Industrial Engineer Effectors

HIKINEX; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive healthcare coverage

401(k) matching

PTO flexibility

Relocation assistance

Job summary

HIKINEX is seeking an Industrial Engineer to help design and scale production systems within the aerospace and defense sector in Los Angeles. You will focus on factory design and capacity planning, requiring a strong background in optimizing manufacturing operations and a hands-on approach.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in high-rate manufacturing environments, understands lean principles, and is comfortable developing production rate models. A competitive compensation package and healthcare coverage are offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in factory design, production system optimization, or industrial engineering.
• Experience building or supporting high-rate manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable factory layouts optimized for flow and operational efficiency.
• Develop production cell concepts for various assembly environments.
• Implement lean manufacturing principles across production workflows.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Capacity planning

Value stream mapping

Takt time analysis

Cycle time analysis

Throughput optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering

Tools

Excel

Python

VBA

FlexSim

AnyLogic

Arena

Simulink

Job description

Location: The Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA (Onsite)

Industrial Engineer – Effectors

An advanced aerospace and defense technology company is seeking an Industrial Engineer to help architect and scale next-generation production systems for high-volume autonomous and interceptor platforms.

This role is focused on factory design, production system architecture, capacity planning, and manufacturing scale-up. The ideal candidate has experience building production systems from the ground up and understands how to optimize manufacturing operations for throughput, cost, quality, and scalability.

This is a highly hands‑on and high‑ownership role where you'll help shape manufacturing strategy from early prototype builds through sustained high‑rate production.

Responsibilities

Factory & Production System Design

• Design scalable factory layouts optimized for flow, throughput, takt time, and operational efficiency
• Develop production cell concepts for manual, semi‑automated, and automated assembly environments
• Build value stream maps and future‑state production workflows
• Define workstation layouts, labor allocation models, and material flow strategies
• Design inventory flow concepts including kitting, supermarkets, and point‑of‑use systems
• Support production facility build‑outs, line expansion planning, and manufacturing infrastructure development

Capacity Planning & Rate Scaling

• Build detailed production rate and throughput models tied to manufacturing demand forecasts
• Analyze:
  • Takt time
  • Cycle time
  • Throughput
  • Bottlenecks
  • Labor efficiency
  • Capacity constraints
• Develop scaling strategies for pilot production, low‑rate builds, and future high‑volume manufacturing
• Create multi‑scenario production plans supporting rate ramps and supplier scaling
• Identify manufacturing readiness risks and mitigation strategies

Production Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Implement lean manufacturing principles across production workflows
• Drive line balancing, waste reduction, and flow optimization initiatives
• Conduct time studies and labor productivity analysis
• Support OEE tracking and production performance measurement systems
• Analyze yield, throughput, cycle time, and rework metrics to improve operational efficiency
• Help develop standardized work instructions and scalable manufacturing processes

Cross‑Functional Manufacturing Support

• Partner closely with manufacturing engineering, supply chain, facilities, quality, and operations teams
• Participate in design‑for‑producibility reviews and manufacturing trade studies
• Support make‑versus‑buy decisions and contract manufacturing evaluations
• Assist with supplier industrialization and manufacturing readiness assessments
• Provide hands‑on support during prototype builds, production ramp events, and early manufacturing operations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline
• 5+ years of experience in factory design, production system optimization, manufacturing scale‑up, or industrial engineering
• Experience building or supporting high‑rate manufacturing environments
• Strong understanding of:
  • Lean manufacturing
  • Capacity planning
  • Value stream mapping
  • Takt time and cycle time analysis
  • OEE measurement
  • Line balancing
  • Throughput optimization
• Experience supporting production ramp or greenfield manufacturing build‑outs
• Experience developing production rate models using Excel, Python, VBA, simulation tools, or similar platforms
• Comfortable working in fast‑paced startup or development‑stage manufacturing environments
• U.S. citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance required

Preferred Experience

• Aerospace, defense, automotive, robotics, semiconductor, or other high‑volume manufacturing industries
• Production systems supporting complex electromechanical hardware
• Factory simulation or digital manufacturing tools such as:
  • FlexSim
  • AnyLogic
  • Arena
  • Simulink
• ERP, MES, or PLM integration experience
• High‑rate automated assembly or robotics manufacturing
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations from prototype through production
• Startup or greenfield factory build‑out experience
• Contract manufacturing and supplier industrialization exposure

What Makes This Opportunity Unique

This role offers the opportunity to help build a manufacturing operation from the ground up inside a rapidly growing aerospace and defense environment.

The team is looking for engineers who understand not only how to optimize existing factories, but how to architect scalable production systems from scratch — balancing cost, throughput, automation, and manufacturability for future high‑rate production.

You’ll work closely with both engineering and operations leadership while helping define the long‑term production strategy for next‑generation hardware platforms.

Additional Information

• Competitive compensation and equity package
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage
• 401(k) matching
• PTO flexibility
• Relocation assistance may be available
• Full‑time onsite collaboration environment
• U.S. citizenship required due to security and export control requirements