Metal Manufacturing Engineer, Additive (DED)

Hadrian Automation•Los Angeles, CA

17h•$135,000 - $250,000

About The Position

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that combine AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing to help aerospace and defense companies produce mission-critical systems faster and at lower cost. The company is expanding its manufacturing capabilities, including additive manufacturing, and scaling its Factory-as-a-Service platform. The Additive Manufacturing Engineer - Applications, focused on Directed Energy Deposition (DED), serves as a technical bridge between customer requirements and production-ready DED solutions. This hands-on, customer-facing engineering role evaluates part feasibility, guides Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), supports process development, and helps scale DED programs from initial customer engagement through qualification and production. The engineer works across applications engineering, manufacturing execution, and process development to solve manufacturing challenges and establish repeatable methods for aerospace and defense programs. The target salary range is $135,000–$250,000, with actual compensation depending on factors such as qualifications, experience, geographic location, performance, and business needs. Relocation support may be provided in certain situations based on business need. Full-time employee benefits include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 401(k), a flexible vacation policy, and equity. The role requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency for ITAR compliance, as stated in the qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Welding, or a related field.
At least 4 years of experience in additive manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, applications engineering, process engineering, or development of metallic additive technologies; DED experience is preferred.
Hands-on knowledge of metal DED processes and production workflows, including design considerations, pre-process planning, deposition, post-processing, inspection, and qualification.
Experience with DED-specific DfAM principles and the interaction between deposition strategy, machining, distortion control, and downstream manufacturing performance.
Working knowledge of welding metallurgy, heat input control, residual stress management, and mechanical performance in deposited metallic structures.
Experience with engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance interpretation, and inspection planning.
Experience supporting part development from prototype through qualification or early production.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to analyze technical issues and recommend practical solutions.
Ability to communicate effectively with customers, engineers, technicians, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
Willingness to travel up to 15–20%, primarily within the U.S.
U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required for ITAR compliance.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting aerospace and defense applications in regulated manufacturing environments, including qualification of flight-critical or mission-critical hardware.
Experience with process validation, qualification planning, capability studies, statistical process control, multifactorial DOE, or first article execution.
Familiarity with aerospace manufacturing standards and quality systems, including NASA, ESA, AS9100, EN9100, or comparable customer requirements.
Experience with wire-based DED processes and familiarity with powder-fed DED or adjacent metal additive manufacturing technologies.
Experience with robotic toolpath programming, CAM systems, welding simulation tools, or thermal-mechanical modeling relevant to DED.
Metallurgical experience with copper alloys, nickel-based superalloys, titanium, aluminum, or other high-performance alloys relevant to DED.
Experience with metrology, NDT, heat treatment, and process control methods used for DED hardware qualification.
Experience with machine OEMs, materials suppliers, software providers, external processors, or contract manufacturers supporting additive workflows.
Working knowledge of conventional manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, casting, forging, and welding.
Experience with ERP, MRP, MES, or production planning systems such as SAP or similar tools.

Responsibilities

Gather customer requirements, clarify design intent, and translate program needs into manufacturing plans aligned with feasible DED solutions.
Evaluate part and program suitability for DED, identify technical risks, and support application development, process selection, and manufacturing planning.
Provide DED-specific DfAM guidance on deposition strategy, feature design, access constraints, heat input, distortion risk, machining stock, and post-processing-aware design.
Define and optimize manufacturing workflows across design, deposition, post-processing, inspection, and certification; support toolpath strategy, setup planning, and production readiness.
Work with process and manufacturing teams to develop and industrialize DED capabilities, including equipment readiness, process windows, parameter refinement, and production transition.
Improve DED platform and workflow robustness and repeatability using machine behavior, deposition quality, process data, nonconformance trends, and production performance.
Coordinate with materials and quality teams to evaluate weldability, heat input effects, residual stress, mechanical performance, geometric accuracy, and surface condition, and refine process parameters and manufacturing guidance.
Integrate stress relief, heat treatment, HIP where applicable, machining, inspection, and finishing into end-to-end manufacturing plans.
Support qualification planning, validation builds, coupons, test plans, NDT strategy, acceptance criteria, first article activities, and data package development.
Maintain engineering documentation, process records, work instructions, specifications, and traceability artifacts; support process control plans, calibration routines, and reporting workflows.
Investigate machine, process, and part-quality issues using structured root cause analysis; disposition nonconforming hardware as needed and support corrective actions.
Coordinate with Additive Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Materials, Supply Chain, and Operations, as well as machine OEMs, suppliers, external processors, test labs, and contract manufacturers.
Capture lessons learned, develop DED equipment and process best practices, improve standard work and design guidance, support make-buy and technology assessments, and identify safety improvements.
Present technical recommendations, trade studies, risk assessments, and status updates to internal stakeholders and customers; support technical reviews, supplier visits, and representation of DED capabilities.
Travel up to 15–20%, primarily within the U.S.