Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Loft Orbital Solutions • Golden, CO

32d • $125,000 - $190,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Loft Orbital is seeking a Manufacturing Engineering Lead to help scale spacecraft production. This is a hands-on, player-coach role that combines technical leadership with direct Manufacturing Engineering execution. The role involves approximately half the time spent on technical direction, work prioritization, and mentoring Manufacturing Engineers, while also being deeply involved in the day-to-day engineering tasks for building, troubleshooting, and improving spacecraft production processes. The position requires working directly on the production floor and collaborating with AIT, Design Engineering, Production Planning, Supply Chain, and Quality to establish robust and repeatable manufacturing processes. Responsibilities include developing work instructions and tooling, resolving production issues, and improving manufacturability, with personal ownership of engineering work and contributions to team effectiveness and scalability.

Requirements

• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior