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Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing supersonic aircraft and advanced propulsion systems. The company is building a next-generation aircraft manufacturing operation and seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead the establishment of its airframe composites manufacturing capability from the ground up.
In this role, you will be responsible for designing and implementing the complete manufacturing operation for composite airframes, including facility layout, workflows, tooling concepts, equipment selection, and consumables procurement. You will work directly with airframe engineering and design teams to translate technical requirements into executable manufacturing plans and build sequences. Key responsibilities include developing manufacturing processes for complex composite layups and aerostructure assemblies, establishing quality inspection protocols, managing tool design and delivery, and coordinating layup, bonding, curing, trimming, and assembly activities to meet aggressive development timelines.
You will maintain a strong presence on the production floor, driving builds and resolving manufacturing challenges in real time. Cross-functional collaboration with Design, Tooling, Quality, and Production teams is essential. You will also mentor technicians, provide design-for-manufacturability feedback, perform first article inspections, and continuously seek new manufacturing techniques to improve throughput and quality.
Required qualifications include 7+ years of experience in high-variability composite manufacturing, including prototyping and airframe fabrication. You must have hands-on experience with composite materials and processes (prepreg layup, wet layup, bonding, curing, trimming, repair, drilling, fastening), experience developing manufacturing processes for complex composite structures from scratch, and familiarity with metallic airframe components and composite-to-metal interfaces. Additional requirements include experience building or scaling manufacturing operations in development or flight hardware environments, proficiency in industry-standard CAD systems (preferably NX), strong GD&T knowledge, experience designing composite tools and fixtures, and expertise in quality inspection methods and non-destructive testing.
The company values in-office collaboration and expects five days per week on-site presence. Comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with stock options, and flexible time-off policies.
