Aerospace Manufacturing Leader: Scale Flight Hardware

Inversion Space Company; California; On-site; USD 175,000 - 244,000; Full time

Job summary

Inversion Space Company is seeking a Director of Engineering, Manufacturing to own all manufacturing across the company, including precision machining, harnessing, mechanical assembly, and parachute systems. Build and scale a world-class aerospace manufacturing organization that is efficient, cost-effective, quality-driven, and capable of supporting flight hardware at increasing production rates.

You will drive operational excellence, production planning, workforce scaling, capital strategy, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, including leadership roles.
• Proven experience scaling hardware production from prototype to flight or production rate.
• Deep understanding of machining, assembly, and aerospace quality standards.
• Experience overseeing cross-functional manufacturing disciplines (electrical + mechanical).
• Strong background in lean manufacturing and process optimization.
• Experience building organizations from the ground up.
• Familiarity with aerospace regulatory and quality frameworks.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving priorities.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Transition programs from development to repeatable production.
• Define make vs. buy strategy across all subsystems.
• Drive capacity planning, rate readiness, and production forecasting.
• Establish lean manufacturing systems across machining, avionics, harnessing, and parachutes.
• Reduce cycle time, improve yield, and optimize throughput.
• Implement KPIs for safety, quality, cost, and delivery.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Oversee precision CNC machining operations (5-axis capability).
• Ensure alignment between manufacturing engineering and shop floor execution.
• Drive programming standards, tooling strategy, and fixture optimization.
• Implement scalable harness fabrication processes with strong QA controls.
• Improve repeatability and documentation for flight hardware.
• Develop production and inspection standards for parachute systems.
• Ensure quality and traceability for critical recovery hardware.
• Build scalable soft goods manufacturing capability.
• Build and lead a high-performing manufacturing organization.
• Develop frontline leaders and technical experts.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and urgency.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Flight Operations.
• Define capital equipment strategy and facility layout.
• Support facility expansion planning.
• Implement MRP/ERP and production tracking systems.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

Production planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Quality systems

Regulatory knowledge

Security clearance

Education

Advanced engineering degree

Tools

MRP/ERP

Production tracking systems

Job description

Inversion Space Company is seeking a Director of Engineering, Manufacturing to own all manufacturing across the company, including precision machining, harnessing, mechanical assembly, and parachute systems. Build and scale a world-class aerospace manufacturing organization that is efficient, cost-effective, quality-driven, and capable of supporting flight hardware at increasing production rates.

You will drive operational excellence, production planning, workforce scaling, capital strategy, and