Machining & Fabrication Lead (Aerospace) — Equity

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Paid time off and parental leave

Job summary

K2 Space in Los Angeles is looking for a hands-on Manager, Machining and Fabrication to lead the machine shop, development fabrication shop, CMM, and spacecraft paint teams. You will own shop performance end to end, including safety, staffing, layout, and what we build in-house, as we scale to high-rate production.

You will oversee scheduling and delivery of precision machined parts, welded assemblies, prototypes, tooling, fixtures, and GSE, collaborating with Engineering, Production, and

Qualifications

• 4+ years of direct people leadership in a fast-paced machining or fabrication environment.
• 8+ years hands-on machining, fabrication, or precision manufacturing in high-volume aerospace/defense environments.
• Experience leading multiple work centers in high-mix, low-volume development or quick-turn environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a talented team of machining, fabrication, CMM, and spacecraft paint work centers.
• Ensure safety, quality, and turn-time are upheld by all team members.
• Manage schedule and delivery of machined parts, welded assemblies, prototype hardware, tooling, fixtures, and GSE for development, production, and test.
• Set daily priorities and adapt quickly to changing engineering needs.
• Identify and remove constraints blocking hardware delivery (equipment, resources, material, process).
• Drive capability expansion including equipment selection, capital investment, and make/buy decisions.
• Support buildout of new manufacturing areas with layout, infrastructure, and equipment installation in partnership with Engineering, Production, and Facilities.
• Establish metrics for throughput, schedule adherence, utilization, equipment readiness, and quality.
• Serve as site lead coordinating with Facilities, Design Engineering, and Test on shared resources and readiness.

Skills

People leadership

Machining / fabrication

Multiple work centers

Tools

CMM

GD&T

AS9100

MES/ERP systems

Job description

K2 Space in Los Angeles is looking for a hands-on Manager, Machining and Fabrication to lead the machine shop, development fabrication shop, CMM, and spacecraft paint teams. You will own shop performance end to end, including safety, staffing, layout, and what we build in-house, as we scale to high-rate production.

You will oversee scheduling and delivery of precision machined parts, welded assemblies, prototypes, tooling, fixtures, and GSE, collaborating with Engineering, Production, and