Lead Manufacturing Engineer
Full Job Posting
- Act as a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer , directly supporting spacecraft assembly, integration, and production alongside the Manufacturing Engineering team.
- Develop and maintain manufacturing process plans, detailed work instructions, routings, BOMs, and other production documentation required to execute spacecraft builds.
- Provide hands-on engineering support on the production floor, working directly with technicians to troubleshoot assembly and integration issues and remove production blockers.
- Develop and validate manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, equipment, and production layouts required for spacecraft assembly and integration.
- Lead root cause investigations for manufacturing and production issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
- Review engineering designs and documentation for manufacturability, providing actionable Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) feedback to Design Engineering.
- Manage and maintain EBOM/MBOM/PBOM alignment, routings, work orders, and manufacturing documentation within ERP/MRP/MES environments.
- Identify and execute continuous improvement initiatives that improve quality, throughput, repeatability, ergonomics, and production efficiency.
- Lead Manufacturing Engineering activities across spacecraft builds, helping prioritize work and providing technical direction while remaining accountable for your own engineering deliverables.
- Mentor and support Manufacturing Engineers, helping develop their technical capabilities and establishing consistent Manufacturing Engineering practices across the team.
- Serve as a technical liaison between Engineering and Operations, ensuring engineering intent is translated into clear, controlled, and executable processes on the production floor.
- Identify and implement new manufacturing technologies, equipment, tooling, and automation that enable Loft to scale spacecraft production.
- 8+ years of professional experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline within aerospace, spacecraft, or another complex high-reliability hardware environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership or mentorship while remaining a hands-on individual contributor within a manufacturing or production environment.
- Strong hands-on understanding of complex hardware manufacturing and assembly processes, including electronics assembly, hand soldering, harness fabrication, mechanical assembly, bonding/polymerics, and/or precision hardware integration.
- Ability to read, interpret, and provide feedback on engineering documentation including mechanical drawings, GD&T, electrical schematics, CAD models, wire lists, BOMs, and engineering specifications.
- Experience personally developing and maintaining manufacturing process plans, assembly instructions, routings, BOMs, and production documentation under configuration control.
- Experience working within ERP/MRP/MES systems and understanding the relationship between EBOMs, MBOMs/PBOMs, routings, work orders, inventory, and production execution.
- Demonstrated experience solving complex production problems through structured root cause analysis and corrective action.
- Strong understanding of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles, with demonstrated experience improving manufacturing quality, efficiency, or throughput.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production teams.
- Willingness and ability to work on-site in Golden, Colorado , including significant hands-on support directly on the production floor.
- Previous experience manufacturing, assembling, integrating, or testing spacecraft or other spaceflight hardware.
- Previous hands-on experience as an aerospace or spacecraft technician.
- Experience with aerospace manufacturing and workmanship standards such as AS9100, IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620, J-STD-001, NASA standards, and/or ECSS .
- Current or previous IPC workmanship certifications.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
- Experience designing manufacturing tooling, fixtures, production layouts, or assembly aids.
- Experience scaling manufacturing operations from low-volume development builds toward higher-rate production.
- Experience implementing or improving ERP, MRP, or MES systems and manufacturing data structures.
- Experience with manufacturing automation, data analysis, or scripting tools such as Python.
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
- Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
- 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
- Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
- 401(k) plan and equity options
- Daily catered lunches and snacks
- International exposure to our team in France
- Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
- Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
- Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
- Relocation assistance when applicable
About Loft Orbital
Space infrastructure company helping governments, companies, and research institutions deploy and operate missions in low Earth orbit.
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