Manufacturing Engineering Lead

Full-time onsite role in the San Francisco Bay Area

Industry: Aerospace / Space Manufacturing & Launch Systems

Partnering with a space company building lightweight propulsion and rocket systems to speed up and simplify orbital access. They focus on high-reliability hardware that must be fully traceable, rigorously tested, and ready for flight.

Hiring a player-coach Manufacturing Engineering Lead to guide a small team of early-career engineers while staying deeply hands-on. You’ll develop processes, tooling, and data systems for large-scale aerospace assemblies (think 50-foot-tall rockets) where every fastener, valve, and component is tracked end-to-end. Expect to mentor, define metrics, drive DFM, and ensure production is repeatable, safe, and scalable.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and mentor a tight group of manufacturing engineers with clear direction and technical support
• Build regulated, traceable processes for complex aerospace production
• Set up real-time data collection for in-process results, test data, and quality metrics
• Create detailed work instructions, process flows, and mBOMs with 100% traceability
• Partner with design, test, and quality teams to improve manufacturability and compliance
• Drive DFM reviews to boost efficiency, quality, and scalability
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for non-conformances
• Work side-by-side with techs to validate tooling and test setups on the floor
• Design or spec fixtures, automation, and data systems
• Represent manufacturing in PDRs, CDRs, and readiness reviews

What you bring:

• 5+ years in manufacturing engineering, ideally aerospace or large precision assemblies
• Proven experience mentoring engineers while staying technical and hands-on
• Deep knowledge of DFM, process development, and production readiness for traceable products
• Skilled in capacity planning, process mapping, fault analysis, and metrics
• Comfortable with CAD, GD&T, and clear production documentation
• Strong root cause, PFMEA, and continuous improvement background
• Familiar with QMS and aerospace compliance standards
• Great at translating design intent into practical shop-floor execution
• Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, or related (or equivalent experience)

Nice to have:

• Work on large aerospace structures like airframes or propulsion
• Data acquisition and manufacturing metrics systems
• Low-to-medium volume, high-mix precision manufacturing
• CMMS or MES integration
• Control systems, PLCs, or Python for automation

Why this role:

• Shape the manufacturing foundation for advanced small launch vehicles
• Lead by doing in a hands-on shop where mentorship matters
• Build systems that guarantee full traceability and flight safety
• Work with a sharp, quality-focused team
• See your processes directly speed up production and enable launches

Location: San Francisco Bay Area Full-time onsite

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Adam Slade