Build Engineering Manager: Commodities & NPI

Hadrian Automation; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

401k

Relocation assistance

Flexible vacation policy

Equity

Job summary

Hadrian is seeking a Manager, Build Engineering – Commodities to lead the team responsible for how commodity parts are produced across machining, tube and pipe, and sheet metal. You will own end-to-end NPI, from first article to ramp and production, and ensure build outcomes for all engineers on your team.

This working manager role requires hiring and coaching engineers while adjusting processes before transferring them to Hadrian’s Cherokee, Alabama factory.

Qualifications

• 6-10+ years of experience in build, production, or manufacturing engineering, including hands-on NPI or zero-to-one manufacturing.
• 2+ years of experience leading or managing a team of engineers in a manufacturing environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• Hands‑on depth in at least one of machining, tube and pipe, or sheet metal fabrication, and working knowledge of the other two.
• Strong ability to interpret and define product requirements from customer specifications, drawings, and contracts.
• Experience structuring BOMs, work orders, and work instructions in PLM, ERP, or MES systems.
• Demonstrated success coordinating across engineering, supply chain, quality, and production functions.
• Ability to make sound decisions under schedule pressure with incomplete information.
• Excellent communication skills; align technicians, engineers, and leadership around a single plan.
• Able to work on-site at our factory and travel regularly to Cherokee, AL up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team of Build Engineers across machining, tube and pipe, and sheet metal.
• Own commodity-level NPI outcomes from requirements to first article and production.
• Ensure product requirements are defined from customer specs before build plans.
• Set common standards for requirements, build plans, and work instructions across all three commodities.
• Tie team work to a coherent execution plan across commodities and programs.
• Provide complete, stable process definitions early for equipment selection.
• Make make/buy recommendations across commodities with Supply Chain and Quality.
• Drive shared development work across subscale articles, weld qualification, fixturing, and datum strategy.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Capability Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling, Quality, and Test to unblock constraints.
• Serve as primary escalation point for build issues with drawings, tolerances, tooling, materials, and flow.
• Lead transfer of qualified processes from development to new production cells.
• Represent commodities in program reviews and leadership updates.
• Drive lessons learned and transition stabilized processes to production.

Skills

Leadership experience

NPI / zero-to-one manufacturing

Mechanical/Manufacturing Eng

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

PLM systems

ERP

MES

Job description

Hadrian is seeking a Manager, Build Engineering – Commodities to lead the team responsible for how commodity parts are produced across machining, tube and pipe, and sheet metal. You will own end-to-end NPI, from first article to ramp and production, and ensure build outcomes for all engineers on your team.

This working manager role requires hiring and coaching engineers while adjusting processes before transferring them to Hadrian’s Cherokee, Alabama factory.