Manufacturing Engineer

Approach Venture; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 schedule

Company holidays

Vacation and sick time

401(k) with company matching

Medical, dental, vision, and life

Job summary

Approach Venture in Thousand Oaks, CA is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to build and scale advanced propulsion hardware for space and launch applications. You will own manufacturing plans, develop work instructions, and partner with design, quality, and operations to move hardware into production.

Responsibilities include evaluating processes (machining, welding, additive manufacturing), defining tooling, supporting NPI, and improving layouts and workflows to meet program schedules.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 3 years of aerospace/manufacturing engineering experience in regulated environments.
• Experience with design development, manufacturing, assembly and testing.
• Knowledge of GD&T, engineering drawings and CAD tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop manufacturing plans and processes for propulsion hardware.
• Create detailed work instructions, build docs, and SOPs for production and testing.
• Evaluate processes for manufacturability and efficiency (machining, welding, additive manufacturing).
• Define tooling, fixtures, and materials for hardware builds.
• Support new product introduction and manufacturing input during design development.

Skills

GD&T

CAD tools

MRP/ERP

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional

Communication

Manufacturing processes

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Aerospace Engineering

Tools

Windchill

PLM

MES

Digital manufacturing

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer – Build and Scale Advanced Propulsion Hardware

Thousand Oaks, California | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join a growing aerospace manufacturing team building advanced liquid propulsion hardware for space and launch applications. The company develops propulsion systems from early design and development through manufacturing, qualification testing, and delivery, supporting demanding commercial, civil, and defense missions. As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will own and improve the processes used to build complex propulsion hardware. You will work directly with design engineers, quality, supply chain, technicians, and program teams to move products into production, resolve manufacturing issues, develop repeatable build processes, and keep hardware moving against program schedules.

About Us

We are a growing aerospace company designing, manufacturing, and testing propulsion hardware for spacecraft and launch systems. Our team operates across the full product lifecycle, giving engineers direct exposure to design, production, integration, testing, and delivery. As production demand increases, we are continuing to expand our manufacturing capabilities and mature the processes required to build high-reliability aerospace hardware at greater scale.

Job Duties

• Develop manufacturing plans and processes for new and existing propulsion hardware.
• Create detailed work instructions, build documentation, procedures, and standard operating processes for production and testing.
• Evaluate assembly, machining, welding, additive manufacturing, fabrication, and integration processes for manufacturability and efficiency.
• Define required tooling, equipment, fixtures, materials, and process steps for hardware builds.
• Support new product introduction and provide manufacturing input during design development.
• Partner with design and quality engineering to resolve production issues and maintain product requirements.
• Provide hands‑on technical support to technicians during assembly, integration, and manufacturing operations.
• Oversee execution of production plans and coordinate work across manufacturing technicians.
• Update travelers and production documentation to capture approved changes, deviations, and lessons learned.
• Improve factory layout, workflow, assembly methods, and equipment utilization.
• Coordinate manufacturing activities with external suppliers and special‑process vendors.
• Develop production schedules, lead‑time estimates, and manufacturing milestones for assigned programs.
• Support program teams with realistic production planning and customer delivery timelines.
• Prepare as‑built documentation and technical data packages for completed hardware.
• Perform process, time, and cost analysis when needed to improve production performance.
• Capture and standardize manufacturing best practices as products transition from development into repeatable production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3 years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or another highly regulated hardware environment.
• Experience supporting hardware through design development, manufacturing, assembly, integration, and test.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes such as machining, welding, precision fabrication, assembly, composites, or additive manufacturing.
• Ability to create manufacturing build plans, work instructions, procedures, and production documentation.
• Strong understanding of GD&T and engineering drawings.
• Experience using CAD tools such as SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, AutoCAD, or similar platforms.
• Working knowledge of MRP or ERP systems, including material planning and production order workflows.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills in a hands‑on production environment.
• Ability to manage complex manufacturing activities with limited oversight.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and program teams.
• Must meet applicable U.S. export‑control requirements for access to controlled aerospace and defense technologies.

Preferred Experience

• Experience developing manufacturing build plans for complex aerospace hardware.
• Background manufacturing propulsion systems, spacecraft hardware, launch vehicle components, or other high‑reliability mechanical systems.
• Familiarity with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or structured continuous‑improvement methods.
• Experience working with PLM and digital manufacturing execution systems.
• Familiarity with platforms such as Windchill, ION, or comparable manufacturing software.
• Experience supporting low‑volume, high‑complexity production environments where engineering and manufacturing work closely together.

Why Join Us

• Take direct ownership of manufacturing processes for complex flight hardware.
• Work closely with engineering and production teams from design through final hardware delivery.
• Join a growing organization where manufacturing capabilities and processes are actively being built and improved.
• Opportunity to expand responsibilities as production volume and customer programs grow.
• 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off.
• Company‑paid holidays.
• Vacation and sick time.
• 401(k) with company matching.
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• Health savings account or flexible spending account options.

Compensation Details

$100,000 – $140,000

LI-AV