer and Advanced Test Engineer
• Senior Quality Engineering Manager, Sr Program Manager and Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist

These openings on the Tempe search are on the existing campus, not at the new plant. They show the mix of production, engineering and supply chain work the Tempe site already needs.

The Assembly & Test Tech - Level 2 role in Tempe, posted October 23, 2026 is an on-site production job under an ISC Production Supervisor. Its must-haves are experience in assembly and testing processes within a manufacturing environment, proficiency in using hand tools and equipment safely and effectively, strong troubleshooting skills to diagnose and resolve assembly issues, the ability to interpret technical documents and blueprints accurately and basic computer skills for data entry and reporting purposes.

The company also values a High School Diploma or equivalent, 1-3 years of experience in assembly and testing roles, a detail-oriented mindset with a focus on quality and accuracy, the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and familiarity with safety protocols and best practices in a manufacturing setting, so a four-year degree is not on the list.

What Do the Engineering Listings Ask For?

The Manufacturing Engineer II listing in Tempe, dated October 21, 2026, supports repair and overhaul engineering and is also on site. It asks for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a technical discipline such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics and 3-5 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, preferably in aerospace or defense industries.

The role also requires experience with manufacturing processes, tooling, and quality systems relevant to aerospace production, experience with process design and improvement methodologies including Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles, manufacturing software tools such as CAD for process layout and ERP systems for production planning, knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards to define acceptable variations in mechanical parts, and familiarity with manufacturing documentation and standard operating procedures.

An advanced degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field is a plus, and the company also values experience with aerospace manufacturing standards and certification processes, strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail, the ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment and knowledge of automation technologies and data analytics applied to manufacturing processes.

Neither the assembly listing nor the engineering listing shows a pay range. For engineers weighing the move, aerospace engineer salary data shows typical pay in the wider field.

Honeywell Aerospace never requests or accepts money from candidates at any stage of the hiring process, according to the Honeywell Aerospace careers page.

Any demand for payment in exchange for employment opportunities is fraudulent and should be reported immediately to local law enforcement authorities.

Who Can Apply, and What Benefits Are Listed?

The U.S. person rule is the first filter. For both the assembly role and the engineering role, due to compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidate must be a U.S. Person, defined as a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, or have protected status in the U.S. under asylum or refugee status. The engineering role adds that the company is currently not sponsoring applicants for work visas for this job, and applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Timing matters too. On both the assembly listing and the engineering listing, the application period is estimated to be 40 days from the job posting date, and it may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates, so a later application can miss a window that closes early.

Benefits for the Manufacturing Engineer II role include these.

• Employer-subsidized medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage
• 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts
• Employee assistance program and educational assistance
• Parental leave and 12 paid holidays
• Paid time off for vacation, personal and sick time

The assembly role lists the same benefits package, including the 401(k) match, educational assistance and paid holidays.

Students and recent graduates can apply through the University Relations program, and the company's veteran careers track describes military experience as one that "translates directly to the work we do here." Its support for military employee Zach Koop earned the Department of Defense Freedom Award, an honor for employers who stand by service members.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The plant is still planned for the Tempe campus, so its jobs are a plan, not a hiring rush this month. Hands-on assembly and manufacturing engineering experience is what the assembly listing and the engineering listing ask for now, and the Tempe job search is where those roles are posted. One aim of the plant is adding internal complex machining capability.

• Apply to the current campus roles. The Tempe search on the job site is the direct route in, and the assembly technician role values a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Build machining and blueprint skills. If you are coming from another trade, machinist certification is one credential path into machining work.
• Learn the tools the engineering role names. Lean, Six Sigma, CAD, ERP and GD&T all appear on the Manufacturing Engineer II listing, and knowledge of automation and data analytics is on its list of valued skills.
• Check your eligibility first. The U.S. person rule on the assembly and engineering listings applies before skills do.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A plant that opens years from now rewards the people who learn the trade in the meantime. Get on a production floor now, and you will bring real experience when the new building starts hiring.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs will the Honeywell Aerospace Tempe plant create?

A: The plant will create approximately 600 jobs, and construction will also support more than 1,000 local jobs.

Q: When does the new Honeywell Aerospace plant in Tempe open?

A: The facility is scheduled to open in late 2028, and the company has not published a hiring timeline for the plant.

Q: Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to work at Honeywell Aerospace in Tempe?

A: Not only citizens. For the Assembly & Test Tech and Manufacturing Engineer II roles in Tempe, a candidate must be a U.S. Person, which includes U.S. citizens, permanent residents and people with asylum or refugee status.

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