Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Irvine, CA (Onsite)

Industry: Aerospace & Defense / Advanced Manufacturing

Compensation: $110-165K

About the Role

Our client is moving fast and thinking big, they combine start-up agility with aerospace expertise to design, build, and scale aircraft in ways the industry has never seen. Leveraging automation, AI-driven tools, and a fully connected digital backbone, our client accelerates innovation and reduces barriers to production.

Our client is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to work onsite in Irvine, CA. In this role, you will lead the industrialization of complex mechanical and electromechanical products from early development through production release. Serving as a critical bridge between Design Engineering and the factory, you will ensure products are manufacturable, repeatable, cost-effective, and ready to scale.

You will develop manufacturing processes, tooling, build plans, work instructions, and production systems while working hands-on with hardware, suppliers, Quality, and Production. As a senior member of a small team, you will solve complex manufacturing problems independently, influence product design, and help establish the manufacturing standards and capabilities that will support the growth of the business.

Why This Role Matters

• Critical Interface: Serves as the primary link between Design Engineering and production, ensuring product intent is executed reliably on the shop floor.
• Direct Impact: Directly influences product cost, build quality, cycle time, and readiness to scale.
• Risk Reduction: Identifies manufacturability and process issues early—before they impact rate, quality, or delivery schedules.
• Scalability: Enables the Systems business to transition efficiently from prototype and qualification builds into repeatable production.
• Future Growth: Strengthens manufacturing capability and operational scalability as product volume and complexity increase.

What You’ll Bring

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field (preferred); significant relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• Experience: Minimum of 6 years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting complex hardware development and/or production. Experience in consumer or commercial industries is preferred.
• Product Lifecycle: Demonstrated track record of taking products from early development through production release.
• Core Expertise: Deep manufacturing engineering expertise across DFM/DFA, process development, tooling, work instructions, and production readiness.
• Technical Skills: Advanced engineering drawing interpretation and GD&T capability.
• Hands-On Capability: Practical experience solving shop-floor manufacturing problems, supporting hardware builds, and working with mechanical/electromechanical assembly across multiple scalable manufacturing processes.
• Supplier Development: Experience with supplier process development, First Article builds, and production readiness.
• Quality & Metrology: Working knowledge of inspection methods, metrology, process capability, and root cause/corrective action (RCCA).
• Mindset & Collaboration: Strong communication skills, a high-ownership mindset, willingness to stay close to the hardware, and the ability to work independently across engineering, quality, production, and supply chain.

Why Join Our Client?

• Work alongside elite operations talent and innovators from across aerospace and tech.
• Be part of a team moving faster than the industry standard.
• Shape solutions that are lower-cost, autonomous, and scalable—the future of aviation.
• Competitive compensation, including equity participation, growth opportunities, and full health benefits (health, vision, dental, 401k) designed to support you in and out of work.

Final compensation will be based on role scope, experience, skills, internal equity, and location. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, and benefits.