Lead Manufacturing Engineer

NextGenEnergyJobs; Golden, Northern (CO, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid health insurance

Parental leave (fully paid)

12 paid holidays

401(k) plan and equity options

Daily catered lunches and snacks

Job summary

Loft Orbital seeks a Manufacturing Engineering Lead to scale its spacecraft production capabilities in Golden, Colorado. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on contribution on the production floor and requires deep expertise in complex hardware assembly, process development, and Lean methodologies.

You will partner across Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to drive process improvements, maintain configuration-controlled documentation, and enable higher-rate

Qualifications

• 8+ years in manufacturing or production engineering in aerospace/high-reliability environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on leadership while contributing as an individual contributor.
• Experience with electronics assembly, harness fabrication, or precision hardware integration.
• Ability to read GD&T drawings, schematics, BOMs, and wiring lists.
• Experience creating process plans, routings, BOMs, and production docs under configuration control.
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP/MES data structures and production flow.
• Strong lean manufacturing and continuous improvement experience.
• Excellent cross-functional communication with Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain.
• Willing to work on-site in Golden, CO.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership on manufacturing processes for spacecraft hardware.
• Develop and maintain process plans, instructions, routings, and BOMs.
• Lead continuous improvement to enhance quality, efficiency, or throughput.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain on production issues.
• Mentor manufacturing teams while remaining hands-on on the production floor.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Industrial engineering

Aerospace industry knowledge

Hands-on contributor

Process improvement

Root cause analysis

Lean manufacturing

Cross-functional communication

Floor leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

ERP/MRP/MES systems

CAD software

Python scripting

Job description

Loft Orbital is looking for a Manufacturing Engineering Lead to help scale the way we build spacecraft.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline within aerospace, spacecraft, or another complex high-reliability hardware environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership or mentorship while remaining a hands-on individual contributor within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong hands-on understanding of complex hardware manufacturing and assembly processes, including electronics assembly, hand soldering, harness fabrication, mechanical assembly, bonding/polymerics, and/or precision hardware integration.
• Ability to read, interpret, and provide feedback on engineering documentation including mechanical drawings, GD&T, electrical schematics, CAD models, wire lists, BOMs, and engineering specifications.
• Experience personally developing and maintaining manufacturing process plans, assembly instructions, routings, BOMs, and production documentation under configuration control.
• Experience working within ERP/MRP/MES systems and understanding the relationship between EBOMs, MBOMs/PBOMs, routings, work orders, inventory, and production execution.
• Demonstrated experience solving complex production problems through structured root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles, with demonstrated experience improving manufacturing quality, efficiency, or throughput.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production teams.
• Willingness and ability to work on-site in Golden, Colorado , including significant hands-on support directly on the production floor.
• Previous experience manufacturing, assembling, integrating, or testing spacecraft or other spaceflight hardware.
• Previous hands-on experience as an aerospace or spacecraft technician.
• Experience with aerospace manufacturing and workmanship standards such as AS9100, IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620, J-STD-001, NASA standards, and/or ECSS .
• Current or previous IPC workmanship certifications.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience designing manufacturing tooling, fixtures, production layouts, or assembly aids.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations from low-volume development builds toward higher-rate production.
• Experience implementing or improving ERP, MRP, or MES systems and manufacturing data structures.
• Experience with manufacturing automation, data analysis, or scripting tools such as Python.
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
• 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks
• International exposure to our team in France
• Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
• Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• Off-sites and many social events and celebrations