Avionics Manufacturing Engineer (All Levels)Department: Avionics
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Hawthorne, California
Compensation: $140,000 - $230,000 / year
DescriptionThe 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
