Senior Build Engineer, Airframe Composites Manufacturing

Voiceflow; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vis

401(k) program with stock options

Flexible time-off policy

Job summary

Astro Mechanica in San Francisco is hiring to stand up its airframe manufacturing operation from the ground up. You will shape facilities, workflows, tooling, and processes while coordinating with engineering, quality, and production to translate designs into scalable, producible hardware.

This hands-on leadership role requires deep composite manufacturing expertise, supplier collaboration, and rigorous first article inspections to ensure dimensional and quality standards across early builds.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in high variability composite manufacturing, including prototyping and airframe fabrication.
• Experience with composite materials and processes (prepreg layup, wet layup, bonding, curing, trimming, repair, drilling and fastening).
• Experience developing manufacturing processes for complex composite layups and/or aerostructure assemblies from the ground up.
• Experience with metallic airframe components and composite-to-metal interfaces.
• Experience building or scaling manufacturing operations, labs, or shops in a development or flight hardware environment.
• Experience mentoring and partnering with technicians.
• Experience working directly from engineering drawings, ply books, CAD models, and evolving build definitions.
• Strong project management skills.
• Proficiency in NX or similar CAD system.
• Demonstrated experience designing and developing composite tools and/or assembly fixtures.
• Strong understanding of GD&T.
• Experience providing DFM feedback.
• Experience with quality inspection methods (dimensional, NDI, in-process).
• Familiarity with destructive and non-destructive test methods common to composites manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Stand up airframe manufacturing from scratch, defining facilities, workflows, tooling, equipment, and consumables for rapid and scalable implementation.
• Work directly with airframe engineering and design teams to translate designs into manufacturing plans.
• Support layup, bonding, curing, trimming, assembly, and rework to meet milestones.
• Establish and improve manufacturing processes, build sequences, tooling approaches, and process docs.
• Maintain strong presence on production floor to drive builds and resolve issues.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design, Tooling, Quality, and Production for manufacturability.
• Create manufacturing instructions and support internal process specifications.
• Design tools and fixtures directly or via internal tool design team or contractors.
• Be responsible for quality inspection of produced products.
• Collaborate with suppliers to develop processes and procure composites.
• Perform first article inspections to ensure builds meet standards.
• Seek out new manufacturing techniques to increase throughput and quality.

Skills

Composite manufacturing

Prototyping

Process design

GD&T

Quality inspection

DFM feedback

Project management

Team leadership

Tools

NX

CMM

CAM systems

Laser projection

CNC ply cutting

Job description

ABOUT US:

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing a scalable technology platform to power critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight. We apply aerospace engineering and quality standards across our products, delivering high performance, reliability, and efficiency for the most demanding operating environments. Astro Mechanica is backed by leading venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Giant Step Capital, United Airlines Ventures, and Voyager Ventures.

WHO WE ARE:

We’re a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We’re generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy.

WHO YOU ARE:

You're an engineer with a solid understanding of composite materials and manufacturing techniques, able to rapidly develop a manufacturing process from the ground up to turn engineering data into real hardware. You thrive in a hands-on, interdisciplinary environment where seamless collaboration with design, production, quality, supply chain and all other supporting teams is critical to achieving success. You're excited about building an aircraft manufacturing line from scratch and partnering closely with our manufacturing leaders to build a next-generation aircraft factory.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Help stand up Astro Mechanica's airframe manufacturing operation from scratch, including facilities, workflows, tooling concepts, equipment and consumables needs, with a focus on both rapid implementation and future scalability

• Work directly with the airframe engineering and design teams to translate designs, analyses, and requirements into executable manufacturing plans

• Support and coordinate layup, bonding, curing, trimming, assembly, and rework activities to meet aggressive development milestones

• Establish and continuously improve manufacturing processes, build sequences, tooling approaches, and process documentation

• Maintain strong presence on production floor to drive builds and resolve issues

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design, Tooling, Quality, and Production teams to ensure manufacturability and smooth execution

• Create manufacturing instructions and support development of internal processes specifications

• Design tools and fixtures directly or via collaboration with internal tool design team or contractors (Also support management of tool schedule and delivery to factory and setup)

• Be responsible for quality inspection of the products you will produce

• Collaborate with suppliers to develop processes, procure composite parts and materials

• Perform first article inspections to ensure initial builds meet dimensional and quality standards

• Seek out new manufacturing techniques and technologies that will increase manufacturing throughput and quality

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• 7+ years of experience in high variability composite manufacturing, including prototyping and airframe fabrication

• Experience working with composite materials and processes (prepreg layup, wet layup, bonding, curing, trimming, repair, drilling and fastening)

• Experience developing manufacturing processes for complex composite layups and/or aerostructure assemblies from the ground up

• Experience working with metallic airframe components and composite-to-metal interfaces

• Experience building or scaling manufacturing operations, labs, or shops in a development or flight hardware environment

• Experience mentoring and partnering with technicians

• Experience working directly from engineering drawings, ply books, CAD models, and evolving build definitions

• Strong project management skills

• Proficiency in at least one industry standard CAD system, preferably NX

• Demonstrated experience designing and developing composite tools and/or assembly fixtures

• Strong understanding of GD&T

• Experience providing DFM feedback

• Experience with quality inspection methods (dimensional, NDI, in-process)

• Familiarity with destructive and non-destructive test methods common to composites manufacturing

NICE TO HAVE:

• Experience with PLM and/or MES systems

• Experience working with laser projection systems to aid composite manufacturing and assembly processes

• Experience with CNC ply cutting tools and ply pattern generation in CAD

• Experience with AFP/ATL manufacturing systems

• Experience with CAM systems from both a programming and operating perspective

• Experience with mechanical design, assembly of mechanical systems

• Experience with aircraft or spacecraft integration

• Experience with metrology tools (CMM, Laser tracker)

• Experience manufacturing large structures

• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environment

PERKS & BENEFITS:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• 401(k) program and transparent stock option plan

• Self-managed and flexible time-off policy, including PTO, paid holidays, and sick time

• Flexible work environment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

At Astro Mechanica, we highly value in-office work to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. We consider working in the office five days a week an essential part of the employee's role.

Astro Mechanica is an equal opportunity employer. We proudly recruit and hire a diverse workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.