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Salary: USD 140,000 - 180,000 / annual
Mach Industries, founded in 2023, is a rapidly growing defense technology company with ~350 employees focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. The company operates with startup agility while delivering scalable, decentralized defense systems for the United States and its allies.
You will own the Vehicle Assembly system and production launch for autonomous defense vehicles, delivering factory designs, stations, tooling, conveyance, and automation needed to transition from late-stage prototype builds to full-rate production at Mach's Forge factories. This is a hands-on technical leadership role with direct reports.
Key responsibilities include:
**Launch Ownership & Cross-Functional Readiness**: Serve as extreme owner of production launch from prototype through full-rate production. Run regular launch-readiness reviews with shared schedules and risk registers covering all teams. Identify risks early (design changes, part shortages, equipment delays) and implement mitigation before they impact production. Provide leadership with data-based status updates and escalate unresolved risks with impact analysis and recommendations. Own launch outcomes, ensuring the line reaches rate, quality, and cost targets on schedule.
**Design for Assembly**: Lead DFM/A reviews at part, assembly, and system levels. Drive part-count reduction, simpler assembly, error-proofing, built-in quality, and cost reduction into vehicle designs. Run virtual builds with cross-functional teams to validate assembly sequence, clearances, GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, and part presentation using static and kinematic simulations.
**Assembly System & Equipment**: Define Vehicle Assembly system including sequence, station content, line balance, cycle time, headcount, and equipment capacity. Record in linked manufacturing bill of materials (MBoM), bill of process (BoP), and bill of equipment (BoE). Lead make-vs-buy studies with Supply Chain. Estimate cycle times using MODAPTS, MOST, or MTM. Design stations meeting NIOSH ergonomic guidelines. Develop line layouts with Factory Design, Facilities, and EHS. Build capital and operating cost estimates and ROI cases for assembly equipment. Participate in vendor design reviews, factory acceptance testing (FAT), and site acceptance testing (SAT).
**Build Execution & Ramp**: Plan and lead prototype builds and manufacturing trials across Huntington Beach and Texas factories. Design and deliver prototype tooling. Validate processes through capability studies (Cp/Cpk), gage repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R), error-proofing checks, and acceptance criteria. Release controlled work instructions and quality gates in MES. Lead line through ramp to full rate and quality. Provide daily floor support, track first-pass yield, OEE, and cycle time. Remove constraints quickly.
**Technical Leadership**: Set technical direction and engineering standards for Vehicle Assembly. Review other engineers' work for quality and consistency. Mentor manufacturing engineers, share knowledge across teams, and support hiring as the team grows.
You will work closely with Build Engineering, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Quality, Automation Engineering, Supply Chain, Material Flow, and outside equipment vendors. This role suits an engineer who takes full ownership, solves problems from first principles, and moves quickly without compromising safety or quality.
**Requirements:**
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial and Systems, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience
- 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, including leading complex assembly lines from concept through full-rate production
- Experience running integrated launch schedules, build-phase readiness reviews, and risk registers from start to finish
- Hands-on experience specifying, installing, and commissioning assembly equipment, conveyance, tooling, and fixtures, including vendor FAT and SAT
- Strong knowledge of line design, line balancing, cycle-time analysis, capacity planning, OEE, ergonomics, and error-proofing
- Proven use of first-principles DFM/A on complex products
- Experience with PFMEA, control plans, SPC, and structured problem-solving
- Proficiency in 3D CAD (Siemens NX, CATIA, or SolidWorks) and AutoCAD factory layouts
- Proven ability to lead technical projects, mentor engineers, and make sound decisions with incomplete information in a fast-moving environment
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including presenting risks and recommendations to leadership
- Must be available to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- ITAR eligibility required: U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, Refugee, or Asylee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from U.S. Department of State
**Preferred Qualifications:**
- Experience in high-rate automotive Vehicle Assembly, aerospace, or defense manufacturing
- Experience with structured launch frameworks such as APQP or AS9145
- Experience with manufacturing process planning tools (Heliux, DELMIA, EasyPlan) and MES platforms
- Working knowledge of PMTS methods and NIOSH ergonomic standards
- Lean Six Sigma certification
- Experience launching a new factory or building up a startup's manufacturing operations
- Experience working in an ITAR-controlled environment
