Manufacturing Engineer - Space Solar

Starpath

Hawthorne (CA)

On-site

USD 90,000 - 130,000

Full time

5 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Training & development

Impactful work

Job summary

Starpath is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer for the Space Solar initiative in the Starlight Solar team. You will own manufacturing processes, tooling, and inspection techniques to enable high-rate production of space solar hardware with uncompromising quality.

You will collaborate with design engineers to drive DFMs, stand up in-process inspections (including automation), and lead the transition of hardware from development to production, while reducing complexity and overhead.

Qualifications

Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, manufacturing, materials, mechanical engineering, or related field
≥1 year manufacturing and process design experience (internships/academic count)
Master's degree preferred for advanced roles
Hands-on experience with high-rate manufacturing and yield optimization
Proficiency in mechanical assembly methods, testing, FMEA, and troubleshooting
Experience with weld processes and weld inspection, including automation
Exposure to aerospace/high‑reliability hardware environments

Responsibilities

Develop and perform acceptance testing of manufacturing processes, techniques, and tools.
Design and implement precision tooling to reduce errors and cycle times.
Automate processes to ensure repeatability on high-rate lines.
Collaborate with design engineering to apply DFM improvements.
Establish in-process inspection methods to improve first-pass yield.
Lead handoff of hardware from development to production.
Simplify specs and streamline workflows to cut overhead wherever possible

Skills

Process design

Manufacturing

Automation

Design for manufacturing (DFM)

Quality improvement

Data analysis (SQL)

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace/manufacturing/materials/mechanical engineering

Master's degree in engineering

Tools

SQL

Job description

The Mission

Starpath develops and manufactures the technologies that will enable humans to live on the Moon and Mars. Today, we are building robotic systems that locally produce the essential commodities a lunar civilization will require at extreme scale: water, power, and oxygen. Our ultimate goal is to build and operate a self-sustaining city on Mars.

Position Details

Location: Los Angeles (Hawthorne), CA
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Starlight Solar
Travel: Frequent

The Mission

Manufacturing Engineer - Space Solar

The Starlight team is focused on dramatically improving space solar power to support Starpath's core mission and the greater space economy. Starlight manufactures the lowest cost and highest performance space solar ever, which will power the majority of new satellites built on Earth and all of Starpath's equipment on the Moon and Mars.

As a Manufacturing Engineer on the Starlight team, you will develop and own the processes, tooling, and inspection techniques that enable us to manufacture space solar hardware at high rate and with uncompromising quality.

Responsibilities

Develop and perform acceptance testing of manufacturing processes, techniques, and tools to enable efficient and high-rate manufacturing
Design and implement precision tooling to eliminate assembly error, improve quality, and minimize cycle time
Automate novel processes to ensure repeatability on high-rate manufacturing lines
Work closely with design engineering teams to influence solar panel architecture with design for manufacturing (DFM) improvements
Stand up in-process inspection methods, including automated approaches, to catch issues at the source and improve first-pass yield
Lead the handoff of hardware from development into production, ensuring processes are documented, stable, and ready to scale
Push back on unnecessary complexity — simplify specs, streamline workflows, and cut overhead wherever it doesn't add value

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, manufacturing, materials, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering discipline
1+ years of manufacturing and process design experience (internship and academic experience applicable)

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in an engineering discipline
Hands-on experience with mixed value stream or high-rate manufacturing lines, focusing on maximizing yield and increasing rate
Proficiency in mechanical assembly methods, testing, failure mode effects analysis, and troubleshooting
Prior experience developing, maintaining, and improving weld processes and weld inspection techniques, including automation
Experience using SQL or other data management tools to inform priorities and measure performanceExposure to aerospace, space, or other high-reliability hardware environments

EAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, you must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C.
1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.
1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity

Starpath is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Benefits

At Starpath Robotics, base pay is just one part of your total rewards package. We also offer:

Generous benefits including health, dental, vision, and retirement plans.
Paid time off, holidays, and flexible policies to support balance.
Professional growth opportunities through training and development.
The chance to own high-impact work that directly shapes the future of robotics & space!
A collaborative, mission-driven culture where craftsmanship and innovation are celebrated.