Lead Manufacturing Engineer, Space Vehicle Integration
Job Location:
Costa Mesa, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
As the Lead Manufacturing Engineer for Space Vehicle Integration you will be a technical leader responsible for owning the manufacturing strategy and execution for complex spacecraft hardware. Your responsibilities span the entire vehicle integration value chain including Design for Manufacturability advanced manufacturing process development tooling design & selection supplier technical management quality system implementation and comprehensive work documentation. You will lead cross-functional initiatives mentor junior engineers and drive integration excellence across vehicle structures mechanisms harness installation and final close-out.
The ideal candidate demonstrates proven leadership in solving complex technical challenges with innovative practical solutions in fast-paced resource-constrained environments. You have successfully scaled manufacturing processes from prototype through production and have a track record of delivering high-reliability hardware on aggressive timelines.
- Own the vehicle-level build flow for both production vehicle lines: define assembly and integration sequence station and zone content takt and the work instructions and travelers that execute it for each vehicle line.
- Own the post-environmental close-out stations weight and balance mass properties verification sealing final mechanical close-out and ship preparation. These stations are the throughput bottleneck in every flow we have modeled; making them faster is the single highest-value thing this role does.
- Develop and qualify vehicle integration processes: precision fastening and torque control bonded and shimmed joints mechanism and propulsion module installation harness routing and installation and alignment to metrology-defined datums.
- Drive Design for Manufacturability and Assembly into vehicle-level designs before CDR access fastener reach tool clearance integration order and testability of the assembled vehicle partnering directly with structures mechanisms and systems design engineers.
- Act as a principal stakeholder in deploying Andurils Manufacturing Development Process (MDP) on this program. The Manager and Senior Manager of Manufacturing Engineering are the full process owners; every manufacturing engineer is an owner and an evangelist. You will be expected to carry MDP into design forums rather than wait for it to be handed to you.
- Mature manufacturing readiness artifacts concurrently with design readiness milestones producibility assessments process and tooling plans build flow definition and manufacturing readiness evidence timed to PDR and CDR rather than assembled after them.
- Adopt and master our manufacturing execution and product lifecycle toolchain Foundry and Teamcenter and use it as the system of record for build definition work instruction authoring as-built records and production data. Fluency here is a requirement of the role not a training objective.
- Specify and deploy mechanical ground support equipment and tooling: handling and lift fixtures rotation and transport fixtures integration stands alignment tooling and torque tooling including custom design in CAD.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Quality to define deploy and monitor manufacturing best practices at the vendors and outside partners who deliver finished vehicle assemblies into our production facility workmanship and process requirements first article and source inspection expectations and the as-built and nonconformance records that must arrive with the hardware. Incoming assemblies that are not integration-ready stop this line so this interface is yours to own not to inherit.
- Hire mentor and lead the integration engineers who will each own a single vehicle line while retaining cross-line ownership of integration process tooling and workmanship standards; provide hands-on technical leadership to integration technicians on the floor.
- Bachelors degree in Electrical Aerospace Mechanical Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering or a related technical discipline.
- 8 years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace space defense or another high-reliability industry including 4 years on final assembly and integration of complete vehicles spacecraft or comparably complex electromechanical systems.
- Personally owned the build flow for at least one vehicle-level or major-assembly integration line sequence definition station content work instructions and travelers and can walk through how you built it and what you changed after first article.
- Hands-on depth in mechanical integration: precision fastening and torque control bonded or shimmed joints mechanism installation harness routing and installation and alignment to metrology-defined datums (laser tracker CMM or photogrammetry).
- Experience with weight and balance or mass properties verification and final close-out operations on flight or comparably high-consequence hardware.
- Cleanroom manufacturing experience with contamination control and FOD prevention discipline (ISO 7 or cleaner).
- Hands-on fluency with a manufacturing execution system and a PLM system as the system of record build definition work instruction or work order authoring as-built records and production data. Teamcenter Palantir Foundry SAP Manufacturo Windchill or equivalent.
- Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
- Willingness to travel up to 25%
- Direct experience integrating satellites spacecraft or space-based instruments (flight hardware) including support to environmental test campaigns (TVAC vibration shock acoustics) and launch site integration.
- Familiarity with space workmanship and process standards NASA-STD-8739 series IPC-620 for harness and cable ECSS equivalents and with mechanism and fastener standards for flight hardware.
- Stood up an assembly or integration line in a new facility: layout station design utility and tooling definition and first-article execution.
- Deployed a manufacturing process framework or readiness discipline across an organization not just complied with one. Experience evangelizing process adoption to engineers who did not report to you.
- Took a spacecraft or complex electromechanical product from single-digit annual builds into rate production of 100 units per year including automation or semi-automation of assembly operations.
- Active Top Secret clearance
US Salary Range
$146000 - $194000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience education and/or training critical skills and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Andurils total compensation package. Additionally Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees including:
At Anduril we invest in our people. Our comprehensive competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures youre supported in health recovery and whatever comes next.For more information Explore Our Benefits.
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. Weve observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence please keep the following critical points in mind:
No Financial Requests:Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information credit card numbers or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
- Please always verify communications:
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters it will only come from an
@address. - Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity please verify the agencys authenticity by reaching out to .
- Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters it will only come from an
Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach:If you receive any communication that appears suspicious contains grammatical errors or makes unusual requests do not engage. Always confirm the senders email domain is @ before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud:Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril please report it immediately to. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.
To view Andurils candidate data privacy policy please visit submitting your application you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk integrity and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists adverse media public-record information and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology intellectual property and organizational security.
Required Experience:
IC
