1+ years in design, manufacturing, or production of hardware systems
Experience with high-reliability electronics in aerospace or regulated industries
Familiarity with IPC workmanship standards
Proficiency in eCAD or mCAD software tools
Experience with electronic test equipment and troubleshooting
For senior roles: experience leading NPI efforts and mentoring engineers
Responsibilities
Own fabrication, assembly, and testing of avionics hardware
Lead transition of new designs into production
Bridge communication between design, production, and quality teams
Review designs for manufacturability and testability
Create and maintain engineering documentation
Design and implement manufacturing tooling and equipment
Investigate non-conforming hardware and drive corrective actions
Support integration and testing of avionics systems
Benefits
Join a team of top engineers in planetary exploration
Equity ownership in the company
Comprehensive health benefits including mental health support
401(k) plan with company match
Flexible PTO and parental leave
Weekly lunch stipend with complimentary snacks
Monthly social hour with food and drinks
Full Job Description
Avionics Manufacturing Engineer (All Levels)
Department: Avionics
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Hawthorne, California
Compensation: $140,000 - $230,000 / year
Description
The Avionics Manufacturing Engineering team owns the end-to-end manufacturing of high-reliability avionics hardware. This includes wire harness build and test, PCBA production, electromechanical assembly, environmental testing, and systems integration. You will work closely with Responsible Engineers, production, supply chain, and quality to advance product design and develop production capabilities. You will drive design for manufacturability, support engineering decisions for flight hardware, and champion continuous improvement for our products, processes, and equipment. This posting covers entry-level through staff-level positions, and leveling will be commensurate with experience.
What you'll do:
Production Ownership: Own fabrication, assembly, and test for high-reliability avionics hardware. Develop, qualify, and optimize manufacturing processes that improve quality, yield, rate, and cost.
New Product Introduction (NPI): Lead the transition of new avionics designs from development into production, defining process flows, capacity plans, and production readiness criteria.
Collaboration: Bridge the gap between design engineering, production, supply chain, and quality to deliver reliable hardware on tight schedules. Provide day-to-day support to technicians on the production floor.
Design Feedback (DFM/DFX): Review designs and provide clear, actionable feedback to improve manufacturability, testability, and reliability. Participate in design reviews and support rapid iteration.
Engineering Documentation: Create and maintain mBOMs, work instructions, assembly and test procedures, and training materials in our MES and production data systems.
Tooling & Equipment: Design, validate, and implement fixtures, tooling, and equipment for manufacturing and testing.
Root Cause & Failure Analysis: Act as the primary point of contact for non-conforming hardware. Investigate issues, identify root causes, drive corrective actions to closure through the MRB process, and feed improvements back into designs and manufacturing processes.
Systems Integration: Support integration and test of avionics subassemblies and full vehicle systems.
What you'll bring:
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) related field
1+ years of experience in design, manufacturing, and/or production of mechanical or electrical hardware systems
Experience manufacturing high-reliability electronics for aerospace or other regulated industries, including wire harnessing, PCBA production, or electromechanical assembly
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with IPC workmanship standards such as J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, and IPC/WHMA-A-620, including space addenda
Experience reviewing designs for manufacturability and testability, with working knowledge of GD&T and drawing reviews
Experience with eCAD or mCAD software tools such as Altium, NX, or SolidWorks
Experience designing and using custom tooling or test fixtures, and working with MES and PLM systems
Experience with electronic test equipment such as power supplies, multimeters, and oscilloscopes, and familiarity with circuit analysis and troubleshooting of electrical or electromechanical hardware failures
For senior and staff levels: experience leading process development or NPI efforts end-to-end, mentoring engineers, and setting standards for manufacturing process validation and documentation
Benefits and Perks
Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
Equity ownership in the company
Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support
401(k) plan with company match
Flexible PTO and parental leave
Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site
Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks
