Tech Fellow, Manufacturing Engineering

Electra•Manassas, VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

About Electra At Electra, we're building the EL9 - a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables what we call Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation. A global company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We're a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage - and this role is no exception. The Role As Electra's Technical Fellow, Manufacturing, you'll be our most senior individual-contributor technical authority on production, quality, and material review for the EL9 program. You'll bring deep, hands-on expertise in nonconformance resolution, liaison engineering, and factory/field production support to a company standing up its manufacturing function from the ground up. This is a rare opportunity to shape how Electra builds and dispositions nonconforming material from first article through low-rate initial production, without the constraints of an established, decades-old bureaucracy. You'll represent manufacturing engineering to both internal stakeholders and external customers, suppliers, and regulators, and you'll mentor and develop a growing manufacturing engineering team as Electra scales toward production.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Aeronautical, Mechanical, or related field)
16+ years of experience in aerospace production engineering, spanning concept development, production start and ramp up, testing, and post-delivery support
Deep expertise in MRB, nonconformance resolution, and root cause corrective action
Demonstrated experience across multiple aircraft systems - structures, mechanical/hydraulic, avionics, electrical, propulsion
Experience authoring and approving engineering policy, process, and design practice documentation at an organizational or corporate level
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex design nonconformance resolution
Experience serving as an FAA-facing technical focal on safety and airworthiness matters
Strong communication skills and comfort operating in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup environment
US Person (Citizen or Permanent Resident)

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in engineering and/or business (masters, MBA or equivalent)
Formal recognition as a Technical Fellow or Associate Technical Fellow at a major aerospace OEM
Experience standing up liaison engineering or manufacturing engineering functions at a new production site
Experience across composite and metallic structures repair and fabrication
International or remote deployment experience supporting production, delivery, or in-service modification programs
Experience with AS9100 quality management systems

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior technical authority for Material Review Board (MRB) processes, nonconformance disposition, and root cause corrective action across the EL9 production program
Lead resolution of complex fabrication, assembly, installation, and testing issues, applying advanced design and manufacturing engineering principles to novel problems with no established precedent
Author, review, and approve manufacturing engineering policy, process, and design practice documentation as Electra builds these functions from scratch
Interface directly with the FAA and other regulators as a technical focal for safety and airworthiness matters related to manufacturing nonconformances
Support first article inspections, production readiness reviews, and certification evidence generation in partnership with Quality and Engineering
Act as a technical mentor and support development manufacturing engineers as the team scales, translating your production experience into repeatable Electra process and training
Partner cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to resolve issues encountered during build and test