About the RoleWe're hiring a hands-on, high-agency Head of Manufacturing to own how our engines get built, from first article through high-rate production. You will own the entire manufacturing organization: process development and automation, tooling, factory build-out, production operations, supplier qualification, and the quality systems that hold it all together.
This is a build-it role before it is a run-it role. In the near term you will work directly on the floor, develop processes yourself, and stand up the production system alongside the engineering team. As the program scales, you will own the manufacturing strategy for an entire engine line and build the organization (engineers and technicians) that runs it. The defining outcome of this role is the journey from prototype builds to repeatable, high-rate output of propulsion hardware.
Responsibilities- Own the full manufacturing stack for gas turbine hardware: process development, automation, tooling, production operations, and quality, from development builds through rate production.
- Drive the ramp from first articles to repeatable high-rate production, owning yield, cycle time, scrap, capacity, and cost as the program scales.
- Develop and deploy advanced manufacturing and automation: precision machining, additive (DMLS/LPBF), robotics and custom equipment, sheet metal, brazing, welding (TIG/EB/laser), heat treatment, coatings, and rotor balancing.
- Translate designs into scalable, repeatable production methods with clear alignment on cost, quality, and schedule.
- Lead manufacturing process validation (PFMEA, PPAP, first article inspection, control plans) and mature the documentation and work-instruction infrastructure the floor runs on.
- Provide authoritative DFM/DFA input to engineering at the design stage: early, direct, grounded in production reality, and aimed at parts that can be held to tolerance at scale.
- Own tooling, fixture, and gauging strategy across internal and external production.
- Build and qualify a supplier and manufacturing-partner base capable of supporting flight-rate production; own process audits and first article reviews.
- Establish and enforce manufacturing quality systems aligned with AS9100 and applicable regulatory requirements (NADCAP, ITAR/EAR).
- Support engine integration and test campaigns with manufacturable, fieldable solutions.
- Build, mentor, and lead the manufacturing team (engineers and technicians) as the program scales from a hands-on core to a full production organization.
Qualifications- B.S. or higher in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, or Materials Engineering, or equivalent depth of experience.
- 10+ years in manufacturing, production, or advanced-manufacturing engineering, with demonstrated ownership of the path from prototype through high-rate production.
- Proven track record scaling a complex hardware program from development to high-volume production, owning the operational metrics that come with it.
- Deep working knowledge of precision machining, additive manufacturing, and modern production methods relevant to aerospace hardware; experience with factory automation, equipment engineering, or robotics a strong plus; familiarity with EDM, rotor balancing, and specialty joining processes a plus.
- Strong DFM/DFA background with the ability to push back on design intelligently and constructively.
- Experience establishing and operating manufacturing quality systems in regulated environments (AS9100, NADCAP, DoD/FAA); familiarity with ITAR/EAR.
- Proven ability to build and qualify a supplier base for flight-grade components.
- Proven people leader: built and led teams of engineers and technicians, ideally from a small core through significant scale.
- Self-directed and execution-focused, comfortable working hands-on while building team and infrastructure simultaneously.
- Low ego, high accountability, and a clear communicator at every level of the organization.
Compensation & BenefitsCompensation for this role is based on a range of factors including experience, education, critical skills, and business considerations. Actual offers may vary. Where a salary range is displayed, it reflects an estimate only. Highly competitive equity grants are included in most full-time offers.
We offer comprehensive benefits for full-time employees, including:
- Premium Healthcare Coverage: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your eligible dependents
- Complete Protection: Full company-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage
- Flexible Time Off: Open PTO policy plus 13 paid company holidays
- Family Support: 8 weeks of paid parental leave and comprehensive leave options
- Wellness Resources: Access to mental health services, Employee Assistance Program, and financial coaching
- Pre-Tax Benefits: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and commuter benefits
- Professional Growth: Development opportunities including mentorship and skill development
- Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan with company matching
The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.
You'll thrive here if you:- Own problems the moment you see them and drive them to resolution regardless of whose area they touch
- Lead by example at every level, and check your ego at the door. The best idea wins, full stop
- Can prioritize ruthlessly when the list is longer than the day
- Believe that discipline and rigor are what create the freedom to move fast - not obstacles to it
Joining a company this early is not for everyone. And the people who do their best work here tend to know exactly why they want it.
What makes it exceptional: you won't be maintaining someone else's legacy. You'll help define the architecture from first principles, follow your work all the way to fielded hardware. You will operate with almost no layers between an idea and a decision. Real breadth, real ownership, real stakes.
What's genuinely hard: ambiguity is the default, the intensity is real, and it carries startup risk. You'll often build the process before you can build the thing. Priorities shift as we learn. If that tradeoff sounds like exactly what you've been looking for, we want to hear from you.
