Senior Build Reliability Engineer (Machining)

Impulsespace; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Impulse Space is seeking a Senior Build Reliability Engineer (Machining) in Redondo Beach to own the connection between design requirements, manufacturing execution, and flight performance for machined hardware.

You will work hands-on with technicians and manufacturing teams to prevent defects, rapidly diagnose failures, and improve hardware reliability across spacecraft builds, while guiding design reviews and build planning with a focus on quality and process excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of hardware manufacturing, aerospace, or high-reliability systems experience.
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving skills; knowledge of GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Identify, investigate, and eliminate build defects and failures through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Develop inspection requirements, acceptance criteria, and quality control processes aligned with hardware and mission reliability requirements.
• Perform development testing to guide design decisions and characterize hardware performance.
• Provide design-for-reliability guidance during design reviews and build planning.
• Balance inspection and test with lean principles to ensure verifications are comprehensive and streamlined.
• Own training and certification of elevated sign-off privileges for manufacturing technicians.
• Interface with supply chain to improve vendor hardware quality.
• Ensure hardware integrity by upholding quality standards and driving corrective actions to completion.

Skills

Root cause analysis

Problem solving

GD&T

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Senior Build Reliability Engineer (Machining)

Department: Quality

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $140,000 - $170,000 / year

Description

As a Senior Build Reliability Engineer (Machining) at Impulse, you will own the connection between design requirements, manufacturing execution, and flight performance for machined hardware. You will work hands-on with technicians, manufacturing engineers, and supporting teams to prevent defects before they occur, rapidly diagnose failures, and continuously improve hardware reliability across spacecraft builds.

Responsibilities

• Identify, investigate, and eliminate build defects and failures through root cause analysis and corrective actions both within and outside of your work centers
• Develop inspection requirements, acceptance criteria, and quality control processes aligned with hardware and mission reliability requirements. Assist in closeout inspections
• Perform development testing to guide design decisions and characterize hardware performance
• Provide design-for-reliability guidance during design reviews and build planning
• Optimize MRP/ERP system modules for improved hardware trace, data collection, and overall reliability
• Balance inspection and test with lean principles to ensure verifications are both comprehensive and streamlined
• Develop and implement build quality metrics to heighten awareness and to improve quality landscape over time
• Act as a specification custodian for inspection plans, storage and handling procedures, process control plans, and more
• Own training and certification of elevated sign-off privileges for manufacturing technicians
• Interface with supply chain to improve vendor hardware quality
• Ensure hardware integrity by holding the line on quality standards, extreme-owning hardware containments, and driving corrective actions to completion

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in hardware manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, or high-reliability systems
• Demonstrated experience supporting production builds, integration, or test of primary structures and/or complex mechanical or electromechanical systems
• Strong problem-solving skills with demonstrated root cause analysis experience
• Strong theoretical and working knowledge of GD&T

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 7+ years of demonstrated build reliability experience with spacecraft, launch vehicles, aviation, robotics, or defense hardware
• Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar quality systems (practical application preferred over documentation focus)
• Demonstrated experience with reliability engineering concepts (FMEA, reliability growth, Weibull analysis)
• Demonstrated background working closely with technicians and production teams
• Demonstrated experience supporting rapid development or prototype-to-production transitions
• Technical familiarity with machining process such as programming, setups, tooling, machine types, equipment maintenance, and machining optimization

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.