Forging Engineering Specialist

Hadrian Automation • Los Angeles, CA

30d

About The Position

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts.
Valued at $1.6B, we’re accelerating our mission with the launch of Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, a 290,000-square-foot facility creating 350 new jobs. We are expanding rapidly to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to expand into naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts.
Hadrian is backed by leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, our fast-growing team is united around reindustrializing American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond.
FORGING ENGINEERING SPECIALISTS
Help us Build the Future of Forging
We are advancing modern forging by integrating process expertise, precision engineering, and scalable manufacturing across the full production lifecycle—from raw material preparation through final inspection and surface finishing. Treating forging as a fully connected system enables step-function improvements in quality, repeatability, and throughput for critical components.
We are solving hard problems across forming, thermal processing, machining, metrology, and finishing. This requires engineers with deep domain expertise who can also operate across adjacent processes.
This is a general opening to identify and engage forging engineers with specialized experience across key process areas.
Core Specialty Areas
We are looking for Product, Process, Manufacturing, Materials and Design professionals who are aligned with our mission in advancing forging capabilities to support the re-industrialization of forging products for critical infrastructure, aerospace & defense, and energy to support our country.
We are specifically interested in engineers with experience in one or more of the following:
Raw Material Preparation: Hot & Cold Sawing and shearing
Thermal Processing: Heating of Billets & Tooling. Heat treatment of forging & tooling.
Primary Forming: Closed/Open/Rolling/Rings/Extrusion
Surface Preparation: Hot & cold descaling, pickling, coating, & shot blasting
Post-Form Operations: Trimming & piercing, coining & sizing, bending & straightening
Machining: Rough milling, drilling, turning, broaching, flow forming, grinding, & welding.
Inspection & Metrology: Ultrasonic, Magnetic Particle, CMM Inspection & Vision
Finishing: Painting, plating & coating

Requirements

• Degree in engineering or equivalent hands-on forging/manufacturing experience
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one core forging process area
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, GD&T, and process specifications
• Developed analytical skillset with a focus on process capability, variation reduction, & creative problem solving
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, production-driven environments
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to explain technical details to internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven record of implementation & execution of high impact projects, root-cause remediation, and efficiency gains.

Nice To Haves

• Firsthand experience spanning multiple stages of the forging value chain (material → forming → finishing → inspection)
• Experience integrating multiple modes of metal flow to achieve high accuracy of complex shapes; preform à extrude à roll à upset à coin
• Solid grasp of machine design concepts, power transmission, and work/energy principles
• Direct knowledge of the thermal processing of metals
• Expertise in non-ferrous metals, such as Titanium, Aluminum, and Nickel based alloys.
• Strong quality background (SPC, PPAP, PFMEA, control charts, NCR/CAPA systems)
• Knowledge of industry standards (AS9100, ISO 9001, TS 16949, NADCAP, AMS/ASTM, MIL, NAVSEA)
• Experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, or other high-spec manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or basic process improvement frameworks
• Formal material science or metallurgical training
• A high energy, contagious attitude and focused work ethic

Responsibilities

• Apply deep technical forging knowledge & experience to define & develop new or existing processes to build or enhance process capability and production performance
• Use 1st principles engineering methodologies to drive process development & optimization through part & process simulation, data analysis, design of experiments, and continuous improvement
• Partner with operations, quality, and maintenance to ensure stable & capable manufacturing processes
• Develop and refine process documentation, control plans, standard work, & SOP’s
• Lead or support continuous improvement initiatives across the forging lifecycle
• Proficient in working autonomously or in team settings. Capable of self-direction and owning the outcome of individual contributions and project-based work.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
• 401k
• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees