Manufacturing Engineer

CHAOS Industries • Hawthorne, CA

3h • $110,000 - $160,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Manufacturing Engineer focused on Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFMA), producibility engineering, and transition-to-production execution for low-cost interceptor systems.
This role will partner directly with Product Engineering from early concept development through full-rate production, ensuring interceptor designs are:
Producible at scale
Cost-optimized for high-rate builds
Robust to supply chain variability
Architected for automated and semi-automated assembly
You will serve as the manufacturing authority embedded within the development lifecycle — driving design trades, quantifying cost impacts, maturing production processes, and enabling rapid ramp to rate production.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related STEM field.
• 5+ years experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, or high-rate electromechanical production.
• Demonstrated experience in DFMA implementation.
• Experience transitioning hardware from development into production.
• Working knowledge of:
• GD&T (ASME Y14.5)
• Tolerance stack-up analysis
• Root cause methodologies (8D, RCCA, Fishbone, etc.)
• Manufacturing process capability concepts (Cp, Cpk)
• Experience developing manufacturing documentation (MBOM, work instructions, process flows).
• U.S. Citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain DoD clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with missile, interceptor, UAV, or guided munition systems.
• Experience scaling hardware to high-rate production.
• Experience in low-cost/high-volume defense production environments.
• Familiarity with:
• Automated assembly systems
• Robotic integration
• Composites fabrication
• Harness/PCBA integration
• Experience with:
• SOLIDWORKS or similar CAD tools
• PLM systems (SOLIDWORKS PDM, Windchill, or equivalent)
• MES / ERP systems
• Experience conducting MRL assessments.

Responsibilities

• Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFMA)
• Lead structured DFMA reviews during concept, PDR, CDR, and pre-production phases.
• Quantify cost, cycle time, yield, and tooling impacts of design decisions.
• Drive simplification of part counts, fastener strategy, interfaces, tolerances, and assembly flow.
• Evaluate tolerance stack-ups and GD&T schemes for manufacturability and yield.
• Develop assembly sequencing strategies optimized for rate and takt time.
• Influence material selection, joining methods, and fabrication methods for cost and scalability.
• Producibility & Cost Engineering
• Perform detailed producibility assessments including:
• Manufacturing readiness level (MRL) evaluations
• Process capability analysis
• Yield modeling and defect risk identification
• Develop bottoms-up cost models for hardware builds.
• Conduct make vs. buy analyses in collaboration with supply chain.
• Identify capital equipment and tooling requirements for rate production.
• Quantify production rate sensitivities and bottlenecks.
• Transition to Production (TTP)
• Own manufacturing planning from prototype through LRIP and FRP.
• Develop:
• MBOM structures
• Work instructions
• Factory routing sequences
• Tooling concepts
• Test process definitions
• Support pilot builds and process validation activities.
• Lead root cause analysis of build escapes and yield losses.
• Drive closure of production readiness action items prior to rate ramp.
• Support First Article Inspection (FAI) and production qualification.
• Factory & Supplier Integration
• Interface with:
• Design engineering
• Quality
• Supply chain
• Test engineering
• Operations leadership
• Provide hands-on floor support during initial builds and ramp events.
• Travel to suppliers to resolve producibility issues and validate readiness.
• Develop scalable supplier engagement models for high-volume components.
• Continuous Improvement & Rate Scaling
• Develop production rate models and capacity plans.
• Implement automation, poka-yoke, and error-proofing strategies.
• Analyze metrics (yield, cycle time, cost, rework, escapes).
• Drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Support digital manufacturing tools (MES, PLM, ERP).

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses

What This Job Offers

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